News Article: Time to face reality: ‘No one is playing college football in the fall’ (or are they?)

[CrimsonMapper]

Yeah that 2020 tournament was an amazing thing to behold...

Even more reason they'll protect next year's tournament. I'm sure something could be worked out if they really wanted to get in a spring football season. As mentioned earlier, I think the NFL budging on the combine/draft will have a lot to do with whether a P5 spring season would happen.

 

[colbysullivan]

Even more reason they'll protect next year's tournament. I'm sure something could be worked out if they really wanted to get in a spring football season. As mentioned earlier, I think the NFL budging on the combine/draft will have a lot to do with whether a P5 spring season would happen.

Yep, they won't let the 2021 tourney be cancelled after what happened in 2020. No way they're gonna allow it to be cancelled twice.

 

[rolltide_21]

[

You are forgetting one HUGE thing... March Madness. There is absolutely no way that the NCAA is going to take eyes away from that.

Agreed. The tournament is their biggest moneymaker.

 

[Blindside17]

You are forgetting one HUGE thing... March Madness. There is absolutely no way that the NCAA is going to take eyes away from that.

The first thing I thought of when spring was mentioned for football.

 

[MOAN]

 

[selmaborntidefan]

View attachment 10018

For a guy with a PhD, his English is atrocious.

 

[NationalTitles18]

At the Heart of It: Cardiac Inflammation the Next Virus Hurdle for College Leaders | Sports Illustrated

www.si.com

Can't say for certain that this is related, but it's a strong possibility.

Former Florida State center Michael Ojo dies after collapsing during training at age 27

Michael Ojo died after collapsing during training in Serbia, his former team Red Star Belgrade said.

www.cbsnews.com

Heart issue linked to virus drives Power 5 concern

A rare heart condition that could be linked to COVID-19 has been found in several athletes in the Big Ten and other Power 5 conferences.

www.espn.com

A rare heart condition that could be linked with the coronavirus is fueling concern among Power 5 conference administrators about the viability of college sports this fall.

Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, has been found in at least five Big Ten Conference athletes and among several other athletes in other conferences, according to two sources with knowledge of athletes' medical care.

The condition is usually caused by a viral infection, including those that cause the common cold, H1N1 influenza or mononucleosis. Left undiagnosed and untreated, it can cause heart damage and sudden cardiac arrest, which can be fatal. It is a rare condition, but the COVID-19 virus has been linked with myocarditis with a higher frequency than other viruses, based on limited studies and anecdotal evidence since the start of the pandemic.

Dr. Matthew Martinez, director of sports cardiology for Atlantic Health System in New Jersey, said he has received calls from physicians from at least a dozen Power 5 schools who have identified more than a dozen athletes with some post-COVID-19 myocardial injury. He said about half of them had symptoms.

"Initially we thought if you didn't have significant symptoms that you are probably at less risk. We are now finding that that may not be true," he said.

Martinez, who is the league cardiologist for Major League Soccer, team cardiologist for the New York Jets and a consultant for the National Basketball Players Association, said based on what he's seen so far among professional athletes who have had COVID-19, "I'm hopeful the number is under 5%" who have heart-related issues.

Even though the percentage is likely small, Martinez said there is still so much unknown that it is wise to take a conservative approach in returning athletes to play.

A study published in July in JAMA Cardiology found that out of 100 adult patients in Germany who had recovered from the COVID-19 infection, 60% had findings of ongoing myocardial inflammation.

The science is very limited, with this being a new virus, but the concerns are real and based on medical data and studies.

 

[colbysullivan]

The science is very limited, with this being a new virus, but the concerns are real and based on medical data and studies.

Something about football causing CTE...

 

[rgw]

Listened to Dan Carlin’s latest Hardcore History podcast on the Pacific Theater of WWII. He started it off with an personal anecdote involving his family about the West Coast War Scare in the months following Pearl Harbor. I can’t help but think in the future some of the precautions may seem absurd in retrospect but we’re kinda in the fog of war now. I would rather be able to look back and laugh at ourselves than look back and regret we didn’t heed the warnings then see several promising athletes have their health permanently diminished.

 

[BearFoot]

With all due respect, (and I’m not taking sides) but this same argument could be made about those individuals, on the other end of the spectrum, who feel entitled to “dictate what all others should have to do.”

Well, as much as some would like, the universe does not revolve around them. There are other people and other considerations.

 

[The Ols]

Heart issue linked to virus drives Power 5 concern

A rare heart condition that could be linked to COVID-19 has been found in several athletes in the Big Ten and other Power 5 conferences.

www.espn.com

The science is very limited, with this being a new virus, but the concerns are real and based on medical data and studies.

Read what Dr.Rhea said about this yesterday. I'm on the way out the door or I'd find it and attach it, but I saw it on TF yesterday...He's soooooo solid!!!

 

[We_are_Bama]

I thought that Myocarditis was nothing new. Isn't it also a possible long term effect of the flu or pneumonia?

 

[NationalTitles18]

Read what Dr.Rhea said about this yesterday. I'm on the way out the door or I'd find it and attach it, but I saw it on TF yesterday...He's soooooo solid!!!

It's back up after a second look.

The medical community has been talking about these kinds of issues from the early days of the pandemic based on real world experiences with COVID-19. No, it isn't new. No, it's not paranoia. Yes, the problem is real and it is having a major impact on sports in particular. The "unknown" part is exactly how COVID-19 affects the heart, meaning in what ways and how severely. The protocols in place are based on past experience with myocarditis from various causes, but this is a new cause and may require slightly different protocols or may have vastly different impacts on the heart. For instance, how much does this virus affect the endothelium of coronary arteries since we know (unlike most other viruses) that it attacks the lining of vessels. Myocarditis is one thing, but coronary artery damage is quite another and since the virus is new there are still some unknowns. I expect the answers will come over time, but for now there are more questions.

 

[BamaMoon]

It seems to me that the PTB are going to make decisions based on the very worse thing that could happen (like a player who had the virus having a heart episode later). I'm not dismissing it and neither is Dr. Rhea, as noted from an earlier post, but if these same kids don't play football, they'll get out and play pickup basketball, continue to train/run, and still lead active lifestyles. If their heart health is impacted, the best way to know that is under the kind of medical oversight they'd get with a team.

I'm no lawyer, but at some point, the only way going forward to have football will require each player who commits to playing to sign an "airtight" waver regarding unknown impacts of Covid-19.

If it's always about the fear of litigation, we'll never have another football season again.

 

[rgw]

I thought that Myocarditis was nothing new. Isn't it also a possible long term effect of the flu or pneumonia?

It is not new but COVID-19 appears to have a higher rate of this complication compared to H1N1, flu, etc. Early days with limited studies but data is alarming.

 

[NationalTitles18]

It is not new but COVID-19 appears to have a higher rate of this complication compared to H1N1, flu, etc. Early days with limited studies but data is alarming.

It's difficult to hit the sweet spot in messaging. Some will panic unnecessarily so sometimes you have to tamp it down to get the understanding more in line with reality. Other times people downplay the real threat so the message has to have more emphasis on the risks without seeming alarmist or getting out of control in the other direction.

With so many polarized regarding this virus already the messaging is even more difficult to get right and many will discard anything that does not already fit into their pre-made narrow little compartment.

I would encourage everyone from every point on the spectrum to look at the scientific/medical information with an open mind ,without prejudice regarding the veracity of information, and without prejudging the intent of the speaker/author.

For the record, making a video is not the same as releasing a peer-reviewed study in a journal that is then scrutinized widely by the best minds in the field. Some voices are more credible than others so carry more/less weight as a result. And we should never allow our own biases to drive our understanding of science.

The medical issues influencing any return to play (or not) decisions should be viewed through the understanding that this is a new virus, the effects of which cannot be fully known. There are growing bodies of evidence and still many remaining questions.

Also, college sports do not operate in a bubble. Even if that were possible, those types of bubbles are not airtight. College sports do not operate in a vacuum. There is a bidirectional influence with society at large with movement along many avenues.

Yes, litigation is a concern but so is the perception of the public at large and of the athletes/families. Balancing these decisions based on the competing interests of the involved parties is a high wire act with no net - make the wrong move and there may be dire consequences for all involved. The decision makers are motivated to try to make it all work, but being risk averse is an unfortunate necessity.

 

[rgw]

With that said, when I say "alarming" I don't mean "sound the alarm, shut'er down" but, as you say, it is really hard to get the messaging right. "Alarming" to me means "don't dismiss this one it could be meaningful."

 

[JDMinHSV]

Listened to Dan Carlin’s latest Hardcore History podcast on the Pacific Theater of WWII. He started it off with an personal anecdote involving his family about the West Coast War Scare in the months following Pearl Harbor. I can’t help but think in the future some of the precautions may seem absurd in retrospect but we’re kinda in the fog of war now. I would rather be able to look back and laugh at ourselves than look back and regret we didn’t heed the warnings then see several promising athletes have their health permanently diminished.

Although this has nothing to do with the topic at hand, that is a GREAT podcast!

 

[Tidetwin]

For a guy with a PhD, his English is atrocious.

It looks like he 'eluded' his English comp classes.

 

[NationalTitles18]

With that said, when I say "alarming" I don't mean "sound the alarm, shut'er down" but, as you say, it is really hard to get the messaging right. "Alarming" to me means "don't dismiss this one it could be meaningful."

I understand you.

It's important to note that while still lacking, the quality of the information out there is slowly improving.

In the beginning there was mostly pre-print publications of papers, which were of dubious quality. Slowly, more research is being peer-reviewed.

Even as that happens case reports/anecdotes are turning into areas of interest for further study. Some of that data is beginning to come online and the overall quality is improving.

But then everything goes sideways when others release videos and other publications that are not at all based on science or that are of poor quality or use out of date studies that have been eclipsed by more rigorous data. Then biases get involved and rigorous studies are dismissed while anecdotes of questionable reliability are pushed back to the front as if we had not advanced past that with better science.

How does this relate to the current question on heart related issues? Simple: The studies I linked above are small and less robust. They arose out of a mountain of anecdotal evidence that prompted them. These new studies will prompt further studies that will better answer the questions. Those studies will lead to (hopefully) even better studies and so on and so forth.

But everyone wants answers NOW when that simply isn't possible. The only information that can be used to make a decision in the near future is the evidence that is available and not the evidence we want. NO decision will be perfect. The decisions must be made on current evidence with an understanding of the inherent limitations of that evidence and the questions those limitations inevitably invoke.

Coach Saban made some excellent points about the aspect of the care and safety available to the athletes on campus. That is one aspect to be balanced alongside many others.

My opinion is that there is enough evidence with enough remaining unknowns in a risk averse environment with a mountain of risk that the season will be cancelled. That said, I do not envy the job of those actually making those decisions with a ton of money, livelihoods, and lives in the balance. It is impossible to please everyone so they need to be able to justify a "sound" decision in any case.