The Big Ten might save its football season, but the myth of college sports has been shattered

Here is how important college football is in this country: By Tuesday afternoon, the University of Wisconsin had 2,160 students who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and all classes were being held virtually. On Wednesday, Barry Alvarez, the school’s athletic director, said: “Our athletes will be able to start practice immediately....”
The coronavirus pandemic has completely laid bare the contemptible nature of college athletics. The Big Ten’s decision to reverse course and try to stage a football season made it as crisp and clear as a Saturday afternoon in the fall: Athletic departments do not exist to afford opportunities to compete for thousands of “student-athletes.” Rather, they exist to stage college football seasons. The other stuff is just pretty banners and shiny trophies.

And does anyone think that the UW, City of Madison and Dane County have or should spend the necessary dollars to monitor, tamp down or bust the inevitable COVID-19 delighting parties that are sure to take place on football Saturdays?

Not to mention the inevitable personal health and system care consequences and costs which will inevitably follow?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: I don't know how these GOP legislators and their supreme court supporters sleep at night. Even if they don't feel they are responsible for the fast spread of COVID, they must be receiving all kinds of hate mail. Vos' twitter feed is (justifiably) full of angry responses to even the most innocuous posts. I am sure they all have home security systems but it still begs the question of what it must feel like to have so many people angry at you.; September 17, 2020 at 3:43 PM