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Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2020 12:59:42 GMT -5
Campbell University got it right: play a limited schedule in the fall, skip the spring. Although no one has any business playing any sports in a pandemic outside of a bubble, I will say you were right about this. We could’ve scheduled UNC played Liberty and possibly Campbell and Elon/FAMU and packed it all in as this second spike/third wave crashes in.
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Post by Aggie Monster on Oct 27, 2020 13:29:19 GMT -5
Fan revenue? Have they even said that people would be allowed in the stadiums this spring? I always assumed that was gonna be a longshot. that was my point. They will opt out because WHYYYYY would they(FAMU) play. For bragging rights? You spending all that money for what?
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Post by Bornthrilla on Oct 27, 2020 13:39:01 GMT -5
Campbell University got it right: play a limited schedule in the fall, skip the spring. Although no one has any business playing any sports in a pandemic outside of a bubble, I will say you were right about this. We could’ve scheduled UNC played Liberty and possibly Campbell and Elon/FAMU and packed it all in as this second spike/third wave crashes in. The question is why did it take you this long to realize that? I partially blame you, Freeze, saabman, aggie ratter, and the other LOG members for this debacle we are about to find ourselves in.
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Post by neighborhoodsuperstar on Oct 27, 2020 16:30:51 GMT -5
This one is on 45.......damn everything else......45 is tha problem!!
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Post by aggierattler on Oct 27, 2020 17:24:48 GMT -5
Although no one has any business playing any sports in a pandemic outside of a bubble, I will say you were right about this. We could’ve scheduled UNC played Liberty and possibly Campbell and Elon/FAMU and packed it all in as this second spike/third wave crashes in. The question is why did it take you this long to realize that? I partially blame you, Freeze, saabman, aggie ratter, and the other LOG members for this debacle we are about to find ourselves in. You are blaming us, The BDV Realists?? Most of us tried to tell y'all that this would probably happen. And we still haven't seen the second wave of COVID-19 nor the down-the-road repercussions from its exposure to all of us...everyone included.
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Post by ohsixrain on Oct 27, 2020 17:59:48 GMT -5
Thrilla, that sounds like a conspiracy theory ala "45"...why blame us concerned parents/fans/alumni??? It's no guarantee those games would've gotten played. You are Monday Morning Quarterbacking now my friend.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Oct 27, 2020 19:55:11 GMT -5
98 percent Trump, 2 percent LOG.
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Freeze
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Post by Freeze on Oct 27, 2020 23:29:18 GMT -5
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Post by aggierattler on Oct 28, 2020 16:58:17 GMT -5
Health, safety (and money) are why Bethune-Cookman is shutting down sports | CommentaryBy MIKE BIANCHI ORLANDO SENTINEL | OCT 27, 2020 AT 7:58 PM
Do you want to know the real reason the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats on Tuesday became the first Division I institution to cancel all of its sports for the entire school year amid concerns about the health and safety of its student-athletes?
Because they could.
Because they didn’t have to worry about satisfying TV networks that are paying them mega-millions to broadcast their games.
Because they didn’t have to worry about paying the mortgage on some palatial $100 million stadium expansion project.
Because they didn’t have to worry about President Trump and other pandering politicians pushing and prodding them to play as a way to gain votes on election day.
And because they didn’t have to ride the coattails of their football players to try and recoup the massive financial losses caused by the pandemic.
This might be one of the few times in the history of college athletics where it’s beneficial not to be in the Power 5. If you could remove the financial ramifications, the network TV obligations, the political pressure and the keep-up-with-the-Joneses competition among the major conferences, I’d be willing to bet that most Power 5 athletics directors would have canceled the season long ago rather than endure the chaos and turmoil of trying to play college football during a raging pandemic.
“There are institutions out there that might be leveraged to the point where they have no choice but to play [football,]” Bethune-Cookman athletics director Lynn Thompson told me Tuesday. "I thank God we are at an institution where this decision for us was predicated on health and safety first and foremost and not on finances. … We feel very good about our decision based upon comments from some of our colleagues across the nation who are saying to us, ‘Man, I wish we could make the same decision right now.’ "
For Thompson, the COVID-19 issue hits close to home because his brother-in-law, James Anderson, a former Bethune-Cookman football player, died last month of complications from the virus at the age of 52. Thompson points out that Bethune-Cookman, an historically Black college, is in “the hub of Daytona Beach’s African-American community” where, he says, there are a “disproportionate number” of COVID cases.
“We are an anchor in this community,” Thompson says. “... We could not justify putting our kids and our community at risk.”
Added school president Dr. E. LaBrent Chrite in a statement issued Tuesday: “In the face of a surging COVID-19 spike across much of the country and the state of Florida, we have concluded that the risks are too great for our student-athletes and staff to travel and compete at this time. The health and safety of our student-athletes, as well as our coaches, staff and fans will always be our top priority.”
With the decision to cancel all sports for the remainder of the school year, Bethune-Cookman wiped out an upcoming spring football season as well as its men’s and women’s basketball seasons. While Chrite and Thompson say the decision was based on health and safety concerns and not financial issues, don’t kid yourself: There is certainly a fiscal motive to this decision.
Bethune-Cookman and many other schools operating on a shoestring athletic budget simply cannot afford the constant testing and other protocols that the major institutions of higher learning have implemented to keep their athletes as safe as possible.
Consider that a school like the University of Florida has budgeted about $3 million for COVID testing this year — an amount that would represent about one-fourth of Bethune-Cookman’s $12-15 million-a-year athletic budget. Although Bethune has fewer sports than UF, Thompson said the bill for testing athletes would still be exorbitant.
“The first projection we did for 17 sports was approaching close to $1 million dollars in unbudgeted testing costs,” Thompson says. “… At some point, we have to make sure that the money we invest in our program is being spent the right way.”
The fact is, more financially-strapped, non-Power 5 schools should bury their egos and make the prudent decision that Bethune-Cookman is making. What many non-Power 5 ADs are reticent to say even though it’s absolutely true is that their athletic programs would actually save tons of money by not playing sports during a pandemic-ravaged season when even elite Power 5 programs are unable to sell the limited number of football tickets they have made available at their stadiums.
For instance, does it really make sense for the Mid-American Conference to return to the football field next week to play a meaningless six-game schedule at empty stadiums in which the schools will actually lose money? As colleges and universities throughout the nation struggle to figure out how to pay their bills, why are MAC schools spending money they don’t have to play football games that don’t matter?
“With our decision to shut down, we feel we’re going to be on the right side of history,” Thompson says.
As an added bonus, Bethune-Cookman will also be on the right side of the balance sheet.This column first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on Twitter @bianchiwrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on FM 96.9 and AM 740.LINK: www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/mike-bianchi-commentary/os-sp-bethune-cookman-covid-19-shut-down-mike-bianchi-20201027-abcqe3prpzbktixgcupkro5qoi-story.html
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Post by Bornthrilla on Oct 28, 2020 17:12:51 GMT -5
My only issue with this statement is how is Thompson gonna justify returning to action in Fall 2021 when he has already established this precedent.
There is zero chance the pandemic will be completely gone by then. The situation may greatly improve and the numbers might go down, but the risk will still be there.
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Post by aggierattler on Oct 28, 2020 18:17:57 GMT -5
It is still a fluid situation.
We don't know what will be going on in August (for training camps) and the 2021 fall season concerning this virus. It might be at a very less-risky level or it might be absolutely vicious at that time. WE JUST DON'T KNOW.
There might be a full, open season for football in the fall (which I hope there is). Our inaugural season in the BSC might be in full swing with no complications.
But there might be situations where (again) schools may need to opt out of the 2021 fall season. WE JUST DON'T KNOW.
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Post by marchingband1969 on Oct 28, 2020 19:09:02 GMT -5
My only issue with this statement is how is Thompson gonna justify returning to action in Fall 2021 when he has already established this precedent. There is zero chance the pandemic will be completely gone by then. The situation may greatly improve and the numbers might go down, but the risk will still be there. By next fall he'll have the cover of everybody returning to college football. And anyway, Americans have very short memories, especially when the statement comes from a little known individual in a small HBCU university in South Florida. We'll be the only ones yelling "liar, liar, pants on fire!"
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Post by aggierattler on Oct 29, 2020 9:29:57 GMT -5
ABOUT THE OPT OUT DEADLINE
This is an excerpt from an article in today's Tallahassee paper (article link is below):
"...The Florida Blue Florida Classic is a huge payout for each school’s athletic budget. In the crippling economic climate from the pandemic, losing this game adds to the financial woes of B-CU and FAMU.
"We have to continue to monitor the situation. We're working with the conference office to look at schedules and running financial assessments. The Florida Classic generated $1.3 million for both institutions. That won't be accomplished this year," Florida A&M Vice President/Director of Athletics Kortne Gosha said.
Officials with the MEAC set Nov. 16 as the official opt-out date for member schools to announce their decision for having sports.
Gosha confirmed FAMU is expected to maintain an athletics schedule. However, the teams who'll compete, the number of games and travel arrangements have not been established.
"FAMU will compete in spring sports. What specific sports, I can’t answer that right now," Gosha said. "Whatever decision we make is in the best interest of student-athletes and it’s financially prudent. It’s no secret, we reduced our operating budget by $4 million. Anything we do has to make financial sense..."
OK, the first part of this clearly implies that everyone on the athletic side of each MEAC school was duly informed as to what was going on. No athletics director, head football coach or head basketball coach was left in the dark. If that was not the case, FAMU AD Gosha would have had no problem saying that.
The second part clearly says that the schools still had until November 16th to opt out of the spring season. Obviously, Gosha told the writer this during the interview for this story.
This should clear up a few questions.
LINK TO THE ENTIRE ARTICLE: www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/college/famu/2020/10/28/famu-reshuffle-schedule-after-b-cu-opts-out-sports-2020-21/3759627001/
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aggie2039
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Post by aggie2039 on Oct 29, 2020 9:41:50 GMT -5
We should play 3-4 games and call it a day... The games would be scrimmages against other teams just like the pros do during training camps.
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Gator
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Post by Gator on Oct 29, 2020 16:57:41 GMT -5
I wonder will we play FAMU twice to help them out?
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