Whitmer Recommends Moving High School Football to Spring

Submitted by BursleyHall82 on June 30th, 2020 at 4:36 PM

Just watched her press conference. She stressed that the decision is up to the MHSAA, but she's recommending they consider moving football to the spring, and moving track and other non-contact spring sports to the fall. She said the MHSAA is expected to make a decision on this by July 20 or so.

Seems like this would greatly impact Michigan HS football players in terms of being recruited, unless the rest of the country follows suit.

rob f

June 30th, 2020 at 9:05 PM ^

For us in Michigan, I would agree, and if we can get enough folks to realize and act as if the greater good really is worth prioritizing, we can keep it that way.

I have relatives in Texas, Florida, and Arizona, and friends in Georgia, who wish their governors had taken action earlier.  With the rate of increase in Covid-19 cases in those states and others right now, they might be looking to trade up for a Whitmer before long. 

blueday

June 30th, 2020 at 9:21 PM ^

Most of the cases are Covids shoved into nursing homes and convenient accounting of positives. Thanks Democratic leaders. Not.

Once the not career politician stops blowing up the lefty Socialist world and gets reelected the third wave is coming.

Then the next set of nonsense.

The Google programmed robots flip position as convenient. Fake people.

blue in dc

July 1st, 2020 at 7:55 AM ^

I hope you are right.   If in several weeks, the growing number of ICU patients are not translating to deaths I’d feel - much better agreeing with your statement.   

We are undoubtedly in better shape.   Much more testing, greater availability of PPE, while Drs don’t have a silver bullet, they do have tools at their disposal.   I just struggle to look at full ICUs in Texas and Arizona and feel like this is remotely under control.

 

blue in dc

July 1st, 2020 at 11:52 AM ^

A few numbers for you to consider Nittany.

March 30 - highest US total death up to that date - 672 deaths

June 30 - 529 deaths

Yes the March 30th number is slightly higher, but not consistent with a narrative that based on actual health impacts, we were in much worse shape.  Deaths did rise pretty quickly after that.   April 1st was the first day we exceeded 1000 deaths.  Hopefully we are not following a similar trajectory here.

kyeblue

June 30th, 2020 at 10:27 PM ^

I simply ask you to read the numbers, the survival curves of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Facts are facts even if we knew nothing about the virus.  

A 100 years ago, we knew far far less about the Spanish flu, which was far more deadly and killed far more young and healthy, yet it was gone completely after two years. I am not saying that COVID-19 necessarily follow the same path, but it going away on its one is not heresy. 

 

 

Carpetbagger

June 30th, 2020 at 6:45 PM ^

It's not necessarily the mortality rate, it's the mortality rate * potential victims that make it dangerous. The sheer number of people who could be hospitalized at one time. (Theoretically) 0% were immune to Covid 19 on Jan 1. 0.5% * 328 million is a large number.

That's the whole flattening the curve thing everyone forgot about 2 minutes after the lock-down went into effect.

bronxblue

June 30th, 2020 at 7:30 PM ^

If they moved track to the fall then you're basically cancelling cross country, which seems weird.

I don't blame anyone for struggling with these decisions right now.  Vaccine developmeny seems to be going well, but it's still unlikely to be generally available until mid-2021 at this rate.  

Carcajou

June 30th, 2020 at 7:52 PM ^

I quite like the idea. It makes sense this year, and possibly beyond.

I think it would improve interest in high school football as well - no football competition for eyeballs and fan interest from the colleges and NFL, and I think a lot of folks and families would much rather sit outside and watch a football game on an April/May/June evening in Michigan than late October or November.

Preseason training camp might be more difficult to arrange and carry out, but we'd see (Fewer summer heat exhaustion health risks as well).

m83econ

June 30th, 2020 at 8:22 PM ^

Sheer stupidity.  Is it really going to be a healthier activity in March/April than September/October?  Where does the football team practice?  On the same field as Soccer/Lacrosse?  In the gym with Basketball?

Carcajou

June 30th, 2020 at 8:40 PM ^

re: the effects on Michigan high school athletes and their chances of being recruited:

  • that's only a small % of the total number of athletes competing
  • many have been offered and verbally committed prior to their senior season anyway
  • the better athletes will not go without offers
  • with the early-signing and other developments, the NLI day no longer has the significance it once had.
  • many schools will have a better idea later in the spring of their roster needs and scholarship availability
  • there's the possibility that other states may follow suit, in which case:
  • I'm sure NCAA recruiters currently are and will adjust
  • if this does take place, I could easily imagine some sort of combines (taking the necessary precautions) for high school seniors taking place in winter or even the fall before
  • it may increase some red-shirting (or gray-shirting) for some, but in many cases, that might work in the student-athlete's best interest
  • this is (for now) a one-off situation, which everyone (especially recruiters) are  well aware of.

 

Mongo

June 30th, 2020 at 9:06 PM ^

Gretchen is one of the dumbest shits in this world. Every time she opens her mouth the air head is obvious.  

blueday

June 30th, 2020 at 9:12 PM ^

She is lost in a liberal drain. Safety & being smart doesn't override freedom. Unless you need government to hold your hand. 

Special Agent Utah

June 30th, 2020 at 9:56 PM ^

Go to an airport and, when they demand to search your bags and put you through the metal detector, yell “SAFETY DOESN’T OVERRIDE MY FREEDOM!”

Let me know how it goes. 

Hold This L

June 30th, 2020 at 9:32 PM ^

I recommend not incentivizing low quality nursing homes to take in covid positive patients when they take care of ppl who happen to be in a very high risk demographic for the virus. Maybe save a couple thousand lives. But that’s just me. 

blue in dc

July 1st, 2020 at 7:16 AM ^

This study actually suggests that quality of the nursing home had less of an impact than you’d think:

https://skillednursingnews.com/2020/05/no-connection-between-nursing-home-ratings-profit-status-and-covid-19-but-race-a-major-factor/

‘Differences in nursing homes’ federal quality ratings and profit status have no bearing on the probability of COVID-19 infections, a University of Chicago researcher said during testimony before the U.S. Senate on Thursday — but preliminary data does indicate a strong connection between race and coronavirus outbreaks.“

“Nursing homes with the lowest percent [of] white residents were more than twice as likely to have cases or deaths as those with the highest percent [of] white residents.”

“We conclude from this analysis that while some nursing homes undoubtedly had better infection control practices than others, the enormity of this pandemic, coupled with the inherent vulnerability of the nursing home setting, left even the highest-quality nursing homes largely unprepared,” Konetzka said.”

Hold This L

July 1st, 2020 at 3:59 PM ^

Doesn’t change the overall point. The states with some of highest death tolls had a large amount from nursing homes. When you incentivize taking in covid positive ppl of all ages, the facilities that are low rated most likely struggle with funding and will jump all over it. Either way, even high quality nursing homes weren’t equipped to treat these ppl. So why make it an option at all? That’s how that kid was able to film himself beating that old man. She isn’t infallible. If ppl are going to defend, without question, that decision then rational discourse is long gone. 

awill76

July 2nd, 2020 at 10:47 AM ^

That video of the big young "roommate" repeatedly punching that helpless old man in the head was absolutely disgusting.  How in the hell was that situation ever created?  Just imagine what else goes on in some of these "care" facilities that never comes to light.

Eat Your Wheatlies

June 30th, 2020 at 10:33 PM ^

One reason Ohio hasn't suggested this idea is because that shift would mean typical fall sports would not miss a season (having played in the fall of '19 and then again in the spring of '21), but the spring seasons could suffer back-to-back cancelled/shortened seasons if things get out of control again. 

Imagine being a baseball kid and having your junior season canceled and your senior season moved ahead, only to be cut short due to growing concerns. 

rob f

June 30th, 2020 at 10:59 PM ^

"Literally zero" ?  You know that zero is an absolute number, correct?

Link please?

(Edit @11:45pm)

I just saw a Reuters story that the US set a new record Tuesday with over 47,000 cases.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-idUSKBN2412TA

Earlier today I saw a couple reports that Dr. Fauci warned Monday of the possibility of over 100,000 new cases/day within weeks if our country doesn't step up efforts to control the recent surge.

How can you possibly claim that "literally zero" deaths will occur in the younger population with numbers like these right now? 

Hanlon's Razor

July 1st, 2020 at 1:34 AM ^

A) Doesn't know what "literally" means

B) is ignorant/stupid

C) enjoys positing misinformation

D) is a Sith

Some folks are operating on the notion that no young people have health issues that make them vulnerable. It seems many are desperate to defend their hopes, and in doing so are betraying their own capacity for critical thinking.