CANCEL CULTURE
This may seem like a no-win situation, but there's an easy solution
Aug 21, 2020, 3:55 pm
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The Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 can announce their fall football schedules and scramble for non-conference patsies - I'll be stunned if any games are played. If the season does start, it will end abruptly. It's too risky. There's just too much at stake. Like the old baseball sayin' – just wait till next year.
Cancel college football now.
Heck, the Olympics postponed the biggest event in all of sports this summer until next summer, and Olympic organizers and Japanese officials aren't positive the Games will happen even then.
They postponed the Boston Marathon, Kentucky Derby, Masters golf tournament, Tour de France, Burning Man, Emmy and AVN Awards. And flat out canceled March Madness, Wimbledon, Little League World Series, the Houston Rodeo, Calgary Stampede and most of the Major League Baseball season.
If this year in sports were reduced to Twitter shorthand, it'd be "smh." What is so special or essential about college football, especially in the face of a pandemic that has paralyzed the rest of American society?
We don't have to wonder or predict: we already know that students are bringing highly contagious coronavirus to campus during move-in days this week. Watch the local news. College students are returning to campus without face masks, some making jokes about drinking Corona beer, waiting for frat parties to begin.
North Carolina, a member of the ACC, opened its campus to in-person classes last week, and sent everybody back home this week. Michigan State has told students to wait and study online in the meantime. Notre Dame has a "Temporarily Closed" sign on classroom doors. An entire sorority at Oklahoma State is in quarantine. Schools across the country are reporting or preparing for spikes in the virus.
The Big Ten and Pac-12, two of the Power 5 conferences, have said no to football this fall. The Pac-12 went even further, no sports until next January. The Mid-American Conference, Western Athletic Conference, other smaller conferences, UConn and UMass have canceled fall sports. In all 54 percent of the 130 FBS colleges will not play football this fall.
The Big Ten has two schools, Nebraska and Ohio State, stumbling and grumbling about putting together a football schedule outside their conference. It's all bluster and posturing, Nebraska and Ohio State won't play a single snap.
Presidents of Pac-12 colleges voted unanimously to cancel fall football after listening to a doctor – not a politician or football coach – explain how COVID-19 may have long-term consequences to players' hearts. That was enough for the Pac-12 to say they'll consider some sort of football schedule next spring.
If colleges say their campus isn't safe for in-person instruction, how can they say it's OK to play football? After all, the players supposedly are student-athletes, and part of the college experience is getting an education in classrooms, mingling with non-sporty, regular ol' students.
Of course college players want to play, and college towns will lose billions of dollars across the country if football is postponed. Their misery will have company. They can cry on the shoulders of 20 million Americans who've lost their jobs to the COVID-19 crisis.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said: "Unless players are essentially in a bubble, insulated from the community and they tested nearly every day, it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall."
The NBA is operating under an airtight bubble in Orlando without fans. It's working. Baseball, however, is not in a bubble, and players are testing positive. Games are being postponed so often that teams may not play the same number of games during its coronavirus-abbreviated season. Records and championships won't be taken seriously.
College players are not professional athletes. If football is played this season, on top of career-ending football injuries, players will risk possible long-term medical issues. It's just not worth the gamble. If the SEC, ACC and Big 12 play, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 sit, the championship game will have the biggest asterisk in sports history.
Colleges will not be able to ask players to sign a waiver, releasing the schools from coronavirus-related issues. Colleges already are reporting numbers of players bringing the virus to campus. No sport is more susceptible to spreading the virus than football, with crowded training facilities and physical contact on the field.
The fact is, America has 4 percent of the world's population and 20 percent of COVID-19 deaths. This virus is contagious and dangerous. While young people, say college age, may not exhibit symptoms, doctors say they can spread the virus just the same as older people.
If colleges keep football players on campus for practice and games, while other students are told to stay home and take classes online, the NCAA can no longer pose players as student-athletes.
America is such a hot spot for the virus that most countries are not accepting tourists from America. Even at home, some states have roadblocks keeping out visitors from other states.
The world will survive without one season of college football, while we safely wait for a COVID-19 vaccine. There's just too much at stake now.
X-factor matchups for Houston Texans to make statement rebound versus Colts
Oct 24, 2024, 6:10 pm
Indianapolis (4-3) at Houston (5-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
BetMGM NFL Odds: Texans by 6.
Against the spread: Indianapolis 6-1; Houston 3-3-1.
Series record: Colts lead 33-12-1.
Last meeting: Texans beat Colts 29-27 on Sept. 8, in Indianapolis.
Last week: Colts beat Dolphins 16-10; Texans lost to Packers 24-22.
Colts offense: overall (16), rush (14), pass (17), scoring (18).
Colts defense: overall (29), rush (31), pass (23), scoring (T12).
Texans offense: overall (11), rush (15), pass (10), scoring (14).
Texans defense: overall (2), rush (8), pass (4), scoring (17).
Turnover differential: Colts plus-2, Texans plus-3.
Colts player to watch
RB Jonathan Taylor. Despite the Colts optimism each of the past three weeks, Taylor has continued to sit out. Now, he appears to be close to fully recovered from the sprained ankle that knocked him out late in the victory over Pittsburgh on Sept. 29. It’s unclear how much Taylor will play — or how effective he’ll be — but having Taylor in the backfield will only make QB Anthony Richardson's ability to run more of an option.
Texans player to watch
QB C.J. Stroud. The second-year pro looks to bounce back after throwing for a career-low 86 yards without a TD pass last week. The Texans are focused on improving his protection after he was sacked four times and hit another seven in the loss to Green Bay. He’s been great at home this season, going 3-0 with 936 yards passing.
Key matchup
Houston RB Joe Mixon vs. the Indianapolis run defense. Mixon has had at least 100 yards rushing in each of the three full games he’s played this season. The former Bengal, who is in his first year in Houston, had 115 yards rushing and ran for two touchdowns last week for his 10th career game with at least two rushing scores. Now Mixon, who ran for a season-high 159 yards and a TD in Week 1 against the Colts, will face a run defense which ranks 31st in the NFL by allowing 159.9 yards a game. Indianapolis has allowed at least 185 yards rushing three times this season, capped by 188 yards last week against Miami.
Key injuries
Indy’s injury list finally appears to be shrinking. Richardson (right hip) and Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly (calf) returned last week against Miami. Taylor is scheduled to return Sunday at Houston and All-Pro DT DeForest Buckner (sprained ankle) returned to practice Wednesday. WRs Michael Pittman Jr. (back), Josh Downs (toe) and Alec Pierce (shoulder) have continued to play through their injuries, leaving one big question mark this weekend — LB E.J. Speed (knee), who missed last week’s game. … Houston LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and S Jimmie Ward (groin) missed Sunday’s game and could be out again this week after missing practice. ... LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion) and CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) returned to practice after missing time but coach DeMeco Ryans wouldn't say if they'll play Sunday.
Series notes
Houston has won three of the past four matchups, the past two by a total of six points — both in Indy. ... This will be the third meeting between these franchises in an eight-game stretch. ... Stroud and Richardson were selected two picks apart in the 2023 NFL draft and they developed a friendship while preparing for the draft. But they’ve only played against one another twice. Richardson won the first meeting in Week 2 of 2023, rushing for two scores in Houston before leaving with a concussion. Stroud won the rematch in September.
Stats and stuff
Sunday will mark the second matchup this season between Colts DBs coach Ron Milus and his son, Texas defensive assistant Ryan Milus. ... The Colts have won four of their past five since starting the season 0-2. ... Indy is 4-9-1 in division games since the start of the 2022 season. But the Colts can even the season series with Houston and pull into a tie for the AFC South lead with a victory. ... Indy’s 31 plays of 20 or more yards this season are the fourth most in the NFL this season. ... Pittman needs 2 yards receiving to reach 4,000 in his five-year career. ... Taylor needs 78 total yards to pass Hall of Famer Lenny Moore (6,040 yards) for No. 4 in franchise history. ... Richardson and 39-year-old Joe Flacco have thrown a total of 10 TD passes this season. ... Pierce leads the NFL with an average of 25.5 yards per catch and has a league-high five receptions of 40 or more yards. ... Colts DE Laiatu Latu’s two sacks are tied with Jonah Elliss of Denver for the most among NFL rookies. ... LB Zaire Franklin leads the NFL in tackles with 78. ... CB Jaylon Jones is one of seven players to pick off two passes in a game this season. His eight passes defensed are also tied for No. 5 in the league. … The Texans have forced seven turnovers combined in their past two games. … Houston WR Stefon Diggs has had at least 65 yards receiving in four of his past five games. He has two TD receptions in each of his past two games against the Colts. … WR Tank Dell, who didn’t have a catch last week, had seven receptions for 72 yards a touchdown in the previous game against the Colts in Houston. … DE Danielle Hunter has had a sack in two straight games. … DE Will Anderson has had at least one tackle for loss in three straight games and at least one sack in his past two. He is tied for sixth in the NFL with 6½ sacks this season. … DT Tim Settle had two tackles for losses and a sack last week. … LB Neville Hewitt led the team with a season-high nine tackles last week and had an interception. … S Calen Bullock is tied for first among rookie in the league with three interceptions. He had an interception in the first meeting with Indianapolis. … CB Derek Stingley had six tackles, including one for a loss and defended a pass last week. ... LB Devin White, a Pro Bowler in 2021 with Tampa Bay, signed with Houston on Wednesday.
Fantasy tip
Mixon should be a good pickup this week against Indy’s struggling run defense after he’s combined for 217 yards rushing with three rushing TDs and one touchdown reception in the two games since returning from injury.