Chip: Current college football ideas make no sense at all (floats Gophers at US Bank if games played in Jan/Feb)

[BleedGopher]

per Chip:

Sports leagues are busy brainstorming plans for competition to resume once stay-at-home directives are loosened. Games in empty venues without fans might represent the first step for some.

But that model doesn’t work for college football.

It won’t come close to solving the financial crisis in college sports.

One idea that has gained steam in national media reports calls for football season to be delayed until January or February. This pandemic has proved that our idea of normal is gone, so the sports world will need to be creative to get back on its feet and moving again. For college football, spring ball is better than no ball. But that hypothetical raises many questions.

Case in point: How would the Gophers play home games in January and February? Bring extra hand warmers and your shovel to help clear out from the blizzard in minus-10 degrees windchill.

If this plan materializes, perhaps one possibility would be to move Gophers games to U.S. Bank Stadium — a reverse of the 2010 season in which the Vikings had to borrow the Gophers home stadium in a pinch. Those who risked frostbite attending the Vikings playoff game against Seattle played in below-zero temperature at TCF Bank Stadium in January 2016 likely would vote for other alternatives than dead-of-winter outdoor football. Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren could use his Vikings ties to facilitate an agreement.

Other schools in northern climates would face similar logistical hurdles during the harshest months. There are other concerns. A spring season would severely shorten recovery time for players before the 2021 season, assuming a normal start time in the fall. Player safety would be compromised, even if the season is shortened to, say, eight to 10 games.

Further, when would the NFL hold its draft, and would players considered to be early-round picks skip a spring season because of the risks? And would football season coincide with college basketball and March Madness?

“It’s just hard to tell what it’s going to look like,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. “There’s a lot of things to talk about.”

Current college football ideas make no sense at all

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Dano564]

In an odd scenario like this, could the Big Ten not host all of the games one per weekend "neutral site style" in Ford Field, ILucas Oil Field, and U.S. Bank Stadium? 2-3 games per weekend per stadium?

Take out non-conference and play 9 weeks all games indoors?

 

[MplsGopher]

He goes on to say:

"
What remains unanimous is the fiscal importance of football on college sports. Athletic departments have already begun eliminating sports in response to lost revenue caused by the pandemic. Without football, athletic departments would face draconian measures. The University of Minnesota Board of Regents estimates a $30 million revenue loss if sports return in the fall without fans in attendance.

That scenario — sports without fans — doesn’t sound like a practical option for college sports. Professional sports, yes, possibly, but not college sports, which clings to its amateurism ideals.
"

This is the silliest, and laziest, take of all time.

Shame on Scoggins, for being a lazy tool.

Of course, he omits the part where the U athletic dept estimates losses of $75million if no football is played at all!

And what is Scoggins actual reasoning for why college football can't play without fans in the stands?? Basically it's this: "errr .... ummm ... wellll .... because doesn't that make sense?". Lazy ass

 

[PMWinSTP]

In an odd scenario like this, could the Big Ten not host all of the games one per weekend "neutral site style" in Ford Field, ILucas Oil Field, and U.S. Bank Stadium? 2-3 games per weekend per stadium?

Take out non-conference and play 9 weeks all games indoors?

I floated this scenario as well. September Fall camp, nine game all conference season for at least all P5 conferences in Oct/Nov at school stadiums.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

College season only works in the fall. 8 Games played Oct/Nov is only way...hopefully we will be able to do at least that.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

In an odd scenario like this, could the Big Ten not host all of the games one per weekend "neutral site style" in Ford Field, ILucas Oil Field, and U.S. Bank Stadium? 2-3 games per weekend per stadium?

Take out non-conference and play 9 weeks all games indoors?

The three sites could host a game at 11:00 and a game at 7:30, while a Friday night game would rotate between the 3 sites.

 

[Some guy]

The reason the suggestion of a winter/spring season is one of the dumbest takes of all time has nothing to do with weather or anything like that.

It has to do with the fact that it is no more likely It will be safe to play in January-April than it is August-November. I don’t quite understand why people are floating a spring season.
The virus is dangerous enough to cancel an October game but it’s going to magically disappear in March?

 

[WinLoseOrTy]

Play only B1G conference games. You need 7 games each week, play 11:00 am and 6:00 pm double headers at each indoor location (US Bank Stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium, Ford Field) on Saturdays from Jan 9 through March 6. Then have 1 Friday Night Game of the Week played at a rotating spot between those 3. There are your 7 games each week.

B1G title game played March 13 at Lucas Oil.

CFP semi finals and finals played the following weeks.

Make it happen.

 

[GoldenRodents]

Read behind the lines, after all this, deaths 30 and under almost zero. COVID is less lethal than the flu for children.

Educate people, those with compromised immune systems can avoid population density. The vast majority of the population will catch COVID and get better, just like every other contagious respiratory illness of all time. Open the schools, restart sports. Fat diabetic coaches can take a leave of absence. Diabetic and asthmatic athletes can medical redshirt.

 

[GoldenRodents]

Demand that your politicians and bureaucrats wake the F#$%* up...

"Lack of analysis regarding the most essential unit of human currency — living days — has tilted public policy toward an economically ruinous lockdown. "

“Living Days Stolen” ... A Smarter Way To Measure COVID-19 Deaths

COVID-19’s damage has been awful. But from a public policy perspective, it should be judged by the number of living days it has robbed from human beings, not by raw deaths tallied up without the context of demographics.

www.forbes.com

 

[Lakeville Goldy]

In an odd scenario like this, could the Big Ten not host all of the games one per weekend "neutral site style" in Ford Field, ILucas Oil Field, and U.S. Bank Stadium? 2-3 games per weekend per stadium?

Take out non-conference and play 9 weeks all games indoors?

That works fine for the B1G, but what about the northern schools in the MAC, Conf USA, and AAC? Not to mention FCS, D2 and D3.

I don't see the NCAA getting on board with a plan that only lets the big boys play. And there just aren't enough indoor stadiums to go around.

The thing is, if you look at nearly all the models, the rate of infection won't be much different between October/November and January/February anyway, whether or not they lift social distancing. So to me it's either have the season in fall or don't have a season. If the infection rate in October/November is unacceptable it is still going to be unacceptable in January.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

US Bank Stadium has lots of lights and ... noise, but it's got the atmosphere of a bad hosiptial waiting room from the 70s or something.

I'd rather be outside.

 

[Veritas]

This whole thread is silly, based solely on suppositions about what will happen five months from now. Everything will be locked down five months from now? Silly. People won't want to make money five months from now? Just silly.

 

[MplsGopher]

This whole thread is silly, based solely on suppositions about what will happen five months from now.

Welcome to internet discussion, glad to have you aboard.

 

[MplsGopher]

Demand that your politicians and bureaucrats wake the F#$%* up...

"Lack of analysis regarding the most essential unit of human currency — living days — has tilted public policy toward an economically ruinous lockdown. "

“Living Days Stolen” ... A Smarter Way To Measure COVID-19 Deaths

COVID-19’s damage has been awful. But from a public policy perspective, it should be judged by the number of living days it has robbed from human beings, not by raw deaths tallied up without the context of demographics.

www.forbes.com

This is just a faux-scientific way of massaging the narratives "it's ok if old people die, because they're old" and "old people should die so that the rest of us can live our lives normally" into something that sounds nicer.

 

[CoMn]

It's hard to imagine after the draft generated record setting views, that t.v. revenue couldn't go up covering some of the loss of $ for fans in seats. I know I would love to have sports on t.v. these days. I watched the draft for the first time ever. Also, why would the NFL not be flexible with the timing of the draft? Oxford University is developing a vaccine that may have 3-4 million doses ready in September. While that won't help us, early suggestions were that it would be a miracle if we had a vaccine by June 2021...now it's likely to have the first one (albeit with very limited does) in Sept. 2020, 9 months faster than the previous estimates for the fastest time. The point is that things are happening fast. Antibody tests are being developed everywhere. Remedies are being tested everywhere. Some of these things will be effective and they will get scaled much faster than in the past. Then we'll have a new reality where things are possible that aren't now.

 

[FredCoxRocks]

I am bothered that coronavirus is

US Bank Stadium has lots of lights and ... noise, but it's got the atmosphere of a bad hosiptial waiting room from the 70s or something.

I'd rather be outside.

 

[PMWinSTP]

This whole thread is silly, based solely on suppositions about what will happen five months from now. Everything will be locked down five months from now? Silly. People won't want to make money five months from now? Just silly.

Silly, silly post.

 

[WriterGoph]

US Bank Stadium has lots of lights and ... noise, but it's got the atmosphere of a bad hosiptial waiting room from the 70s or something.

I'd rather be outside.

I thought it was pretty damn loud and energetic for the Vikes games I attended there.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I thought it was pretty damn loud and energetic for the Vikes games I attended there.

Same for me, but it's just ... loud.

Good fans and all but about half the time the noise was from the PA system on top of the fans who were plenty loud ... but they had to play something over the fans just because I guess.

 

[GoldenRodents]

This is just a faux-scientific way of massaging the narratives "it's ok if old people die, because they're old" and "old people should die so that the rest of us can live our lives normally" into something that sounds nicer.

Hey, @MplsGopher, old people and immune compromised should where masks, social distance and shelter in place til they are comfortable with the available therapies. This virus is like a tsunami for them, government can warn them but they can't protect them all from the ravages of nature.

People are going to wise up to this criminal stupidity. Most aged people would never sacrifice their children and grandchildren like this. People are treating government like some sort of divine being that rules nature. They are going to find out it can't start and stop the economy without severe consequences, and that poverty will wash over millions because of this insane Safety Cult.

If you know any politicians, warn them that extreme blowback is coming their way. In the meantime, deal with your own cognitive bias toward government mandated ultra-safety.

 

[Some guy]

I thought it was pretty damn loud and energetic for the Vikes games I attended there.

I think the fan atmosphere has been great at uS bank.
I think it is a horribly designed stadium. For both games and concerts...the concourses can’t handle the number of people in the stadium. In my mind it’s as bad as the metrodome (but I might have recency bias)

 

[tjgopher]

The reason the suggestion of a winter/spring season is one of the dumbest takes of all time has nothing to do with weather or anything like that.

It has to do with the fact that it is no more likely It will be safe to play in January-April than it is August-November. I don’t quite understand why people are floating a spring season.
The virus is dangerous enough to cancel an October game but it’s going to magically disappear in March?

Actually, a spring season makes sense for a variety of reasons. It allows another 4-5 months of data to be collected, research to be done, clinical trials performed by experts, needed supplies and tests to be made and distributed properly. A lot can happen in 4 months. So, it is likely to be safer to play starting in January than starting in September, especially for college football. Heck, it could still be safe enough to play starting in September. As mentioned, a lot can happen in four months with a motivated medical community and a motivated school base.

Even more important, January it is likely when we will have all schools with students on campus. The biggest hurdle right now for a fall start to the college football season is the fact some schools likely won't have students on campus. So, how does Purdue (with students on campus) take on Rutgers (with no students on campus, meaning no football players there)? I suppose there are ways to make it happen, but it is nearly certain all schools will be back to in-person instruction by second semester which solves that part of the equation.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I think the fan atmosphere has been great at uS bank.
I think it is a horribly designed stadium. For both games and concerts...the concourses can’t handle the number of people in the stadium. In my mind it’s as bad as the metrodome (but I might have recency bias)

Yeah the concourses are terrible. You can't quite figure out where you are, can't really see anything from most of them, they're small and have all these twists and turns... they're weird.


Even outside the game someone is out there telling you how there is no waiting at some gate or another... and maybe you can see the gate, but with all various barriers and trying to funnel people this way and that outside the stadium ... it's not obvious how to GET to a given gate....

 

[tjgopher]

That works fine for the B1G, but what about the northern schools in the MAC, Conf USA, and AAC? Not to mention FCS, D2 and D3.

I don't see the NCAA getting on board with a plan that only lets the big boys play. And there just aren't enough indoor stadiums to go around.

The MAC northern teams can play weeknight doubleheaders in Detroit. The Ohio schools are likely able to play outdoors on home campuses in Jan/Feb.

AAC are likely not needing a lot of "indoor" games. AAC has two teams that might need to play indoor home games (Temple, UConn). Maybe those schools need a few dates at NFL stadiums (Buffalo, Philly) with heating coyles.

Conference USA has NO teams that would need indoor venues in January.

I'm guessing D-II and D-III schools in the extreme north would start an 8-game regular season on like Feb 1 and go into late March. They might only need the first 4 weeks to be played indoors. There are definitely ways to do that. For NSIC and MIAC, for example, play games at US Bank Stadium, Dakota Dome, Fargo Dome, UNI Dome. Go "Prep Bowl" on it and play four games per day during open dates (likely Thursdays, Fridays).

There is going to be some inconvenience if they do this, no question. But the inconvenience of budgets shortfalls and lost seasons will far outweigh anything else.

They will try to get something done, somehow.

 

[tjgopher]

Yeah the concourses are terrible. You can't quite figure out where you are, can't really see anything from most of them, they're small and have all these twists and turns... they're weird.


Even outside the game someone is out there telling you how there is no waiting at some gate or another... and maybe you can see the gate, but with all various barriers and trying to funnel people this way and that outside the stadium ... it's not obvious how to GET to a given gate....

I actually love US Bank Stadium during Vikings games. Go to quite a few. Atmosphere is off the charts. But, the maze you have to go through to figure out how to get into and out of that place is tiresome. I've been there many times and still get lost on how to leave. I can't believe with all of the high end stadium architects and builders in the world today, that's how they designed the walking paths.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I actually love US Bank Stadium during Vikings games. Go to quite a few. Atmosphere is off the charts. But, the maze you have to go through to figure out how to get into and out of that place is tiresome. I've been there many times and still get lost on how to leave. I can't believe with all of the high end stadium architects and builders in the world today, that's how they designed the walking paths.

Yeah the fans are great, IMO in spite of the stadium.

I'm guessing when they designed the foot traffic patterns they really thought of those renderings with like a couple dozen people walking around outside...

Maybe if you have to put up miles of gates and have dozens upon dozens of people directing traffic because nobody knows where to go ... I think you did something wrong.

It's slow to get into TCF, but man at least I can walk around it without being confused.

 

[tjgopher]

Yeah the fans are great, IMO in spite of the stadium.

I'm guessing when they designed the foot traffic patterns they really thought of those renderings with like a couple dozen people walking around outside...

Maybe if you have to put up miles of gates and have dozens upon dozens of people directing traffic because nobody knows where to go ... I think you did something wrong.

It's slow to get into TCF, but man at least I can walk around it without being confused.

I like the design of the Vikings stadium. The sunlight coming in on cold days, the breeze blowing through the big doors on warmer days, the seats are comfy, the sight lines are good for a big stadium, the sound system is clear and you can understand what is being said (unlike many indoor venues, including Williams and Mariucci).

Just how to get into and out of that place is terrible.

Like you said, temporary fencing, bridges, narrow concourses, concourses that have a "dead end" making you turn around and fight traffic when you hit the end. It's all miserable.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

FWIW - co-worker has a daughter who attends Minnesota State Mankato. the daughter received a notice from the school that it is reviewing options for the Fall Semester, including a plan where distance learning would continue this Fall with no students on campus.

Look - I want them to play football this fall. I want to be able to get a haircut or buy a new pair of jeans.

but nobody is going to make any decisions based on what I want. Those decisions are going to be made based on science, medicine and public health.

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

 

[Some guy]

Actually, a spring season makes sense for a variety of reasons. It allows another 4-5 months of data to be collected, research to be done, clinical trials performed by experts, needed supplies and tests to be made and distributed properly. A lot can happen in 4 months. So, it is likely to be safer to play starting in January than starting in September, especially for college football. Heck, it could still be safe enough to play starting in September. As mentioned, a lot can happen in four months with a motivated medical community and a motivated school base.

Even more important, January it is likely when we will have all schools with students on campus. The biggest hurdle right now for a fall start to the college football season is the fact some schools likely won't have students on campus. So, how does Purdue (with students on campus) take on Rutgers (with no students on campus, meaning no football players there)? I suppose there are ways to make it happen, but it is nearly certain all schools will be back to in-person instruction by second semester which solves that part of the equation.

In your first paragraph your last two sentences complete contradict the rest of your paragraph. In the 1918 Spanish flu the second and third waves were actually more deadly than the first because the virus had slightly modified and hit a different population. It might actually be safer in September than it is in January. (As you said, we have no idea).

Since we may be facing a second wave at the heart of the fall, we are equally likely to have schools not in in-person settings in the spring as the fall.


Every assumption that says spring football being safer and more logistically more possible than fall football relies on an assumption that it is actually safer in the spring than the fall. Saying it will be safer in January than September is pure conjecture with absolutely no evidence to back it up. Diseases of this variety typically start upticks in the late fall more than the later summer (obviously this is a different virus)


If the second wave hits in December and the whole healthy fall was postponed until the spring only to get canceled for a second wave...that would mean there was some dumb assumptions being made.