It’s late December, and you know what that means. It’s Covid Cancellation Season!
Yesterday we learned at the last minute that NC State’s bowl game vs. UCLA was going to be canceled because of Covid. We also learned earlier in the week that Duke vs. Clemson, UNC vs. VT and BC vs. FSU basketball games were being postponed for the same reason.
So we sit and wait (until the last minute) to see if NC State’s game tonight vs. Miami will have the same fate.
Now, at this moment there isn’t any talk about the game being canceled, there are no reports of Covid cases for either team. But as the old adage goes “Fool me once, shame on.. you? Fool me …. can’t get fooled again.”
Our baseball team was ripped of a chance at the National Championship thanks to Covid protocols. Our football team was ripped of a chance at a 10 win season thanks to Covid protocols. Our basketball team kicked this whole damn pandemic off with their ACC Tournament game cancellation (just minutes before tip) in March of 2020. So do you really think we’re going to see this game played?
Look, maybe it gets played and maybe not, but me, I’m over it. It’s time to suck it up and play ball.
But Wolferetti, you’re killing people!
Let’s get a little consistency here, folks. The pandemic is constantly moving and changing. Those who want to cheer on these cancellations for the sake of safety had a point two years ago, and hell, they may have had a point last season. But this year, you’re just regurgitating old talking points.
Why are you canceling games right now? Unless you can’t field enough guys to take the field/court, the games should go on. What is the excuse? “An abundance of safety?”, “We don’t know enough about the virus?”
We’re two years in, people. The virus that took its toll in 2020 and early 2021 isn’t the same virus. It’s not nearly as lethal and it’s not producing near as many bad outcomes. The numbers are there, right in your face. They’ve changed, and so should you.
The NFL has. They changed their protocols to reflect the current situation and so should the NCAA.
These are 18-21-year-old healthy kids. They are almost all vaccinated. They are now back from their holidays with their family. They are isolated from those at risk and they, themselves, are at almost no risk of serious outcomes if they do contract the virus. But hey, if a player wants to opt-out, let them. If you, the fans, want to stay home and not attend a game, please do so. But it’s time to move on and transition protocols to reflect the risk profile.
We know this virus isn’t going away. We know the new variant isn’t nearly as serious as the prior variants. We know healthy college kids aren’t at high risk of bad outcomes. So when does the NCAA stop acting like we’re stuck in 2020?
Just a few years ago I know a lot of you people were cheering on Michael Jordan’s ‘flu game’ as one of the bravest and heroic performances in the history of basketball. Today he’d be crucified on social media as a disgusting, selfish, super spreader with no regard for human life.
You want me to put conditions on my column? You want me to tell you that I know the virus is real. You want me to say I know it kills people. Fine, there it is. The fact that some of you need that is insane. Outside of a few idiots on Twitter, everyone knows these things despite what your favorite news channel is telling you about those who want protocols that rely on logic.
I get it. You get it. So let’s stop with this ‘holier than thou’ concern trolling. Canceling a game isn’t going to ‘stop the spread.’ It’s not going to get us to COVID zero. It’s’ just going to keep robbing kids of some of the best moments of their lives. The scales have tipped. The risk is not greater than the reward anymore.
It’s time to move on. It’s time to follow the NFL and change the protocols. If you’re sick, go home. If you’re concerned about being sick, go home. If you feel fine, have no symptoms, test negative, and want to take the court, then get out there. If a team has enough players to play, they play. If they have enough players to play, and those players want to play, but the school wants to pull out to be cautious? Fine, then go home, but take a forfeit loss with you.
Let the kids play.
