COVID-19 (coronavirus) impact on Women's Lacrosse

[seacoaster]

...with many more to come.

U Iowa permanently ending men’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis.

Doomers are chortling with glee.

I am sickened..and mad...and would be consigned to ban camp if true feelings were related herein.

ETA: U Iowa athletics ‘...projects lost revenue of approximately $100 million and an overall deficit between $60-75 million this fiscal year.’

No one is “chortling with glee” about any of this. And it’s offensive to just generally suggest it. Colleges are in a dilemma because of the manner I which they have blithely financed themselves. The virus isn’t some fantasy.

[njbill]

Agree.

Colleges and college athletics are overdue for a reset, really long overdue. Back when I was college-age, middle-class families could afford to send multiple kids to college without incurring crushing debt.

When I walk around the campus of my alma mater, I see new buildings that must’ve been designed by Michelangelo. That is just one reason college costs have been out of control (really for decades) and have well-out paced increases in the cost of living.

In terms of sports, why do coaches (especially men’s football and basketball) deserve to be paid salaries of millions of dollars? Why do colleges need to build pleasure palaces for their athletes and, yes, this includes women’s lacrosse? Pro football teams only a few decades ago would have salivated over the facilities they are building today.

This is hyperbolic for effect, but give ‘em a patch of grass and send ‘em out to play.

Programs get added and cut with some regularity. Yes, more so in the Covid era. I certainly feel for those directly impacted. Much of this could be avoided if colleges would redistribute athletic budgets (use some of Nick Saban’s salary to fund non-revenue sports) and, heaven forbid, dip into endowments, if necessary.

[DMac]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt3GBlVjUd0
Blithely aptly describes it all. These institutions of higher learning are way out of control. Big glutenous money pits. College sports, fields, facilities? Nuts, absolutely nuts.

[8meterPA]

...bad news.

Nebraska is furloughing 51 staffers for four months...plus cutting salaries by 10%. They expect a $100 MILLION athletics deficit.

As important, if not more important, the estimated economic loss to the Lincoln community is projected at $300 MILLION.

A similar situation is developing in State College, PA; that city also expects an enormous economic fallout.

Folks, this is the direct result of fear mongering and is just the beginning.

Selfish individuals are far more concerned with their personal well-being than anything else and demand everyone be accountable for their (the selfish ones) health.

TL - couldn't agree with you more - this deserves 1000 likes.

[Cletus]

When the shut down began, I expressed my concern about what this would do to people's psyche if it goes on for too long, and I can tell you, it has affected mine.

How so? This is an interesting and cathartic topic apart from the main discussion. I know for myself, I feel the oppression of not being able to see other people's faces when out and about here in eastern Massachusetts. Very difficult to read expressions by just seeing another's eyes. The topic is highly combustible, but hearing about how it is affecting your psyche would be helpful I think.

[Cletus]

Agree.

Colleges and college athletics are overdue for a reset, really long overdue. Back when I was college-age, middle-class families could afford to send multiple kids to college without incurring crushing debt.

When I walk around the campus of my alma mater, I see new buildings that must’ve been designed by Michelangelo. That is just one reason college costs have been out of control (really for decades) and have well-out paced increases in the cost of living.

In terms of sports, why do coaches (especially men’s football and basketball) deserve to be paid salaries of millions of dollars? Why do colleges need to build pleasure palaces for their athletes and, yes, this includes women’s lacrosse? Pro football teams only a few decades ago would have salivated over the facilities they are building today.

This is hyperbolic for effect, but give ‘em a patch of grass and send ‘em out to play.

Programs get added and cut with some regularity. Yes, more so in the Covid era. I certainly feel for those directly impacted. Much of this could be avoided if colleges would redistribute athletic budgets (use some of Nick Saban’s salary to fund non-revenue sports) and, heaven forbid, dip into endowments, if necessary.

Well said, Jersey. Puts the spotlight on Greed--where it should be.

[DMac]

When the shut down began, I expressed my concern about what this would do to people's psyche if it goes on for too long, and I can tell you, it has affected mine.

How so? This is an interesting and cathartic topic apart from the main discussion. I know for myself, I feel the oppression of not being able to see other people's faces when out and about here in eastern Massachusetts. Very difficult to read expressions by just seeing another's eyes. The topic is highly combustible, but hearing about how it is affecting your psyche would be helpful I think.

Feel the same as you, Cletus, masks, no smiles, expressionless/worrisome eyes is all you see. Really don't want to go into a bar/restaurant and see the bar tender/waiter/waitress with a mask on, I want to see a friendly, smiling face. Usually go to a few baseball games a year (Mets farm team is in Cuse), good time, pretty good baseball. Not happenin',along with pretty much everything else (here in NY anyway). Everything is different when you go out and about these days, just not as light and fun as it was not all that long ago. Managed to get out with some friends last night, house party (driveway party, really...firepit and some beers) was a good time. No masks, a lot of laughing...we need more of that.

[Cletus]

When the shut down began, I expressed my concern about what this would do to people's psyche if it goes on for too long, and I can tell you, it has affected mine.

How so? This is an interesting and cathartic topic apart from the main discussion. I know for myself, I feel the oppression of not being able to see other people's faces when out and about here in eastern Massachusetts. Very difficult to read expressions by just seeing another's eyes. The topic is highly combustible, but hearing about how it is affecting your psyche would be helpful I think.

Feel the same as you, Cletus, masks, no smiles, expressionless/worrisome eyes is all you see. Really don't want to go into a bar/restaurant and see the bar tender/waiter/waitress with a mask on, I want to see a friendly, smiling face. Usually go to a few baseball games a year (Mets farm team is in Cuse), good time, pretty good baseball. Not happenin',along with pretty much everything else (here in NY anyway). Everything is different when you go out and about these days, just not as light and fun as it was not all that long ago. Managed to get out with some friends last night, house party (driveway party, really...firepit and some beers) was a good time. No masks, a lot of laughing...we need more of that.

Who would have thought that life could change so quickly. Seems like in the blink of an eye the whole world donned masks. Glad you could get out and enjoy friends with no masks. My 2nd oldest son found an Indian restaurant that admitted inside dining. That was a pleasure. I've since been again and will go next weekend with my cousin for her birthday. I hope things get back to normal soon, whatever that will look like after this is over. We sure missed out on a very interesting season of women's lacrosse in 2020. I'm sure the girls and their families are still dealing with the disappointment.

[8meterPA]

The good news is that the virus seems to be dying out at an accelerating pace - as virus's do. Hospitalizations down, mortality rate falling and symptoms are much more mild than the early months. For those who like pictures vs reading lengthy technical articles - here's a nice snapshot with some very important takeaway's which hopefully is a counter to those who fan the pandemic flames for some reason or another:

https://www.ftportfolios.com/Common/Con ... 9a68d12920

A few weeks ago I was leaning towards believing that we would lose the spring semester of in-person learning and sports as well. Now I'm close to 100% confident that we will be back in person in the spring and sports will be a go.

[livelovelax]

Common Man! It all depends upon who wins the Presidency. We all know it. If Biden wins, the virus will miraculously disappear. If Trump wins, he will be demonized for another four years like the previous four. This is why college football is being pushed into the spring. The left is hoping that the SEC, ACC and Big 12 fail. If they are able to run a season safely and the data suggests they can, the lefties will be freaking out. They need to prolong this as long as possible.

Someone wanted to tell a joke about Covid but it was said that the data suggests that 99.62% of us wouldn't get it. Straight from the CDC. Follow the data we were told. The average life expectancey of Americans is 78. The average death of Covid is……….anyone………..78.

These young student athletes need to play sports and get on with their lives. We are killing ourselves with the fear mongering and closing of this great country. God help us!

[njbill]

If Biden wins, the virus will miraculously disappear.

I sure hope you are right!

That way, no more young people will die, like the 41-year-old healthy Haddonfield woman who died last week of Covid.

[DMac]

nj, full disclaimer, I have no answers, only questions and what I say should be taken with a grain of salt. Do count me in on wanting to do the right thing though.
As much as we're all the same, aren't we all a little different too? ie, I get stung by a bee, jump around and maybe curse a little bit, but ultimately I'm fine. Next person gets stung by a bee and you better rush him/her to the hospital as there's a chance he/she could die from it (jftr, men make up 80% of deaths from bee stings...best to send your lady friend out to get the mail ). I eat a piece of shrimp and rave about how good it is, the next person eats a piece and you better have a Benadryl handy as the allergic reaction can be life threatening. I eat a PP&J sandwich and I'm fine while the next guy might drop dead from it. I get the flu, stumble around for a few days feeling miserable, but ultimately I'm fine. The next person catches the flu and can be dead some days/weeks later from it. On and on with examples like this.
What are the odds of this? QB and Captain of his HS football team, Captain of the hoops team too and leading scorer of the entire league (very sweet hoops player), Dean's list at RIT (an outstanding school) with an incredibly bright future. Strong healthy kid, dead a few years later at the age of 24 from a rare form of cancer (25 cases in medical history when he died from it). This happened to my brother, so do I live my life in fear of everything now...sun, food, cigars...etc? Do I change my life and live in fear of everything now?
This healthy 41 year old who died from carona, what else is/was going on with her? Should we all be so shocked and scared that we're afraid to go out and about and live our lives because of these kind of cases? Again, I have no answers, but I do struggle with shutting everything down and living in fear because some people are dying from this virus. I think the odds remain pretty slim of young healthy people dying from this, so again, what to do??

[seacoaster]

https://www.ajc.com/news/coronavirus-sc ... UIXIXOOAU/

This isn't politics. It is about the presence of a contagion, the transmission of which folds into and feeds on the ordinary habits of young people on campus.

[Cletus]

nj, full disclaimer, I have no answers, only questions and what I say should be taken with a grain of salt. Do count me in on wanting to do the right thing though.
As much as we're all the same, aren't we all a little different too? ie, I get stung by a bee, jump around and maybe curse a little bit, but ultimately I'm fine. Next person gets stung by a bee and you better rush him/her to the hospital as there's a chance he/she could die from it (jftr, men make up 80% of deaths from bee stings...best to send your lady friend out to get the mail ). I eat a piece of shrimp and rave about how good it is, the next person eats a piece and you better have a Benadryl handy as the allergic reaction can be life threatening. I eat a PP&J sandwich and I'm fine while the next guy might drop dead from it. I get the flu, stumble around for a few days feeling miserable, but ultimately I'm fine. The next person catches the flu and can be dead some days/weeks later from it. On and on with examples like this.
What are the odds of this? QB and Captain of his HS football team, Captain of the hoops team too and leading scorer of the entire league (very sweet hoops player), Dean's list at RIT (an outstanding school) with an incredibly bright future. Strong healthy kid, dead a few years later at the age of 24 from a rare form of cancer (25 cases in medical history when he died from it). This happened to my brother, so do I live my life in fear of everything now...sun, food, cigars...etc? Do I change my life and live in fear of everything now?
This healthy 41 year old who died from carona, what else is/was going on with her? Should we all be so shocked and scared that we're afraid to go out and about and live our lives because of these kind of cases? Again, I have no answers, but I do struggle with shutting everything down and living in fear because some people are dying from this virus. I think the odds remain pretty slim of young healthy people dying from this, so again, what to do??

Very reasonable opinions, D. Can’t say I disagree with anything you wrote.

[njbill]

DMac, I think we discussed some of these issues before in the posts that are now lost.

None of the conditions you mention is contagious. If I watch a football game with you at your house for three hours, I’m not going to catch an allergy to peanut butter or shellfish or bee stings from you. I’m not going to get cancer from you. Or you from me. But either of us could well get the virus if the other has it.

In terms of consequences of getting the disease, we simply still don’t know all that much at this point. Why did this 41 year old woman die (I mentioned here because she lives two towns over from where lll and I live) when some people in their 90s survive? Why do some have severe (or worse) experiences while others never have any symptoms? The scientists think they may be beginning to find some answers, but there is nothing definitive yet.

There was an article in yesterday’s Inquirer about reported instances of damage to the heart, kidneys, and lungs. And about cases of heart attacks and strokes. Yes, some of these at present seem to be relatively rare, but the pervasiveness of other long-term consequences is simply not yet known. E.g., heart, lung, and kidney damage. The scary part is that you or I or anyone else simply doesn’t know if we’ll be stricken by any of the more severe effects.

https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronav ... 00821.html

Some people say they are willing to run the risk of having a serious reaction. That would be OK if the disease weren’t as contagious as it is. If you live on a desert island and can’t infect anyone, fine. But if you live in a town or a city or if you come in contact with people in your daily life, you don’t have the right to willy nilly infect everyone you come in contact with. Just because you have only mild symptoms or are asymptomatic doesn’t mean someone you infect won't have a bad experience.

Therein lies the problem with widespread reopenings. The combination of the contagiousness and the potential serious effects of the disease strongly counsels that we err on the side of caution. Everyone wants things reopened yesterday. The quickest way to do that is to try to beat back the disease using the recommended measures. If we don’t, we won’t get back to life as we knew if for a lot longer.

I hear you about not living in fear. I agree. But on the other hand, let’s not act as though nothing is going on (I know you aren’t advocating that).

Let’s continue to take reasonable precautions. Our country has not done well at all compared to other countries, especially advanced countries. Why is that? I think it is because too many people are unwilling to do the basics of physical distancing (my psychologist daughter has counseled me not to say social distancing), hand hygiene, minimizing of crowds, etc. Now we see knuckleheaded college kids ignoring the rules. Their “right to party” indeed.

Yes, the evidence seems to be pretty strong that young people do much better with the disease than old farts. But they spread it just as easily. So the young bucks can (and no doubt will) spread the virus to college workers and professors and among the communities where their schools are situated if they continue to act obliviously.

I have frankly given up hope that the people in this country will follow the rules. At least too many of them won’t. So we will have regular flare-ups here and there. Hopefully manageable, but that remains to be seen. Many are OK with that. I’m not. You’ve probably seen the recent poll where a majority of Republicans are OK with the number of deaths. Disgusting.

So I have shifted from complaining about lack compliance (it’s become tilting at windmills) to complaining about the bitching and moaning, especially from people who don’t think we need to follow the rules. As I have said, this thing will largely be over in a year or a year and a half. Nobody likes it. Everybody is suffering to some extent. But the complaining does no good. Have some patience. Suck it up in the meantime. (Comments not directed to you personally, DMac. I know you are one of the good guys. You, too, Cletus.)

[livelovelax]

Dmac,

Right on Sir! That was as sane a post as I have read about this issue and full of common logic. Nothing can be disputed. Our nation is divided over this and it is political driven with hypocrisy. Again, no one wants anyone to die from this or any of the hundreds of things that provide us risk. But, we don't shut down, especially when so much has been learned and the data now shows who the vulnerable are. Let's protect and provide for them and shut them down.
Not our whole society.

Lastly, I heard another crazy story from a friend whose family member died from falling off of a ladder. Cause of death……..Covid! The family is livid. How many others of the 176,000 are listed like this? Plenty and it's sickening. That is the third one that I now know of. The other two were a car crash and stage 4 cancer. Both listed as covid on the death certificates. Maybe we should investigate and have congressional hearings over this? Never happen.

[Cletus]

(Comments not directed to you personally, DMac. I know you are one of the good guys. You, too, Cletus.)

Great post, Bill. We have some real writers on these boards. And thanks. High praise coming from you.

[Downhill Dodger]

This is the reality of the situation. If the entire year is wiped out, college sports as we currently know it will be fundamentally changed and many sports wiped out

https://247sports.com/college/illinois/ ... 150641604/

[Dr. Tact]

https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/college/w ... r-covid-19

[Cletus]

Occasionally I wonder where Title IX comes into the prospect of colleges and universities losing their sports programs. Obviously there are sports that women don’t play that men do. Due to Title IX, (and thank goodness for Title IX) colleges are not free to cut all the women’s programs and leave men’s basketball and football, for example. So that provokes a question to consider: which sports on the women’s side would survive the cuts and which ones wouldn’t? Seems that women’s collegiate softball is pretty popular. Can we conclude that they would be one of the last sports on the women’s side to be cut? And where does our beloved women’s lacrosse stand in the pecking order?