Will there be football this fall?

[Furmanoid]

I’m thinking no football. If there are still any cases at all by August, and there certainly will be, there will be a loud outcry against anything that fills huge stadiums. Every argument than can be made in favor of the current shutdowns will still be usable. Those few restaurants that aren’t bankrupt might reopen as long as they are small. Maybe some churches that haven’t folded will reopen. But none of this trivial stuff like sports and movies and work.

[The Jackal]

I’m thinking no football. If there are still any cases at all by August, and there certainly will be, there will be a loud outcry against anything that fills huge stadiums. Every argument than can be made in favor of the current shutdowns will still be usable. Those few restaurants that aren’t bankrupt might reopen as long as they are small. Maybe some churches that haven’t folded will reopen. But none of this trivial stuff like sports and movies and work.

Realistically, no one knows.

The goal now isn't eradication of the virus, but the ability to allow the medicine to try and catch up and limit the burden on the healthcare system.

[Roundball]

If I was a betting man, and my investment statement says I am, I would put money on not playing. Best case might be a delayed and shorter season. This might be the year many smaller schools drop football. Hope I’m wrong.

[Furmanoid]

Yep and if the crowd at a Newberry game is a threat to America, then certainly no 3A or bigger high school can reopen. No decent sized factory can restart, etc.

OR maybe we’ll accept that sometimes there are unfortunate if very tiny risks that we just have to live with.

[Affirm]

Maybe I'm behind knowing about some news that you know about. Newberry?
Re: Will there be football this fall? I am currently guessing that we will not know the answer to that question until possibly as long as May 15, 7.5 weeks from now. Around that time, it seems that decisions will need to have been made and publicized. There are many things that have to occur between May 15 and August 15 for the season scheduled to start 1 or 2 weeks after August 15.
I can imagine a sort of "rolling decision" for actions in phases, with schools and NCAA wanting to amend the season 1 week at a time, such as first pushing everything back a week then a 2nd week (ending up with the same number of games, just 1 or 2 weeks later), and then chopping off several games from the start of the season, etc., including at some point eliminating the conference championship games in FBS and reducing the size of the field in BCS playoff from 8 to 4 then to 2 and reducing the size of the field in FCS playoff from 24 (?) to 4 then to 2.
Just postponing crowds for as long as possible, hoping that the spread of the virus shows signs of slowing very significantly the more time passes.
Therefore, there would not have to be some drastic decision any time soon and maybe not until sometime in June.
I believe college football will be paying close attention to decisions and plans made by NFL football and following closely. (And I realize NFL might make some big decisions about the season a lot sooner than might expect.)
Also I believe decisions about the 2020 Summer Olympics will be relevant to college football decisions.
(Is MLB already totally out for the season, or have they so far just postponed and possibly shortened the season?)
(Is NBA already officially ended, including any playoffs?)
(I know the Charleston Cooper River Bridge Run was postponed to Aug 1, and I believe Boston Marathon was postponed to September 15. If those events can actually happen in accord with those decisions, instead of having to be again postponed or cancelled; and if some major parts of the 2020 Summer Olympics can occur without too much delay, then I expect that college football has a much better chance of taking place.)
Like everything else, college football is something in a current waiting pattern.
Patience and uncertainty are not easy.
And remember that a lot of really major matters impacted by the pandemic are more important than these sports matters that we are discussing, even though I am not saying these sports matters are not important.

[Roundball]

Yep and if the crowd at a Newberry game is a threat to America, then certainly no 3A or bigger high school can reopen. No decent sized factory can restart, etc.

OR maybe we’ll accept that sometimes there are unfortunate if very tiny risks that we just have to live with.

?

[Furmanoid]

Let me explain. Small college football crowds are around 1000 people. (Newberry’s are probably larger I admit-I was exaggerating). If 1000ish is too big for a once a week gathering, then you certainly can’t open 1500 student schools 5 days a week. You can’t open a plant that has several hundred guys per shift either. The gathering size limits that would eliminate football would eliminate lots of other stuff just like now.

[apaladin]

President Trump just said they were not going to let the cure be worst than the problem itself. Finally a little hope. Said America would be back to work soon. Hope he is right.

[Roundball]

President Trump just said they were not going to let the cure be worst than the problem itself. Finally a little hope. Said America would be back to work soon. Hope he is right.

Trump has all but declared the worst is over. I hope he is right. But, I don’t believe a word coming from his mouth. Where is Dr. Fauci? He is the only one I trust.

[apaladin]

President Trump just said they were not going to let the cure be worst than the problem itself. Finally a little hope. Said America would be back to work soon. Hope he is right.

Trump has all but declared the worst is over. I hope he is right. But, I don’t believe a word coming from his mouth. Where is Dr. Fauci? He is the only one I trust.

Fauci is all doom and gloom. The Debbie lady is amazing and very very smart. Fauci was in a task force meeting.

[Furmanoid]

It seemed Fauci’s tone changed after they got hammered for not being freaked out enough. Dr. Debbie just tells it like it is and seems puzzled at how bad everybody hates any hint of good news.

[DungeonRealm]

An interesting tidbit about Coronavirus, due to its global shutdown and the social distancing practices in place it has actually saved more lives in the past 2 weeks than it has taken (ie. less car accident fatalities, ect. ect. ect.)
Overall death rate statistics and hospital visits are down in most areas.

[cavedweller2]

President Trump just said they were not going to let the cure be worst than the problem itself. Finally a little hope. Said America would be back to work soon. Hope he is right.

Trump has all but declared the worst is over. I hope he is right. But, I don’t believe a word coming from his mouth. Where is Dr. Fauci? He is the only one I trust.

I don't trust any of them.

[MNORM]

President Trump just said they were not going to let the cure be worst than the problem itself. Finally a little hope. Said America would be back to work soon. Hope he is right.

Trump has all but declared the worst is over. I hope he is right. But, I don’t believe a word coming from his mouth. Where is Dr. Fauci? He is the only one I trust.

Fauci is all doom and gloom. The Debbie lady is amazing and very very smart. Fauci was in a task force meeting.

Science and analytical research are "doom and gloom"....got it.

[Affirm]

Maybe I'm behind knowing about some news that you know about. Newberry?
Re: Will there be football this fall? I am currently guessing that we will not know the answer to that question until possibly as long as May 15, 7.5 weeks from now. Around that time, it seems that decisions will need to have been made and publicized. There are many things that have to occur between May 15 and August 15 for the season scheduled to start 1 or 2 weeks after August 15.
I can imagine a sort of "rolling decision" for actions in phases, with schools and NCAA wanting to amend the season 1 week at a time, such as first pushing everything back a week then a 2nd week (ending up with the same number of games, just 1 or 2 weeks later), and then chopping off several games from the start of the season, etc., including at some point eliminating the conference championship games in FBS and reducing the size of the field in BCS playoff from 8 to 4 then to 2 and reducing the size of the field in FCS playoff from 24 (?) to 4 then to 2.
Just postponing crowds for as long as possible, hoping that the spread of the virus shows signs of slowing very significantly the more time passes.
Therefore, there would not have to be some drastic decision any time soon and maybe not until sometime in June.
I believe college football will be paying close attention to decisions and plans made by NFL football and following closely. (And I realize NFL might make some big decisions about the season a lot sooner than might expect.)
Also I believe decisions about the 2020 Summer Olympics will be relevant to college football decisions.
(Is MLB already totally out for the season, or have they so far just postponed and possibly shortened the season?)
(Is NBA already officially ended, including any playoffs?)
(I know the Charleston Cooper River Bridge Run was postponed to Aug 1, and I believe Boston Marathon was postponed to September 15. If those events can actually happen in accord with those decisions, instead of having to be again postponed or cancelled; and if some major parts of the 2020 Summer Olympics can occur without too much delay, then I expect that college football has a much better chance of taking place.)
Like everything else, college football is something in a current waiting pattern.
Patience and uncertainty are not easy.
And remember that a lot of really major matters impacted by the pandemic are more important than these sports matters that we are discussing, even though I am not saying these sports matters are not important.

Olympics now postponed.
Not a great sign for football.