Well, Football is back

Yesterday, the MAC Presidents went along with the crowd and decided the MAC will play a 6-game season this year.  They had sent strong signals in that direction and the unanimous vote went as expected.  

One of them told NickP that "The optics of being the only league not playing would be incredibly negative."

As I noted a couple weeks ago, I guess we can dismiss the idea that athletics teaches leadership.

When the ticket office called after the cancellation, I was so pleased at my school for doing the right thing that I donated my ticket money to the school.

Which makes me feel like a stooge now.

Look. this might work out.  There is more testing than there was before, you can't debate that.  

It might work out.  But it won't ever be the right thing to do.

This is being done for money.  Ask yourself why only football is back.  And then ask yourself if we would be playing this fall if ESPN didn't want the games.

The money will go predominantly to the salaries of Coaches, Athletic Directors and other staff members. The risk accrues almost completely to student-athletes and the people they encounter, including their families.

I would also ask this...why is this testing regimen only being offered to football players?  Why not any student who is on campus?  Or the faculty?

I have been pleased with Scot Loeffler through this whole thing.  Unlike the disgusting Jim Harbaugh and Ryan Day (among others) who undermined their own schools (I'd love to hear their next lecture about being team players), Loeffler was steadfast and consistent.  Even when football was back, he reminded the players that they have a key role to play in ensuring football stays.

He also says the team "earned" the right to play, I presume with rigorous adherence to protocols.  If so, I give him and them credit.  That's the culture we are trying to build.

I just can't shake the idea that these young men are being sent out to play for only one reason, and it's to benefit others.  If it didn't benefit others, they'd be on the sidelines, like the golf team.

Here's the other thing.  I saw NickP say that Joey Carroll had moved to OL.  Immediately I thought, wow, that's interesting.  I wonder what else happened?  I wonder if everybody came back?  I should check.

Am I a hypocrite?

In Psychology 201 at BGSU, they taught a term for this:  cognitive dissonance.