School and fall sports in Texas

[ElvisLives]

Football practices have begun. Scrimmages scheduled for 8/20-8/23. First games 8/27.
Schools set to open 8/12-8/17.
The Lone Star State is gonna get it done.

[bbeagle]

The Lone Star State is gonna get it done.

The Lone Star State is one of the LAST states that should do this. People will die unnecessarily.

[JasonTX]

Heck ya.  It's football time. 

[zebrastripes]

The Lone Star State is one of the LAST states that should do this. People will die unnecessarily.

Feel free to stay home and virtue-signal if that makes you feel safe/better.

[ElvisLives]

The Lone Star State is one of the LAST states that should do this. People will die unnecessarily.

Original message omitted by the original poster. Self-determined to be inappropriate. Sorry.
Everyone make your own decisions and be safe.

[Grant - AR]

The Lone Star State is one of the LAST states that should do this. People will die unnecessarily.

bbeagle,

Just curious, what do you think should be done?  Cancel the season?  Postpone it a month or so?  Postpone it to the spring?  Play with no fans?  Something else?

And, whatever you think should be done, should the decision be based on each individual state or should the entire country do the same thing?

[Punter]

I just do not understand how high schools can play when all of the D2 and D3 schools have pretty much cancelled their seasons (at least here in the North East).  Even many D1 FCS schools and conferences have already said no to the Fall.  Today the first BCS school, UCON, said no football.

It seems irresponsible for high schools to have games.  The answer that I would recommend is cancel the fall season, hope for a vaccine and, maybe, play in the Spring.  It seems like the responsible thing to do.

This just out


https://247sports.com/Article/NCAA-cancels-Division-III-3-fall-championships-COVID-19-pandemic-149903458/

[ElvisLives]

Irresponsible is when you do something that you know for certain will be a problem, especially for somebody else. Nobody - NOBODY - not Fauci, not Pelosi, not Nadler, not the CDC, not WHO, not Trump, knows what the ultimate effect of opening schools, conducting fall sports and extracurricular activities will be. The pessimists cower in fear and do nothing, waiting for someone else to do something. The optimists accept the challenges, the risks, and the rewards, and move forward - with caution - but they move forward, and adjust when/as needed.

As a whole, Texans want to be optimists. We'll move forward, and keep our personal freedoms and liberties. Those that choose a different path will be respected. Just don't get in our way.

[JasonTX]

Our whole community and those around us are excited.  Coronavirus is no longer a thought.  In fact when you mention that word people are like, "What's that?"  We just don't think about it anymore.  The coaches want to coach (their choice), the players want to play (their choice), the fans want to go watch (their choice),  and the officials want to officiate (their choice).  It seems if we all have an agreement that we are ok with the risks then why should the governor, the President, or some low level city commissioner be able to tell us we can't do what we want to do?  Every single person has to make a decision for themselves how they want to proceed with life.  I prefer being on the outside of the bubble.  We had a player get into a major car wreck and he ended up dying yesterday.  Another player was lost in a drowning accident.  Zero deaths from Coronavirus.  We will see more injuries and deaths this year of football players from other causes as compared to coronavirus.   

[centexsports]

I have probably already said this somewhere but I retired this year after 30 years.   I had an unidentified virus for three months and if Covid 19 is 10% worse then I don't want any part of it.  But the argument about free will and its their choice reminds me of my dad and a great many other Texans when seatbelts were mandated.  At first they were recommended then required.  I bet 75% of the men refused to wear them for many years.   Hundreds, if not thousands, died needlessly.   

I don't know what the final result of junior high and high school football will have on the spread of covid 19 but if the MLB Phillies is any indication this virus has legs and will jump at you.   The problem isn't choice, it politics.  No one in the state has the marbles to step up and say the odds are just to great to gamble with peoples lives.   UIL, Superintendents, coaches and TASO are groups that will lose their job if they go against playing. 

One last thing.  If you are like me, there have been many Friday nights spent dressing, doing pre-game, halftime and after the game in a girls, jv or junior high dressing room smelling of sweat, HACK, and a few other things.   How many schools do you think will sanitize properly for the officials.   

Just my opinion.   One last thought.  I wonder if the guy that decided to leave the ammonia nitrate in the warehouse said, "That is my choice so its OK."

[JasonTX]

One last thing.  If you are like me, there have been many Friday nights spent dressing, doing pre-game, halftime and after the game in a girls, jv or junior high dressing room smelling of sweat, HACK, and a few other things.   How many schools do you think will sanitize properly for the officials.   

Probably a lot more germs from locker room to worry about than just Coronavirus.   But, we are allowed to bypass the locker room and show up dressed.   You don't have to step one foot in a field house unless you choose to.

[HLinNC]

I wonder if the guy that decided to leave the ammonia nitrate in the warehouse said, "That is my choice so its OK."

Horrible corollary.  It occurred from typical governmental bureaucracy, not one "guy's" decision.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/world/middleeast/beirut-explosion-ship.html

[centexsports]

Possibly but it is still on point.   People died because of a lack of action on not only a possible calamity but a known possibility of a major catastrophe.   Just wondering, will TASO insurance pay for medical bills for officials that get covid 19 once the season starts?     

[bbeagle]

bbeagle,

Just curious, what do you think should be done?  Cancel the season?  Postpone it a month or so?  Postpone it to the spring?  Play with no fans?  Something else?

And, whatever you think should be done, should the decision be based on each individual state or should the entire country do the same thing?

I believe the decisions should be done by each state/community individually. Texas, Arizona, Florida are hot-spots. In no way should they play football.

The big problem is that this nation is divided. Some people think Covid-19 is no problem at all, and others think it's a huge problem... and plenty of people in-between. Because of Donald Trump, Covid-19 has been politicized in this country. It's hard to find any other country where this virus is politicized.

And that's the big issue - people 'are sure' that whatever party they chose is the only party that is patriotic and pro-American, and the other side is anti-American.... thus they want the other party to fail, and will only listen to facts on their side of the aisle, and ignore facts on the other side as fake.

You can see that clearly in the message boards here.

[JasonTX]

Possibly but it is still on point.   People died because of a lack of action on not only a possible calamity but a known possibility of a major catastrophe.   Just wondering, will TASO insurance pay for medical bills for officials that get covid 19 once the season starts?   

No.  TASO insurance is an accident policy, not a medical policy. 

[JasonTX]

Because of Donald Trump,

TDS is very real.  There is plenty of blame to go around for politics but look no further than Nancy Pelosi.  You people think everything is Trumps fault.  Trump could cure cancer tomorrow and you'd find a way to be critical about it and politicize it.  Just face it, there is nothing he could do that you would ever give him praises for.  You really need to go buy a mirror and take a good long look in it.

[VALJ]

TDS is very real.  There is plenty of blame to go around for politics but look no further than Nancy Pelosi.  You people think everything is Trumps fault.  Trump could cure cancer tomorrow and you'd find a way to be critical about it and politicize it.  Just face it, there is nothing he could do that you would ever give him praises for.  You really need to go buy a mirror and take a good long look in it.

To be fair, had Obama cured cancer, the Republican Party would have blamed him for putting oncologists out of work.  As a sufferer of TDS, it definitely would apply to him as well.

That said, the best thing that could happen to this country would be for a bomb to fall on Washington and wipe out the leadership of both parties.

[js in sc]

What does politicians being perverts have to do with football?  If you don't like one or the other candidate, don't vote for them.  You will never convince the hard core left or right that the opposing viewpoint is correct.  C'mon man.

[ElvisLives]

To be fair, had Obama cured cancer, the Republican Party would have blamed him for putting oncologists out of work.  As a sufferer of TDS, it definitely would apply to him as well.

That said, the best thing that could happen to this country would be for a bomb to fall on Washington and wipe out the leadership of both parties.

You really should be careful about making those kinds of statements. Those can very logically be considered threats, and the Secret Service tends to take those very seriously. If you get a knock on your door by some guys in suits with badges, don't be surprised.

[bctgp]

Reminds me of the old saying "Live Free or Die", I for one, wish we could flatten the fear.

But Thankfully, officiating is an individual choice and we are all free to make our own decisions to be on the field this season or not.

Good people can disagree.

[JasonTX]

Agree to disagree.   Sticking to football.

[bctgp]

Can we please keep this to something relative to football and in that at least cordial. I for one do not want to see this evolve into political jabs back and forth. I would have thought the moderators or admins would help shut this level of discourse down.

[TexDoc]

I’m done.   I cannot stomach the BS being posted on this forum any longer.  I’ve used this forum for years, so to watch it degrade to a bunch political crud is very disheartening.   I hope someone starts another forum that will not tolerate this. We need to concentrate on rules and leave our political views at the door.  Also, to see some officials that are considered leaders call other officials cowards for being cautious in this time is very disappointing.   Good bye and good luck.   

[Punter]

I am really sorry, and deleting all of my comments.  I am making a pledge to stick to football on this forum.  I will not allow myself to get into political discussions any more.  I do not want to turn people off, but it seems all of these COVID discussions turn political.  I am going to resist the urge to comment going forward.  No one’s mind is changed no matter what. 

I used to think if people do not want to read stuff, they can move on.   However, I really do not want to upset or offend anyone on a site for fellow football officials.

Again, sorry

[Punter]

And now back to the topic...

The dominoes are starting to fall.  The first BCS conference (MAC) announced no football this Fall.  Which brings us back to my original apolitical question.  Should high schools really be playing when major colleges are making the difficult decision to put the health of the student athletes ahead of everything else?  Isn’t it a little irresponsible for minors to be playing football when the games played by adults are being cancelled?

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29621853/mac-cancels-football-means-power-5-more