By “coach“
As a coach at the collegiate level, I’ve kept quiet on a lot of things regarding Covid-19. We all have our own standpoints regarding Covid-19 and you are allowed to have your own viewpoint. Here’s mine.
Canceling the college football season will have zero affect on the spread of Covid-19. Canceling the season is actually putting the athletes in more harm. Athletes will now return home to a non-regulated, potentially unsafe environment. These football programs are highly tested and controlled to limit the amount of contact and minimize the spread. The amount of safety measures put in place by many schools to guarantee their athletes safety is far better than anything they could experience at home.
What is canceling football really going to do for the “spread” of the virus? Absolutely nothing.
Let’s talk about finances. Let’s say a player were to contract Covid-19 while under the supervision of their athletic program. The program fronts the money for all medical bills. On the flip, the player returns home to an uncontrolled environment and is more likely to contract Covid-19. Guess who fronts those bills? The family. Guess whose medical care I’d be asking for? The doctors and athletic trainers at my university.
It’s also incredibly frustrating to see tweets and posts regarding these decisions from people that are not even involved in collegiate athletics. They have no idea how these schools are managing their athletes and continue to spread wrong information, passing judgement to those actually involved.
Sports are a safety net for many (financially, physically, and mentally) and provide so much stability to the individual. It’s more than “playing a game.”
Want to see your university/college lose almost all funding? Cancel sports. I dare you.
LET. THEM. PLAY.