Ohio Football Topic
Topic: Do we need football this badly?
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giacomo
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Posted: 12/2/2020 8:42 PM
Alan Swank
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Posted: 12/3/2020 11:45 AM
giacomo wrote:expand_more
This pretty well sums it up:

"Is the return of our country’s most popular sport sending a false alert that we have almost conquered the virus? Is the N.F.L. joining in the deadly and premature message that we’re back, we can do what we want and the ordinary days of old are just around the bend?"
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 12/3/2020 12:01 PM
I recall folks here insisting that if the MAC didn't return and play football, we'd be "the laughing stock of college football."

In retrospect, I think our 5 game schedule with weird tie breakers to determine who between a 3-1 and 4-1 team should play for a championship's looks silly and pointless to me. Had we simply not played this year, we'd be looking pretty prescient right now.
GoCats105
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Posted: 12/3/2020 1:28 PM
Simple answer: no.
Big Willy
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Posted: 12/3/2020 3:29 PM
Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
This pretty well sums it up:

"Is the return of our country’s most popular sport sending a false alert that we have almost conquered the virus? Is the N.F.L. joining in the deadly and premature message that we’re back, we can do what we want and the ordinary days of old are just around the bend?"
I would say just the opposite. The many cancellations and postponements are showing the country that the virus is still very much with us, and showing that anybody can get it, even those who are being extremely careful.
Alan Swank
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Posted: 12/3/2020 5:32 PM
Big Willy wrote:expand_more
This pretty well sums it up:

"Is the return of our country’s most popular sport sending a false alert that we have almost conquered the virus? Is the N.F.L. joining in the deadly and premature message that we’re back, we can do what we want and the ordinary days of old are just around the bend?"
I would say just the opposite. The many cancellations and postponements are showing the country that the virus is still very much with us, and showing that anybody can get it, even those who are being extremely careful.
Like the high schools in Lucas County that are "secretly" scheduling practices outside of the county so that they can keep playing?
mf279801
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Posted: 12/3/2020 8:42 PM
Yes. Well, i don’t care about what the NFL is doing, but college football has been, by far, my primary entertainment (and remote social activity) since September.
OakStreet
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Posted: 12/4/2020 2:17 PM
But even if college football is your primary entertainment currently, how can you justify the importance of that if it is contributing to making worse a situation in which 2,000 Americans - one every 30 seconds - are now dying daily from COVID-19?
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 12/4/2020 2:37 PM
I'd be very curious to see how the financials ended up on this weird little season. How much of a bath did we take to play these games? Or did the TV money off-set it?
Alan Swank
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Posted: 12/4/2020 2:43 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
I'd be very curious to see how the financials ended up on this weird little season. How much of a bath did we take to play these games? Or did the TV money off-set it?
Bath, shower and drowned.
greencat
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Posted: 12/4/2020 2:52 PM
High school football... a bastion of little social distance, few wearing masks. They had to stop a high school state title game in Tennessee the other day so the p.a announcer could urge people to put masks on and spread out. Looks like it didn't work.

And... wearing a mask on your chin doesn't count.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2020/12/03/PNAS/b0656e...
Last Edited: 12/4/2020 2:53:52 PM by greencat
Mark Lembright '85
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Posted: 12/4/2020 3:14 PM
Honestly, have we really had "a season"?

It's looking like only 3 games will have been played. As much as I love football and Ohio football especially (ironically I'm wearing an OHIO Football hoodie from the Bobcat Depot as I type this), I was less than enthusiastic when the 6 game schedule was announced (even that was unattainable) and I'm even less now.

And I love the bowl season but for all that's good and holy, please no bowl!! What's the point? Cancel the remaining game and be done with it, hope/pray that whoever gets COVID is okay, and move on to the 2021 season.
Last Edited: 12/4/2020 3:16:12 PM by Mark Lembright '85
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 12/4/2020 4:03 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
I'd be very curious to see how the financials ended up on this weird little season. How much of a bath did we take to play these games? Or did the TV money off-set it?
You do not get as much TV money as you think.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 12/4/2020 4:32 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
I'd be very curious to see how the financials ended up on this weird little season. How much of a bath did we take to play these games? Or did the TV money off-set it?
You do not get as much TV money as you think.
I don't think we get a lot of it, trust me. I'm just trying to understand the rationale behind a university in the midst of a budget crunch insisting on playing football when doing so would lose them more money.
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Posted: 12/4/2020 4:38 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
I'd be very curious to see how the financials ended up on this weird little season. How much of a bath did we take to play these games? Or did the TV money off-set it?
You do not get as much TV money as you think.
I don't think we get a lot of it, trust me. I'm just trying to understand the rationale behind a university in the midst of a budget crunch insisting on playing football when doing so would lose them more money.
The same rationale for sending a 6-6 team to a third tier bowl game that costs more than it's worth.
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Posted: 12/4/2020 4:58 PM
GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
I'd be very curious to see how the financials ended up on this weird little season. How much of a bath did we take to play these games? Or did the TV money off-set it?
You do not get as much TV money as you think.
I don't think we get a lot of it, trust me. I'm just trying to understand the rationale behind a university in the midst of a budget crunch insisting on playing football when doing so would lose them more money.
The same rationale for sending a 6-6 team to a third tier bowl game that costs more than it's worth.
Boom!
Alan Swank
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Posted: 12/4/2020 6:36 PM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
I'd be very curious to see how the financials ended up on this weird little season. How much of a bath did we take to play these games? Or did the TV money off-set it?
You do not get as much TV money as you think.
Been saying this for years - nothing more than a kinard, a prevarication.
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Posted: 12/4/2020 9:05 PM
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame wrote:expand_more
I'd be very curious to see how the financials ended up on this weird little season. How much of a bath did we take to play these games? Or did the TV money off-set it?
You do not get as much TV money as you think.
I don't think we get a lot of it, trust me. I'm just trying to understand the rationale behind a university in the midst of a budget crunch insisting on playing football when doing so would lose them more money.

Keep in mind that many of the costs are fixed. Whether they play games or not, they have to pay staff, they have to keep the maintenance up on the stadium, pay utilities, maintain offices, fund scholarships, etc. What are the extra costs to play? Travel, obviously, and some additional food. Staff to man the stadium. Overall, I have no idea how the additional expense compares to the additional revenue. Was that really the most important question, anyway?
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Posted: 12/4/2020 10:45 PM
Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
I'd be very curious to see how the financials ended up on this weird little season. How much of a bath did we take to play these games? Or did the TV money off-set it?
You do not get as much TV money as you think.
Been saying this for years - nothing more than a kinard, a prevarication.
That's a "Natural" reaction, Alan.

The MAC may be seeing the writing on the wall for TV money and wanting to get it before it goes away. Disney is slowly cutting back on its investment in ESPN. It probably can't cut personnel expenses much more than it already has, so its next cutbacks will likely be in uneconomic rights fees.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 12/5/2020 10:47 AM
L.C. wrote:expand_more
I'd be very curious to see how the financials ended up on this weird little season. How much of a bath did we take to play these games? Or did the TV money off-set it?
You do not get as much TV money as you think.
I don't think we get a lot of it, trust me. I'm just trying to understand the rationale behind a university in the midst of a budget crunch insisting on playing football when doing so would lose them more money.

Keep in mind that many of the costs are fixed. Whether they play games or not, they have to pay staff, they have to keep the maintenance up on the stadium, pay utilities, maintain offices, fund scholarships, etc. What are the extra costs to play? Travel, obviously, and some additional food. Staff to man the stadium. Overall, I have no idea how the additional expense compares to the additional revenue. Was that really the most important question, anyway?
No, not the most important question. But also not an insignificant one to a league filled with regional state universities that were facing budget crises before the pandemic even hit.
Old Man
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Posted: 12/5/2020 6:58 PM
Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
Been saying this for years - nothing more than a kinard, a prevarication.

I'm sorry, I probably should just keep my fingers off the keyboard, but for some perverse reason I feel compelled to ask, given that the College of Journalism is such a large force in Athens:

I know what a canard is, but what is a kinard? :D :D

(I'll probably come back shortly and delete this because I will have serious regrets for having posted this in the first place.)
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 12/5/2020 7:33 PM
Old Man wrote:expand_more
Been saying this for years - nothing more than a kinard, a prevarication.

I'm sorry, I probably should just keep my fingers off the keyboard, but for some perverse reason I feel compelled to ask, given that the College of Journalism is such a large force in Athens:

I know what a canard is, but what is a kinard? :D :D

(I'll probably come back shortly and delete this because I will have serious regrets for having posted this in the first place.)
A liberal gay Mexican by the Urban dictionary. I really hope that’s not where you were going
Alan Swank
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Posted: 12/5/2020 8:39 PM
Old Man wrote:expand_more
Been saying this for years - nothing more than a kinard, a prevarication.

I'm sorry, I probably should just keep my fingers off the keyboard, but for some perverse reason I feel compelled to ask, given that the College of Journalism is such a large force in Athens:

I know what a canard is, but what is a kinard? :D :D

(I'll probably come back shortly and delete this because I will have serious regrets for having posted this in the first place.)
Kinard - the guy who rendered me useless in the further propagation of children 30+ years ago.

My bad, typo, "naturally."
mf279801
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Posted: 12/5/2020 8:48 PM
OakStreet wrote:expand_more
But even if college football is your primary entertainment currently, how can you justify the importance of that if it is contributing to making worse a situation in which 2,000 Americans - one every 30 seconds - are now dying daily from COVID-19?
You’re going to have to do better than that if you’re trying to make me feel bad about enjoying football this year.

I’m going to need you to quantify the extent to which “it is contributing to making worse” the situation, in both absolute and relative terms. While you’re at it go ahead and compare the relative risks of infection that football players/coaches have compared to their respective non-athletic populations (say non-athlete students and staff members, respectively). (I don’t know what sort of data either of those questions will yield, but your sanctimonious question annoyed me so i figured I’d go ahead and put you to work)
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Posted: 12/11/2020 10:12 PM
We know that at least two college teams don't need football this badly. BC (6-5) voted not to go to a bowl game this week citing, in part, the emotional strain this season has caused the players. Today Pitt (also 6-5) voted to reject any bowl invites. They cited, among other things, the toll taken by the rigorous health protocols, the multiple rounds of covid testing each week, and the mental and physical challenges of playing eleven games in a pandemic.
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