(09-13-2020 06:59 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  The MAJOR cost of an athletic scholarship is the tuition payments from the Athletic department to the Academic side of the University. These are internal organization charges, the actual cost of an athlete being the 49th person in a class instead of the 48th are truly of low actual incremental cost to the institution. I have no financial fear of a over a 100 scholarships as a result. The testing requirement, however, would generate REAL outside organizational payments, that are not internal to the organization. In other words REAL MONEY.

Jerry, what I wonder and I addressed this in a post on the EMU board is about medical care for say EMU students or student-athletes as we have our own ambulatory health care facility on campus.

What are the logistics and cost of a mass testing and vaccination program run by a university affiliated health care center?

How much does that increase availability and reduce costs?

A number of MAC teams have medical schools or physician assistant programs.

(09-13-2020 08:10 PM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  If/when the B1G votes to play, it'll all be spun as "new information" on medical advances, testing, protocol, etc. But it's really just caving in to pressure from all angles, from players to parents to politicians and built-up fomo.

If B10 decides to play it is nothing more than a concession that deciding not to play was a political correctness decision, keeping with a long tradition of universities following the lead of leftist. The relevant circumstances are the same now as when the B10 decided not to play. The reality is that for healthy young people covid-19 does not pose "pandemic-worthy" risks, and that the overwhelming majority of those with genuine "pandemic-worthy" risks fall into two categories of people, old folks and already sick/unhealthy people; both of which can easily be kept away from college football events and activities. That is what "data-driven science" tells us. And that is what it told us when the B10 decided to cancel football (and before the B10 realized that the red states were going to still play in the fall, and maintain its revenue).

The original decision was based on the politics, not the decision they may make to start playing. That one is based on both money, and knowing they are going to look foolish for not playing.

(09-14-2020 02:16 PM)brovol Wrote:  

(09-13-2020 08:10 PM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  If/when the B1G votes to play, it'll all be spun as "new information" on medical advances, testing, protocol, etc. But it's really just caving in to pressure from all angles, from players to parents to politicians and built-up fomo.

If B10 decides to play it is nothing more than a concession that deciding not to play was a political correctness decision, keeping with a long tradition of universities following the lead of leftist. The relevant circumstances are the same now as when the B10 decided not to play. The reality is that for healthy young people covid-19 does not pose "pandemic-worthy" risks, and that the overwhelming majority of those with genuine "pandemic-worthy" risks fall into two categories of people, old folks and already sick/unhealthy people; both of which can easily be kept away from college football events and activities. That is what "data-driven science" tells us. And that is what it told us when the B10 decided to cancel football (and before the B10 realized that the red states were going to still play in the fall, and maintain its revenue).

The original decision was based on the politics, not the decision they may make to start playing. That one is based on both money, and knowing they are going to look foolish for not playing.

Lots of valid points in your post. This virus originated in an election year and everyone in the country is suffering additionally as a result. Such an event should never be a political issue yet it has.

That said the decision whether to play or not in the Midwest is largely financially based. The B1G saw games with no or limited attendance thus a school like Michigan would no longer have the gate receipts that make those payday game checks chump change for them, in fact they would lose money. Thus they selfishly publish a conference only schedule. The MAC sees the dollar loss of such games and realizes that they don't have the financial assets to conduct the expensive testing and "silly symbolic" measures like reconfiguring locker rooms. Thus the MAC announces a move to spring football, hoping the world might be different by that time or just punts the final decision down the road. Now after just publishing their schedule a week earlier, the Big Ten suddenly reconsiders based on new "medical information". The MAC stuck it to the B1G, MSU and U-M have physician Presidents, any Covid 19 issues would be incredibly tough to defend when the little brother FBS schools in your state CMU, WMU and EMU have already decided to postpone the season. Signed release waiver or not, a player dies and a public University is going to pay huge settlement dollars.

I don’t think the B1G’s decision to cancel was overtly political, in that they’d explicitly agree (behind closed doors) to take a hit of tens of millions of dollars as an FU to Trump. Although it’s certainly not coincidental that the conferences pulling the plug are in blue-ish regions that enacted stricter lockdowns.

Rather, the B1G miscalculated that they’d be the start of a domino effect and look like pioneers, with all of college football eventually folding up. Didn’t happen, and suddenly B1G was the girl left out at the prom (no one seems to care about the PAC).

Then came the parents, the protests, the Walmart Wolvies, the Harbaughs and Days that essentially have more influential power than college presidents.

The flip back to playing is about damage control to their brand, fan appeasements and FOMO. That’s about it. Little has changed in the COVID landscape over the past 3 weeks.

(09-13-2020 06:59 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  The MAJOR cost of an athletic scholarship is the tuition payments from the Athletic department to the Academic side of the University. These are internal organization charges, the actual cost of an athlete being the 49th person in a class instead of the 48th are truly of low actual incremental cost to the institution. I have no financial fear of a over a 100 scholarships as a result. The testing requirement, however, would generate REAL outside organizational payments, that are not internal to the organization. In other words REAL MONEY.

Not entirely true. Room and board are real costs as well, especially to those players that live off campus that receive actual payments. As are additional advisors, training table, tutors, etc.

(09-14-2020 08:26 PM)shankapotamus1 Wrote:  

(09-13-2020 06:59 PM)Jerry Weaver Wrote:  The MAJOR cost of an athletic scholarship is the tuition payments from the Athletic department to the Academic side of the University. These are internal organization charges, the actual cost of an athlete being the 49th person in a class instead of the 48th are truly of low actual incremental cost to the institution. I have no financial fear of a over a 100 scholarships as a result. The testing requirement, however, would generate REAL outside organizational payments, that are not internal to the organization. In other words REAL MONEY.

Not entirely true. Room and board are real costs as well, especially to those players that live off campus that receive actual payments. As are additional advisors, training table, tutors, etc.

I wonder if there are any programs for public universities for borrowing from the Federal government to pay for the salaries of some staff (e.g., athletic) who might otherwise be furloughed because the CFB season is delayed).

B1G is back to playing football on Oct. 17th. Good for them. Absolutely nothing has changed since late August but whatever, they had to be pressured to get it right. The MAC should be following suit.

(09-15-2020 11:46 AM)zrb2 Wrote:  B1G is back to playing football on Oct. 17th. Good for them. Absolutely nothing has changed since late August but whatever, they had to be pressured to get it right. The MAC should be following suit.

We will remain small time and simply not play in my opinion. An absolute joke.

I just dont see it happening

Granted we've been in unprecedented territory. But for a conference (B1G) that enjoys swinging around its academic swagger, they sure come off like bumbling fools for the past month.

But for a conference "sitting out," they've managed to be consistently in the daily news, which they probably privately enjoy.

would still rather play in spring with low risk, at least some fans in the stands and a year of knowledge about the virus, than stumble into a truncated midseason in the middle of a mostly raging pandemic.

(09-15-2020 10:31 PM)pono Wrote:  would still rather play in spring with low risk, at least some fans in the stands and a year of knowledge about the virus, than stumble into a truncated midseason in the middle of a mostly raging pandemic.

Raging pandemic? Not sure how your state is doing but Michigan tests 20-30 thousand per day and only 3% are ever positive. We have about 6 deaths per day most of which are over 80 with multiple co-morbidity’s.

The MAC would really look like they’re eating at the kids table if they have a lame season by themselves in the Spring.

Also no guarantee at all that it will be lower risk in Spring.

(09-16-2020 06:21 AM)GRBRONCO Wrote:  

(09-15-2020 10:31 PM)pono Wrote:  would still rather play in spring with low risk, at least some fans in the stands and a year of knowledge about the virus, than stumble into a truncated midseason in the middle of a mostly raging pandemic.

Raging pandemic? Not sure how your state is doing but Michigan tests 20-30 thousand per day and only 3% are ever positive. We have about 6 deaths per day most of which are over 80 with multiple co-morbidity’s.

The MAC would really look like they’re eating at the kids table if they have a lame season by themselves in the Spring.

Also no guarantee at all that it will be lower risk in Spring.

Agreed. The MAC looks like clowns. Life goes on. There are other viruses that have affected populations in the past and there will be more in the future (and many affect younger demographics much more than this one). I won't get into the details here...but my wife is a nurse practitioner and works in a large nursing home. I'm aware of what is going on behind the scenes. At this point in time things should be well back to normal with precautions.

(09-16-2020 08:43 AM)zrb2 Wrote:  

(09-16-2020 06:21 AM)GRBRONCO Wrote:  

(09-15-2020 10:31 PM)pono Wrote:  would still rather play in spring with low risk, at least some fans in the stands and a year of knowledge about the virus, than stumble into a truncated midseason in the middle of a mostly raging pandemic.

Raging pandemic? Not sure how your state is doing but Michigan tests 20-30 thousand per day and only 3% are ever positive. We have about 6 deaths per day most of which are over 80 with multiple co-morbidity’s.

The MAC would really look like they’re eating at the kids table if they have a lame season by themselves in the Spring.

Also no guarantee at all that it will be lower risk in Spring.

Agreed. The MAC looks like clowns. Life goes on. There are other viruses that have affected populations in the past and there will be more in the future (and many affect younger demographics much more than this one). I won't get into the details here...but my wife is a nurse practitioner and works in a large nursing home. I'm aware of what is going on behind the scenes. At this point in time things should be well back to normal with precautions.

100% i am beyond nauseated in discussing this. My town school district just shut every school down including all sports over 3 positive cases district wide. i am disgusted, the teachers union pulled all strings to make this happen

Booster money and parent protests did the job, evidently. B1G officially starts October 24th.

Christine Brennan from USA Today tweeted that this was the darkest day in Big Ten history.

If you ask her about Michigan State or Penn State, you earn a block. I don't see how she could have been any more dramatic.

MAC needs to play with everyone else, and then bow out with everyone else if that happens. P*ssies running the conference. We need a petition like yesterday...

Basketball season starting soon, so we MAC fans just have a little bit to wait for something.

(09-16-2020 01:34 PM)Bronco14 Wrote:  Basketball season starting soon, so we MAC fans just have a little bit to wait for something.

Meh lol for some basketball is enjoyable but those schools with a head coach named keno davis. Not so much

I'll tell you one thing. The Bulls players and coaches are not happy and want it to be known. My fear is that some of the best talent will be transferring out by spring...Patterson included.

https://twitter.com/__JP26/status/1306323688090992642

https://twitter.com/toniionunn/status/13...1027762179