While many in the sports media are rushing to prove they care more for the players than they do themselves, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence may have started something from the players.
They pretty much all want to play. The players are the ones most at risk.
And if you think anybody has more at stake than Lawrence, well, you are wrong.
I don’t know about y’all, but we want to play.
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) August 8, 2020
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) August 9, 2020
People are at just as much, if not more risk, if we don’t play. Players will all be sent home to their own communities where social distancing is highly unlikely and medical care and expenses will be placed on the families if they were to contract covid19 (1)
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) August 9, 2020
While a lot of buzz was being made over the Big Ten having what could be a knee-jerk reaction to the MAC cancelling fall sports on Saturday, you have to wonder if anybody is even listening to the players.
You can’t say “they’re just kids, they don’t know any better,” then say they have a point in terms of being adults and getting more than the current compensation for playing sports at a major college.
In Arkansas, there hasn’t been much coming from the players except indications from them they understand the risks involved and are ready to play.
The survival rate in the state is 98.9% regardless of age or previous health condition. No one under the age of 25 has died. The list of other things that can cause future complications or carry more risk is almost endless.
My father was in a boat and watched atomic bombs drop on Japan. He felt the waves and had stuff dumped all over him. Everybody said it was going to cause premature deaths, but he lived another 66 years.
Nobody knows what will happen down the road. Not even the national experts, some of whom have been wildly wrong on every prediction they’ve made for nearly 40 years, but they are still considered experts.
ESPN’s Peter Burns on Sunday made the most logical comment of anyone in the media:
How I would handle CFB?
9/26 start for all conferences
Gives you 6 weeks to gather more info on how schools do with the return of students on campus & full practices
If outbreaks occur, move to online classes…creating a bubble & let schools decide if they still want to play
— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) August 9, 2020
If there is a mass wave of players opting out, okay, take another look at things.
At some point you wonder if the college administrators are actually going to listen to the people risking the most.
Across the nation, 99.5% of the college football players have NOT opted out of playing this season as of early Sunday evening. No, I would never knock any player if he wants to sit out. That’s a personal decision and no criticism either way.
But it’s interesting to note the low percentage of players that are not ready to cancel the season.
Lawrence is correct pointing out players are safer having football than not having it. The risk is incredibly low for serious problems and the science of it is nobody will know the percentage of long-term health effects the virus can cause.
Players are wanting their voices heard. That has become clear over the last week.
And if administrators are not going to listen to them on this, does anyone really think they will listen to the players on any other issues?
This is a chance for colleges and universities to let the players know they actually have a voice.
So far no one seems particularly interested.
