Sports Delays and The Aftermath of March 2020 Again

Well here it is already but as foreseen in the last few weeks.

Did you ever imagine you would ever see a list like this again?

It is like March 2020 again already.

90 NFL players have COVID now and there will surely be more tomorrow.

Here's a rundown and new tracker of all the major leagues via CBS Sports

2 Likes

it was bound to happen as they relaxed restrictions across the board in both countries again, way too much, way too soon.

5 Likes

Overall I do agree. It was our first time, and collectively we failed though I do feel that some of this was coming anew no matter what.

Now we will see if those making decisions have learned from what worked and what did not and adjust.

I do know what won’t work though as we have seen as the norm in the US.

And sure there is ample disagreement on the specifics, but I am leaving that off here to make the point on the general concept that most did not follow to date in the US.

When those making decisions are forcing an agenda to simply “shut it all down” or on the other hand “keep it all going and suspend scientific reality,” which are agendas over and above collective health and safety while making prudent decisions to keep more things running that are not simply recreational in nature, we will be worse off than where we are to date.

Some of those folks here in the US have been shown the door mercifully, and a few more will be shown the door in 2022 the way things have been handled overall.

Via the UK for the Premier League a game scheduled for today has been called off, and now it looks to me like the league is simply trying to squeeze in the rest of the holiday season action through New Year's weekend.

The plug may be pulled any day now via the government.

Here's what troubles us.

All but one NHL player, perhaps that is Evander Kane or did he come around after his trashy antics?, is vaccinated.

The NBA states that 97% of its players are vaccinated.

The NFL rate is at about 95%.

Few if any are seriously ill, which is great, but even with these high rates of vaccination the games are being called off given the highly contagious nature of Omicron.

And so, anybody see any upside from here until perhaps months from now should we have new vaccines?

2 Likes

I think this is the ‘new-ish’ normal for a few months, until we know more about Omicron.

Despite the high vaccination, the unkown (though some positive early studies) nature of this variant is bringing society back to a state of fear as opposed to learning to live with the virus…to me this is a greatest failure.

3 Likes

Not sure about Kane, but Bertuzzi of the Red Wings apparently is unvaccinated.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2021/12/16/detroit-red-wings-tyler-bertuzzi-covid-19-vaccine/8912082002/

Well in only 20 hours since starting this thread, now another edition of that "new normal" is back and every league but the NFL has game cancellations: NBA, NHL, and Premier League.

In England half the games scheduled for the weekend have been canceled and the goal appears to have all sides ready to play again on Boxing Day or the Monday following. This will be a tall order after some sides are scheduled to resume play mid-week in the "Moose Cup."

In the NFL the list of infected players is over 100 such that some teams like the Bears, Browns, Giants, Rams, and Washington have been hit so hard that we will be watching the second team / B side for each of them.

It's a similar pattern in all leagues now. Since the announcements of the first wave of mass infections via Omicron earlier this week, there are steadily more daily despite enhanced protective measures and high vaccination rates but for the Premiere League.

This variant, as theorized weeks ago, seems to spread akin to any given seasonal common cold pre-pandemic with most (those vaccinated at least perhaps, but it is not fully clear yet on the associated data) experiencing such symptoms or asymptomatic.

I'm reading this update and the new names added since Friday that this train has left the station irrespective of enhanced measures as no doubt came too late if they would have been as effective at all:

Yes and I’m glad we are back in Florida. No masks in Walmart, Home Depot etc packed bars and restaurants.
Yet the infection rate in Florida is lower than Quebec’s and not much higher than Ontario’s, yet Canada is shutting down again, people wearing masks everywhere.
We were at a large wedding in Orlando, no one wearing a mask everyone having a great time no one talking about the virus.
It’s a different world down here and they are dealing with it.

4 Likes

The evidence you point out has been at hand in other warmer places such as also Texas though there are also other spots in the American Southwest and Los Angeles with heavy issues.

We have seen readily that population is directly proportional to higher growth rates, as is the case with even the common cold or regular flu and the case even irrespective of higher vaccination percentages in some places, but I notice there are few data on the favourable effect of better weather or the accelerator of worse weather as we are seeing in evidence in North America and more in Northern Europe plus the UK.

I do not agree with many who feel that a “one-size fits all” solution is a good idea though otherwise I also do not agree with those who ignore the situation entirely, but its seems to be most people in one camp or the other.

No Premier League until Boxing Day and already half of the teams competing in the quarterfinals of the "Moose Cup," a nickname for the lower-level tournament that is obsolete, are giving a fit:

Okay the following facts do not add up. Any help here?

There was one unvaccinated player in the NHL, not counting the suspended Evander Kane and not knowing if he did get a real jab this time, yet with all those infections play is suspended this week.

There are a few more still unvaccinated in the NBA, and at least one game has been postponed each day since Sunday, but most teams are still playing.

Meanwhile the NFL list is at over 140 of the disclosed ones, which means it is probably closer to 200 (as disclosed in the following, there are those "injured" otherwise and those coming from practice rosters not counted though they likely would be stepping up out of necessity). There is not only an audit of these reported numbers we should note, but there are no auditors.

Teams that have been impacted the most are as follows:
Bears
Browns
Texans (like it makes a difference there)
Chargers
Chiefs
Rams (well yeah, when you are in the same city!)
Giants (this is the most remarkable report, for in NYC Metro they have had the tightest measures and enforcement in the country even before Omicron - the _____ Jets are not too far back now not that it matters for them either)
Seahawks
Washington

That's 10 teams if you count the Jets which will have more cases any day now, so well, when over half the teams are hit hard then what one with almost all games with the first team playing 1B, second team, or third team?

Some will say on with the play no matter, but I call BS that's not real NFL action and akin to the replacement players in the days of the strikes.

As goes the NHL so will go the NBA and vice versa. I'll translate this story that was easy to see coming for you.

Essentially the NBA is pulling all the stops to uphold their Christmas Day schedule, for otherwise they will pull the plug right afterwards if they can stick it out.

What I find a little amusing ...Florida opened up then right away everyone saying how we were going to be all infected and it's going to be rampant and all this and that and the jaguars are not having any issues...hmmm maybe the sun really does kill it off ...:thinking:

2 Likes

thats because the jags have not been playing football :slight_smile:

4 Likes

Ha ha…with as much as they are getting manhandled and tackled all over …c’mon they would be prime candidates

1 Like

It's telling that the NCAA has put such protocols for forfeiture in place now.

Texas A&M has already bailed on its bowl game, and we can watch for a few other copycats I figure whether they have a breakout or not.

The college bowl system is stupid anyway, and that's another recurring thread as was pay the players (above the table) as they have begun for a few players with the first steps taken.

That sucks though, for the players and coaches, fans etc. and I enjoy the games to watch when I have a chance to. What can you do.

Contrast the NBA now, the lead last time in March 2020, to the NHL. Look at the list of players with COVID, and of course the rosters are much smaller.

I think the NHL got it right to pause this week, but then again the NBA has much more on the line with its annual Christmas Day action.

The weak, mostly commissioner-in-title Adam Silver affirms they won't pause the season, but I don't think that's reality when every day there are more players on rosters testing positive after already now most teams have significant impact.

Come next week we shall see what the NHL does after everybody has been away on travel with family and so forth. The NHL wisely dropped out of those stupid Olympics.