Big Ten to Nebraska: Go pound sand
Commissioner Kevin Warren addresses Scott Frost's bullshit threats with admirable bluntness.
August 11th, 2020 at 10:53 PM ^
When Warren was asked specifically by Yahoo Sports if Nebraska could play college football this fall, he gave an answer that would make his hardline predecessor nod with approval.
“No,” he said, firmly. “Not and be a member of the Big Ten Conference.”
August 12th, 2020 at 6:32 AM ^
Bold threat, but I don't think he has the authority to kick a member out of the conference.
August 12th, 2020 at 8:03 AM ^
Isn’t there some kind of contractual agreement that would allow him exactly that right if Nebraska were to head off to play in another conference, generating revenue for that conference as well as the University of Nebraska, which is contractually tied to the Big Ten conference?
August 12th, 2020 at 8:42 AM ^
1) The B1G owns the TV rights of its schools so N is tied up that way
2) If N is unable to play in the spring B1G season bc they played in the fall somewhere else they could lose their BTN ownership share (it requires football).
So, in effect, the B1G has Nebraska over the barrel for $50M per year and a few years of TV money they could get from anyone else.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:58 AM ^
That was my understanding, thank you.
also stuck in Lansing ?
August 12th, 2020 at 2:05 PM ^
Can we agree that if we kick Nebraska out for being a bunch of morons, we also kick Rutgers out on the DL? (Maryland at least has basketball and weird football jerseys to make fun of.)
August 11th, 2020 at 11:00 PM ^
Nebraska's basketball game against Indiana last March 11 in the Big Ten tournament was the last sporting event they'll ever participate in as a B1G member. That's my prediction.
Just speaking for myself, but I do agree with UNL here. If they (or any other B1G institution) wants to play this fall, I'd let them.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:04 PM ^
Jesus Christ, thank you for reminding me that was the last sporting event I went to before everything happened. Left at halftime during a boring ass game and when they said Michigan wouldn't have fans for the game tomorrow (which never happened anyway)
If there's a God, that won't be the last game I see in person
August 11th, 2020 at 11:22 PM ^
...that comes with a price! They would lose more money by leaving the B1G then they would gain by playing this fall. Besides, all conferences will end up canceling soon.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:49 PM ^
Sure, it will come with a price. Most things do.
Ultimately, all the B1G schools have their own motivation for being in the conference.
For Michigan and the rest of the original 10, they're in the B1G mostly because of geography, loyalty and tradition.
For Penn State, they're in the B1G mostly because of institutional fit. It's a 28-year marriage that has benefited both parties, although both parties also tend to view the other with a slight degree of distrust.
For Maryland & Rutgers, they're in the B1G because Delaney gave them the lifeline and security of steady and large paychecks, regardless of whether they actually contribute much $$$ to the pot.
For Nebraska, they really don't have any of that. Geographically at the edge, no real loyalty, no real tradition, not the strongest fit, no real happy marriage for their 9 years in, and a sense that they could make a go of it money wise.
Add that all up, and I can see them going.
August 12th, 2020 at 1:02 AM ^
Penn State doesn’t belong in the Big 10. It is not an institutional fit. It wasn’t 28 years ago and it isn’t now.
August 12th, 2020 at 9:01 AM ^
Paterno apologists aside (also remember, we have our own reckoning with Bo somewhere on the horizon) how do they not fit institutionally? Academically they do. Geographically they are closer than Rutger, Maryland or Nebraska, no?
August 12th, 2020 at 3:23 AM ^
Much more than just football. Leaving Big Ten means leaving the research consortium (BTAA/CIC), which is also $$$$. The impacts go far beyond just athletics (which are only a small part of the purpose of the university system, even if they are an important/profitable one), and would be a big deal. Don't get me wrong, Athletics are important, but athletics alone don't make a university even at UNL. Think of it this way, would UNL survive without foortball? Yes. Would cornhusker football survive absent the university? No.
Yes, UNL could go back to Big 12, but the academics/research money won't be the same (especially in an organization dominated by UT), and the athletics/TV money definitely would not be. At the end of the day, that's a highly risky decision to achieve benefits for a single year of minimal additional revenue (compared to standard years), which is likely to be an asterisk season, when UNL's football product is not likely to be competitive.
It's basically a question of, 'Should we take a larger share of a smaller pot this year, or take the same, larger share of the normal pot for the foreseeable future.' My guess is the conservative approach wins here. Happy to be proven wrong though.
August 12th, 2020 at 9:41 AM ^
Penn State is ALSO in the Big Ten because a Penn State guy was in the Big Ten. It was a PSU initiative from the start.
First, Paterno, as AD, was recognizing that conferences offered greater financial security. Notre Dame had a national fan base so it could continue independent; the same wasn't true of a university in rural Pennsylvania. So he tried to form an eastern conference but the basketball schools like Connecticut turned him down. Next they tried to join the Big East. No dice.
Finally, a former senior vice president of Penn State — who by then was president of Illinois — helped push through their membership.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:03 PM ^
The school has an endowment of 1.4 billion--this will hurt them pretty bad financially. Let them play-- there is literally nothing to look forward to in Nebraska but cfb. Furthermore, a not insignificant part of their state economy depends on Nebraska football in the Fall.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:07 PM ^
I mean unless they plan on having fans in the stands, they're only gonna get money from TV right? Plus they'd lose the $50+ million cut they get from the big ten
I don't exactly anticipate other conferences dying at the opportunity to share money with Nebraska just so Adrian Martinez can run around each week looking vaguely like a football player
August 11th, 2020 at 11:13 PM ^
Do they even own their TV rights?
August 11th, 2020 at 11:19 PM ^
No, the big ten owns the TV rights of all the schools in the conference
August 11th, 2020 at 11:23 PM ^
Shockingly, If you don't play football there is no 50 million TV contract. If you don't make stuff, there is no stuff. Looking forward, that 50 million TV contract will be a shell of itself the next go around after B1G has chosen the path of irrelevance. I would imagine B1G network is going to see a serious drop in subscriptions as well.
As for economy--local restaurants etc, gatherings.. A lot of middle America is going about their daily lives right now without much interruption.
I think people are drastically underestimating how much cancelling this will damage not just the schools but local economies. B1G canceling is going to be felt nation wide.
It just doesn't make sense. A virus that poses a similar risk, maybe less so, as the flu to this age group is canceling a multi billion dollar industry. It is baffling to watch.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:32 PM ^
It’s baffling that you still equate it to the flu. This is not the flu, this is not the flu, THIS IS NOT THE FUCKING FLU. Maybe if you were intelligent enough to get that through your skull the rest of it wouldn’t be so confusing.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:49 PM ^
I'd compare it to TB, but TB will kill far more people than covid worldwide this year. I compare it to the flu because it is the most comprable disease for this age group. 225 people have died with/from covid in the US aged 15-24. Not going to search forever for the overlying flu stats, but 528 people aged 5-17 and 2803 aged 18-49 died of flu in the 17-18 season.
and it shouldn't be baffling. It's simple risk analysis. Both are extremely low.
August 12th, 2020 at 12:27 AM ^
If 10 B1G athletes have already suffered heart damage from COVID, the risk is extremely high. Even if it's 5, it's very high.
August 12th, 2020 at 12:57 AM ^
They found a few cases of myocarditis-- a temporary heart inflamation caused by many different types of viruses--most commonly adenovirus or "the common cold." If you are testing people you know who is positive and can monitor for it. It would be extremely rare for this group to have complications from it. https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa448/5841105
August 12th, 2020 at 1:07 AM ^
It isn't necessarily temporary:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myocarditis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352539
Complications
Severe myocarditis can permanently damage your heart muscle, possibly causing:
- Heart failure. Untreated, myocarditis can damage your heart's muscle so that it can't pump blood effectively. In severe cases, myocarditis-related heart failure may require a ventricular assist device or a heart transplant.
- Heart attack or stroke. If your heart's muscle is injured and can't pump blood, the blood that pools in your heart can form clots. If a clot blocks one of your heart's arteries, you can have a heart attack. If a blood clot in your heart travels to an artery leading to your brain before becoming lodged, you can have a stroke.
- Rapid or abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Damage to your heart muscle can cause arrhythmias.
- Sudden cardiac death. Certain serious arrhythmias can cause your heart to stop beating (sudden cardiac arrest). It's fatal if not treated immediately.
August 12th, 2020 at 1:17 AM ^
extremely, rare for this cohort to develop severe myocarditis.
From journal: Some considerations should be taken into account when assessing the scope of COVID-19 and potential cardiovascular complications in athletes. First, based on currently available reports, myocarditis leading to congestive heart failure and arrhythmias is diagnosed infrequently in patients with COVID-19, and no cases have been published describing elite athletes with SARS-CoV‑2 myocarditis [10,11,12,13,14]. However, all-cause myocarditis is a significant cause of sudden cardiac death and sudden cardiac arrest (SCD/SCA) in young athletes [15], with case series reporting myocarditis as a potential cause of SCD/SCA in up to 8% [16]. Second, athletes are not a high-risk group for a severe course of COVID-19. Athletes in general and elite athletes in particular are younger, which is associated with a milder course of COVID-19 [17]. They also have fewer cardiac comorbidities, and a lower prevalence of obesity, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Third, moderate exercise training reduces the risk, duration, and severity of viral infections in general, and regular exercise has positive effects on pulmonary function [18].
August 12th, 2020 at 12:25 PM ^
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-ojo-former-florida-state-center-dies-age-27/
Also note that it's especially dangerous for young athletes. tldr; season ending, possibly career ending, and life-threatening if not detected. You'd also need to test everyone in case someone had the virus before reaching campus:
"As mentioned at the beginning, exercise for young athletes with only mild myocarditis can be dangerous. These are the people who are most prone to sudden death during athletic events. For far too many victims of exercise-induced sudden death, there was no apparent reason to perform heart tests that would give clues that heart inflammation was present.
Competitive exercise should be avoided for at least 6 months (European recommendations, American recommendations are 3 to 6 months), and then only returned to under the guidance of a cardiologist. In many cases athletic competition will have to be delayed for substantially longer than this.4
Before returning to competitive activity, athletes should be thoroughly evaluated with an ECG, stress ECG, Holter monitoring, and an echocardiogram. Some cardiologists may recommend a heart MRI, though we aren't certain of the benefit at this time. Athletes that have scarring of their heart may be at greater risk of abnormal rhythms and sudden death, and a return to competition may not be recommended.
The long-term outlook with regard to exercise recommendations with myocarditis will depend on the cause, as well as any permanent cardiac damage that was sustained by the inflammation. Many viral causes of myocarditis are self-limited but may leave lasting damage which could restrict physical activity in the future."
https://www.verywellhealth.com/myocarditis-exercise-recommendations-1746298
August 12th, 2020 at 8:53 AM ^
Don't waste your time as you can post all the facts but many here can't put aside their actual political bias. Sad how hypocritical some are over this. Everything is so political nowadays. What is worse is everyone claims to be "looking at the science" that is until it goes against what they want to believe. You're 100 pct rate with what you said in that age group being the key.
August 12th, 2020 at 11:18 AM ^
What a silly comparison. Most TB is highly treatable (drug-resistance is increasing) and there are vaccines. World-wide TB is still a major issue, but that is primarily due to poor access to health care.
A quick google search identified the following: In 2017, the most recent data available, 515 deaths in the United States were attributed to TB. This is a decrease from 528 deaths attributed to TB in 2016.
In the US, there is nothing similar about TB and COVID other than the need to isolate and conduct thorough contact tracing of infected individuals.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:52 PM ^
What did you call him?
His name is ...Daryl.
August 12th, 2020 at 3:42 AM ^
Are you being intentionally obtuse?! The infection fatality rate for ppl under 70 with covid is 0.04%,... less than or equal to the seasonal flu !!
In other words, stay quarantined if you're 70 or older, otherwise get out of the way!!
August 12th, 2020 at 11:27 AM ^
Speaking as someone who has a family member who contracted the virus and suffered through its many symptoms, I generally agree with those who want to keep our society running (which apparently is a minority in this crowd).
This month 7.3% of mortgage holders in the States are delinquent on their mortgage, meaning they haven't paid in 30 or more days. Instead of reducing this number, people want to make it worse. The ramifications for this lockdown approach will be far more massive than the virus, and it will certainly include its own major health problems when people are turned out of their homes and more businesses shut down for good.
I understand people are afraid of this virus, but cowering in our homes isn't the answer. The devastation these lockdown policies are causing has caused an economic depression greater than the 'Great Depression' and will get worse.
August 12th, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
It's amazing how many people miss the point.
OF COURSE we all WANT to "keep our society running." Framing this as a matter of "want" is shockingly dishonest.
Frankly, if Americans could do the simple things like wear a goddamn mask, social distance, and not gather in large crowds for a while, I'd be all for opening almost everything back up.
But we've demonstrated, as Americans often do, that we simply can't handle that. So we're stuck with lockdowns instead.
August 12th, 2020 at 1:02 PM ^
Nothing today is comparable to the Great Depression. Your ignorance is incredible.
August 12th, 2020 at 8:45 AM ^
He said by age group and yes he is correct the flu is more deadly for those under age 25. That is a fact.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:32 PM ^
'" A lot of middle America is going about their daily lives right now without much interruption. "
Which is why we wont be having Big Ten football this year
August 12th, 2020 at 6:35 AM ^
Username checks out
August 12th, 2020 at 8:46 AM ^
The "flu" has never killed 160,000+ people in America in one year before the month of September. Well, not since the Spanish Flu, the last pandemic.
It is stupid to think so.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:42 PM ^
57-58 flu, 68-69 flu. Pandemics that increase all cause mortality by 5-6% on a yearly basis aren't exceedingly rare. The only thing unprecedented about covid is the reaction.
August 12th, 2020 at 10:42 PM ^
57-58 flu, 68-69 flu. Pandemics that increase all cause mortality by 5-6% on a yearly basis aren't exceedingly rare. The only thing unprecedented about covid is the reaction.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:07 PM ^
Nice by Warren, but the author really has a nice fitting pair of kneepads for Delaney he seems to have revisited for the sake of memories near & dear to him.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:15 PM ^
Delaney was a piece of shit.
August 11th, 2020 at 11:24 PM ^
....among other things....
August 12th, 2020 at 9:16 AM ^
Thank you, Judge. That pic never gets old.
August 12th, 2020 at 6:15 AM ^
Finally something that we can all agree on.
August 12th, 2020 at 12:30 AM ^
Pete pretty much nailed Delaney's would be reaction, My favorite:
And, likely, it would have been guaranteed the Cornhuskers would have opened their league schedule on the road the next three years with some combination of Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan as a reminder of who is in charge.
..and fuck Scott Frost --OK just made that up for effect.
August 12th, 2020 at 2:08 AM ^
Pete Petty couldn’t match the songwriting skills of his older brother Tom. As a result, he settled for a career as a sportswriter.
August 12th, 2020 at 9:19 AM ^
You need to quit being so petty
August 11th, 2020 at 11:07 PM ^
"...eight-month baptism by blowtorch..."
Yep, pretty true for Warren. LOL!! I can't say I like the decision, but I understand and expected it. I do hope there's a plan to deal with eligibility, though...
August 11th, 2020 at 11:08 PM ^
Amen brother. Wasn't a fan of how he handled the big ten tournament, but I love this
Also was the article written by Jim Delaney? It's way too complimentary of that creep
August 11th, 2020 at 11:12 PM ^
Warren can pound sand as well.