Ivy League cancels 20-21 winter sports! [merged thread]

[Blakeon18]

Uh Oh

 

[chrissaran]

That doesn't mean the other leagues will follow. Let's not panic until it's time to panic. It's not time to panic.

 

[VaConnFan11]

Will anyone notice?

 

[hoopsfan22]

Not surprised. Smaller leagues are more likely to pull the trigger on canceling or delaying winter sports seasons. Not a lot of financial incentive to play and high risk.

 

[oldude]

The sobering point is that the virus is worse right now then it was when the NCAA shut down basketball last March.

 

[hoopsfan22]

The sobering point is that the virus is worse right now then it was when the NCAA shut down basketball last March.

I think the biggest difference between then and now is we know a lot more about the virus and how to deal with it. For example, if we were in the position we are today back in March, I think they would have found a way to have a tournament. Since there were so many unknowns and such uncertainty at that time, they basically did surgery with a chainsaw instead of a scalpel because that was the only tool they had which meant mass cancellations of big public events.

 

[Scud49]

The sobering point is that the virus is worse right now then it was when the NCAA shut down basketball last March.

That's what I was thinking....and I don't like that thought....

 

[soxfan23]

The sobering point is that the virus is worse right now then it was when the NCAA shut down basketball last March.

NOBODY had any idea what we were dealing with back in March, that is the big difference.

 

[psconn]

The sobering point is that the virus is worse right now then it was when the NCAA shut down basketball last March.

 

[oldude]

Recognizing that the country is better acquainted with the virus than it was in March, there are still very disturbing trends this time around. We are seeing record hospitalizations. Several states are at or near their capacity for ICU beds. For example, Utah has 0 available ICU beds. Medical personnel are being stretched to the limits and yet again hospitals are running short of PPE.

Most distressing is that the country is experiencing record daily mortality rates. While the news on vaccine development has been very good, it looks like we are in for a very difficult winter.

 

[j66kicker]

That doesn't mean the other leagues will follow. Let's not panic until it's time to panic. It's not time to panic.

Will anyone notice?

Well, they noticed last time. The Ivy League was the first conference to withdraw from the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments last March, starting a trend which quickly snowballed and resulted in the NCAA canceling the tournaments.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Connecticut is doing about average in terms of recent infections per population. But average means average in the context of an out-of-control pandemic. 80% of the state of Connecticut is now considered in the "red zone" for infections.

This is now worse than it was when southwestern Connecticut was part of the initial epicenter for the pandemic back in April and May. Schools around the state are shutting down.

Don't think this season is a gimme.

 

[j66kicker]

Things not going smoothly in college football...

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby downplays talk of delaying College Football Playoff

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby downplayed his comments about potentially delaying the CFP and New Year's Six bowls because of COVID-19, telling ESPN, "We're not going to move off of that schedule unless we're forced to move off of it."

www.espn.com

But meanwhile the Golden State Warriors are proposing to spend $30 million+ to test every fan and allow 50% seating capacity for the upcoming season. (Not sure every school has the $$$ to do this.)

Golden State Warriors submit plan for home-game coronavirus testing to allow 50% fan capacity

The Warriors have presented an ambitious plan to state and local officials to reopen Chase Center in San Francisco at 50% capacity for the upcoming NBA season.

www.espn.com

 

[bluedevil]

Hope for the best expect the worse..

 

[Plebe]

At this point I am holding my breath and crossing my fingers and toes.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

The entire Storrs campus is now on lockdown:

UConn places entire Storrs campus under quarantine

“We don’t have the COVID spread under control,” a UConn administrator wrote to the...

www.greenwichtime.com

STORRS — The entire University of Connecticut campus will be quarantined as the school tries to control the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Friday.

In a letter to the school community, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Eleanor JB Daugherty said a “modified quarantine” will begin at 5 p.m. Friday and will last until residence halls close for Thanksgiving on Nov. 21.

 

[Plebe]

The entire Storrs campus is now on lockdown:

UConn places entire Storrs campus under quarantine

“We don’t have the COVID spread under control,” a UConn administrator wrote to the...

www.greenwichtime.com

STORRS — The entire University of Connecticut campus will be quarantined as the school tries to control the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Friday.

In a letter to the school community, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Eleanor JB Daugherty said a “modified quarantine” will begin at 5 p.m. Friday and will last until residence halls close for Thanksgiving on Nov. 21.

Grim.

If there's a hint of silver lining, it's that dismissal for Thanksgiving is only 8 days away. For the winter athletic teams, I believe a nearly deserted campus will then become one of the safest places they can be, potentially a quasi-bubble.

 

[oldude]

The entire Storrs campus is now on lockdown:

UConn places entire Storrs campus under quarantine

“We don’t have the COVID spread under control,” a UConn administrator wrote to the...

www.greenwichtime.com

STORRS — The entire University of Connecticut campus will be quarantined as the school tries to control the spread of the coronavirus, officials said Friday.

In a letter to the school community, Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Eleanor JB Daugherty said a “modified quarantine” will begin at 5 p.m. Friday and will last until residence halls close for Thanksgiving on Nov. 21.

Cases now up to 62 from 50 yesterday. I would also note that if the entire campus is under quarantine, that has to mean no practice for WBB, potentially putting UConn’s opener vs Quinnipiac on the 28th in jeopardy.

 

[bkart1978]

NOBODY had any idea what we were dealing with back in March, that is the big difference.

The sad difference is that people now know what they're dealing with and still won't stop having house parties, going out without masks or visiting family for holidays.

 

[Bonpland]

Will anyone notice?

The kids who trained for years and competed on several levels because they love their sport will notice.

How jaded have we become about sport that we don't see that it might exist for more reason than to provide TV entertainment for the masses? The best of the best get to perform at the power programs but a great number of dedicated athletes choose to compete at fine academic institutions knowing that their efforts will only on rare occasions gain national attention.

The same can be said about all Division III athletes. My children competed on both levels and I attended playoff games where Ivy League athletes ran just as hard (but perhaps not as quickly) as those who were performing on TV and in front of thousands in packed arenas.

I told my son who bypassed Division I opportunities to attend a school that offered him the education that he wanted (and has subsequently used) that when he was defending the other team's star or helping his team to come back against a superior opponent that in the moment he wouldn't be thinking about the division in which he had chosen to participate. He was marginally good enough to play for a national power but he instead started for four years while getting the kind of education that set him up working in the field that he most wanted. He didn't love his sport any less because he was not flying to Madison to play Wisconsin. He didn't have that experience but he didn't get lost either. He played because he loved his sport. a lot of kids do.

The Ivy's challenge their kids academically (my daughter's had no easy classes because they started for their teams on the field) but it would be a mistake to dismiss the experience that is shared by those athletes just because the product they produce has little appeal to a cable vision audience.

 

[UcMiami]

The other change from March is at that point the perception of the outcome for cases was either death or recovery. The death rate was at a high but age specific and heavily weighted to the oldest part of the population.

The death rate has dropped as the treatment protocols have improved significantly, but the medical perception of outcome for cases has changed, it is now death, long term damage, or full recovery, and the long term damage portion is less age specific and covers a wide range of medical conditions. The public perception is still mostly stuck on the death/recovery equation, but informed decision makers are likely seeing a more complete picture.

 

[Cornell Lt]

As much as it sucks, the IVY Leagues' decision is the right one.

Unfortunately the effect on the student athletes is far worse than it would be in any other conference, as the IVY League does not allow any extra years of eligibility. So if you want 4 years of playing your particular sport, you'd have to withdraw from school and re-enroll when the sport starts up again thus causing extra financial commitment from the student athletes and their families.

 

[oldude]

As much as it sucks, the IVY Leagues' decision is the right one.

Unfortunately the effect on the student athletes is far worse than it would be in any other conference, as the IVY League does not allow any extra years of eligibility. So if you want 4 years of playing your particular sport, you'd have to withdraw from school and re-enroll when the sport starts up again thus causing extra financial commitment from the student athletes and their families.

The Ivy League did take a look at granting athletes in spring sports an extra year of eligibility last April. Unfortunately, the League Presidents voted it down.

For the Ivies, it is first and foremost about giving students a world class education. Sports are truly extracurricular activities, which is maybe the way it ought to be.

 

[Cornell Lt]

"Sports are truly extracurricular activities"

Tell that to the 1000's of IVY athletes who have worked a good portion of their lives to achieve success on and off their athletic field of choice AND desire to get a world class education.

 

[eebmg]

It seems to me that in this second wave with numbers spiking all over, being on organized teams such as WCBB is actually significantly safer than if the players/ coaches etc. were left on their own as part of the general population.

Constant testing actually makes them safer to the outside community than (Asymptomatic) individuals not undergoing testing so unlike the initial wave, the uncertainty of whether these teams would be petri dishes infecting the general population is not an issue.

It boils down to cost and discipline and the small number of players may make it impossible to absorb even a small number of positive cases but as a public health issue, it is safer than being a young person living life on their own both for them and for the community

 

[Alydar]

The sad difference is that people now know what they're dealing with and still won't stop having house parties, going out without masks or visiting family for holidays.

A significant portion of the students live off-campus.

 

[msf22b]

Two points

To VaFan...you're darn right people will notice...Carla Berube stage-managed some really attractive (and winning) BB at Princeton last season; For me they became one of my fav teams to watch.
Even moved her up the list for whenever.....

And Plebe: "a silver lining"???
Sending everyone home throughout the state and country to large family gatherings? Super-spreader city?

I'm pretty worried....

 

[TB12]

oh no

 

[oldude]

"Sports are truly extracurricular activities"

Tell that to the 1000's of IVY athletes who have worked a good portion of their lives to achieve success on and off their athletic field of choice AND desire to get a world class education.

Not quite sure what you are saying. I was an IVY League athlete. During my college years, nothing was more important to me than competing in college sports. But afterwards, the importance of my education has made an enormous difference in my life.

There are no short cuts for Ivy athletes: no athletic scholarships, no easy course loads and not a lot of sleep either.

 

[oldude]

It seems to me that in this second wave with numbers spiking all over, being on organized teams such as WCBB is actually significantly safer than if the players/ coaches etc. were left on their own as part of the general population.

Constant testing actually makes them safer to the outside community than (Asymptomatic) individuals not undergoing testing so unlike the initial wave, the uncertainty of whether these teams would be petri dishes infecting the general population is not an issue.

It boils down to cost and discipline and the small number of players may make it impossible to absorb even a small number of positive cases but as a public health issue, it is safer than being a young person living life on their own both for them and for the community

The other thing you can be sure of is that UConn WBB players, under Geno and his coaching staff’s guidance, are among the most responsible students on campus. WBB would probably be the very last group of students on campus that would let their guard down. It’s all about the TEAM!