My Football Plan

[HornetFan]

2 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

There has not been a year since 1968/69 when the flu has killed more people in the USA than Covid-19 has in 4.5 moths this year. It is fine to make your point, but untruths should not be part of the argument. 

I never said that in any one year, the flu killed more people than Covid-19, so please don't misinterpret what I said or call them untruths. What I did say was the flu killed thousands of "kids" each year. The victims of Covid-19 have been mostly senior citizens with other serious conditions, and the majority of them have been in their 70s to 90s, living in nursing homes and ALF's. They weren't in good health before they became infected. There have been 5 people under the age of 18 die from Covid-19 in the state of Florida since this pandemic began; the latest last week,  a 9 nine year old girl with other serious conditions. Would you prefer these kids continue to play football unsupervised or under the guidance of coaches? The kids are going to play football just as they have since the beginning of the year. 

[VeniceIndianFan]

4 hours ago, badbird said:

have you been around the kids or are you an old guy behind a key board?  If we have school we can play sports.  Kids are not social distancing anyway.  Orlando just put on a huge AAU national volleyball tournament.  

Are you that inept that you’re going to to tell me that I am an old guy behind a keyboard, just because I care about other people’s lives? Here’s where I destroy your argument. If you have a single shred of remorse or empathy in your body, you will understand that everyone is making sacrifices right now, and that it is downright foolish to play a full contact sport during a global pandemic. I don’t care if Venice wins every damn game on their schedule, wins states and takes home a national championship. If kids in the team and fans are getting sick and DYING because someone is too selfish to make the decision to drop football, then we have a bigger issue here. It’s only one season. And older people, namely the coaches and fans, are more susceptible to serious harm from the virus. We have to social distance. We have to take protective measures here and Be intelligent, as well as make sacrifices, to improve our current situation.

[badbird]

22 minutes ago, VeniceIndiansFootball said:

Are you that inept that you’re going to to tell me that I am an old guy behind a keyboard, just because I care about other people’s lives? Here’s where I destroy your argument. If you have a single shred of remorse or empathy in your body, you will understand that everyone is making sacrifices right now, and that it is downright foolish to play a full contact sport during a global pandemic. I don’t care if Venice wins every damn game on their schedule, wins states and takes home a national championship. If kids in the team and fans are getting sick and DYING because someone is too selfish to make the decision to drop football, then we have a bigger issue here. It’s only one season. And older people, namely the coaches and fans, are more susceptible to serious harm from the virus. We have to social distance. We have to take protective measures here and Be intelligent, as well as make sacrifices, to improve our current situation.

Great you care about other peoples lives.   So do I.  MLB is playing, NBA is playing (granted in a bubble) NFL is playing, most youth teams are playing.  It is up to you if you want to play. We got it you don't want to play.  So stay your ass home.

[VeniceIndianFan]

6 minutes ago, badbird said:

Great you care about other peoples lives.   So do I.  MLB is playing, NBA is playing (granted in a bubble) NFL is playing, most youth teams are playing.  It is up to you if you want to play. We got it you don't want to play.  So stay your ass home.

You clearly don’t care about other people’s lives or else you wouldn’t be saying that. And the reason the NBA, the NFL, the MLB, And others are playing is because they are major corporations. They rake in billions of dollars each year in ticket sales, Jersey sales, food, concessions, parking, and their stores. They have the capacity to test their players constantly and they certainly have the funds to ensure that their players and staff have the top notch medical care and precautions. They are the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent, badbird. You of all people should know this. Little leagues and high schools, have no such amenities. Not even colleges have the funds to take the precautions that the sports industry does. How the hell can you tell me, with an unbiased viewpoint, that playing during a pandemic, where players are colliding and spit and blood is flying, is safe? And furthermore, I am not a little kid, nor am I a senior citizen. I am just an informed and concerned citizen, and my opinion is that playing sports at this current time is unwise. 

[DarterBlue2]

4 hours ago, HornetFan said:

I never said that in any one year, the flu killed more people than Covid-19, so please don't misinterpret what I said or call them untruths. What I did say was the flu killed thousands of "kids" each year. The victims of Covid-19 have been mostly senior citizens with other serious conditions, and the majority of them have been in their 70s to 90s, living in nursing homes and ALF's. They weren't in good health before they became infected. There have been 5 people under the age of 18 die from Covid-19 in the state of Florida since this pandemic began; the latest last week,  a 9 nine year old girl with other serious conditions. Would you prefer these kids continue to play football unsupervised or under the guidance of coaches? The kids are going to play football just as they have since the beginning of the year. 

Um, these kids have adults in their families. They are not kids living in group homes run and managed by kids. A South Korean study of kids transmission rates suggests that those above 10 years old are just as effective at spreading the virus among themselves and to adults as are adults. So, while you may be "technically right about the death of kids" you are totally ignoring the impact it may have on their families, including those that live in extended families with grandma or grandpa possibly present.

Look I understand your frustration regarding the loss of the football season. It is frustrating to me too. But please understand the concern and frustration of those who see the real possibility of an unmitigated disaster resulting from playing football or other contact sports this season only to see it end in catastrophic disaster and needless illness and, yes, deaths. 

[badbird]

7 hours ago, VeniceIndiansFootball said:

You clearly don’t care about other people’s lives or else you wouldn’t be saying that. And the reason the NBA, the NFL, the MLB, And others are playing is because they are major corporations. They rake in billions of dollars each year in ticket sales, Jersey sales, food, concessions, parking, and their stores. They have the capacity to test their players constantly and they certainly have the funds to ensure that their players and staff have the top notch medical care and precautions. They are the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent, badbird. You of all people should know this. Little leagues and high schools, have no such amenities. Not even colleges have the funds to take the precautions that the sports industry does. How the hell can you tell me, with an unbiased viewpoint, that playing during a pandemic, where players are colliding and spit and blood is flying, is safe? And furthermore, I am not a little kid, nor am I a senior citizen. I am just an informed and concerned citizen, and my opinion is that playing sports at this current time is unwise. 

 

4 hours ago, DarterBlue2 said:

 

I'm not frustrated at all about the potential loss of high school football it would actually make my job easier.   If we can go to stores, go to the beach, go to amusement parks, go to school then we can play sports.   If not then then shut the entire country back down.  

If you care so much about peoples lives then maybe we shouldn't be driving any where either.  About 40,000 people die in the US from car accidents.  What do they do to try and help that?  They put in safety protocols like seat belts and speed limits.  Now I know driving and sports aren't the same but a lot of people depend on sports to make a living.  Also a lot of peoples future would be hindered or hurt by not playing.  To me it's worth the risk as long as we put in the safety protocols to try and minimize the risk.

I didn't state my plan to argue about if we should have it so I'm done discussing it because neither of us are going to make that decision.  I can tell you from someone that is around a lot of kids they are not going to social distance whether sports are played or not.

[Perspective]

Question to the current or former football coaches on this board:  knowing that your kids have not put on helmets and pad since the end of the 2019 season, how much time, realistically, would you need to prepare your team to play a real game this fall? 

Put in other words, assuming that football is allowed to start on August 24th (the current 'start date' after last night's FHSAA Board meeting), but assuming that kids won't be able to put on all their gear until they've had five days of acclimation, when can/should the first games be played?  Sept 4th?  Sept. 11th?  Sept. 18th?     KO on the 11th, with real games on the 18th?

[badbird]

14 minutes ago, Perspective said:

Question to the current or former football coaches on this board:  knowing that your kids have not put on helmets and pad since the end of the 2019 season, how much time, realistically, would you need to prepare your team to play a real game this fall? 

Put in other words, assuming that football is allowed to start on August 24th (the current 'start date' after last night's FHSAA Board meeting), but assuming that kids won't be able to put on all their gear until they've had five days of acclimation, when can/should the first games be played?  Sept 4th?  Sept. 11th?  Sept. 18th?     KO on the 11th, with real games on the 18th?

play a controlled scrimmage the 4th (2 weeks) and first real game the 11th (3 weeks).   

[Hwy17]

I'm in agree with BadBird's point of view. Either close everything or open back up.  It appears that we will have a college football season. It will be modified, but still a season.  I don't see why we can't do the same. I'm only 46 and can remember when high school football season didn't start until late September and ran until Thanksgiving. The playoffs were 3 weeks. In fact many coaches opposed having a 5 week playoff when it was first proposed. Bowl games were highly regarded up until the 90s.

 

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, Hwy17 said:

I'm in agree with BadBird's point of view. Either close everything or open back up.  It appears that we will have a college football season. It will be modified, but still a season.  I don't see why we can't do the same. I'm only 46 and can remember when high school football season didn't start until late September and ran until Thanksgiving. The playoffs were 3 weeks. In fact many coaches opposed having a 5 week playoff when it was first proposed. Bowl games were highly regarded up until the 90s.

 

Yeah the bowl games were great.A ton of good teams didnt make the playoffs back then because only the district champ advanced.

[Hwy17]

3 minutes ago, Just A Coach said:

Yeah the bowl games were great.A ton of good teams didnt make the playoffs back then because only the district champ advanced.

Yep and a lot of really good teams played independent too.

[Perspective]

I watched most of the FHSAA meeting last night and kept getting American history flashbacks.   It's really quite interesting:  you've got the Federalists (don't worry, ColumbiaFan, that's not the name of a political party) who are focused on a strong federal government (or, in this case, a uniform state system).   And then you've got the states rights groups who want to protect their little corners of the world (or, in this case, the interests of their respective counties).  Neither side is wrong.   

On Monday night, there seemed to be a consensus that based on Florida's size and diversity, it would not be possible to come up with a 'one size fits all' solution.   Last night, however, that's exactly what ended up passing:  regardless of the current state of your county, football cannot start until August 24.  Same for the other fall sports. 

The FHSAA took some heat after Monday's meeting from those who didn't think they gave the superintendents enough guidance.

The FHSAA will take some heat now from those who feel like their counties are safe enough to start sports and they shouldn't be 'punished' because positive testing has spiked in south Florida. 

Damned if they do; damned if they don't. 

So, sit back and relax for the next couple of weeks to see what happens with the COVID virus in Florida (and particularly in the areas where the various Board members live).  If we can get a significant downward trend before the Board meets again, there's a good chance we'll see football this fall in some form or fashion.  Conversely, if positive test results and COVID deaths stay about the same (or, heaven forbid, start spiking up even more), we can probably kiss fall sports -- especially football -- goodbye for this fall, and perhaps for the school year.  

[Ric Flair]

I just hope we can line up correctly....against someone!