[OutsiderFan]

The issues around football are not so much about playing the game per se (although that obviously presents risk), but just the congregate nature of football.  In most states, gatherings of 100+ people are not safe.  

I suppose you could conceivably make concerted efforts to stagger when guys can and can't be in locker rooms and workout facilities, and can do some coaching sessions on Zoom or Skype or Google or what have you. College football wouldn't have the traditional whole team runs out of tunnel at same time thing going on. It would be more like the pre-game practices, where various position groups come out separately. 

IOW, there are ways to create distancing measures that if followed, might actually allow football to be operated. But the measures needed to reduce risk enough to materially reduce virus spread among team, would be substantial. One positive thing I see is that having paid attention to all the various NPIs available, and how the virus seems to spread, it doesn't take the CDC issuing guidelines to figure out what steps should be taken.

We know there are some basics:

- Masks to reduce virus particles in air and initial load
- Minimize number of bodies that spend time together
- Limit indoor time with others
- Distance between bodies
- Clean surfaces and hands

All these can be adopted into various protocols by anyone, including football teams. If they are too onerous or costly to implement, then I get calling things off, but it would be nice to see someone try to see what they can do to pull it off. The fact so many of the G5 conferences are throwing the towel in on any Fall sports is telling.  The cost/benefit for playing sports just isn't there for them, so why take the risk? Will be interesting to see what the P5 concludes, because the expense level to implement the adequate protocols seems fixed, no matter the level of sport. P5 schools could invest resources in effort to play and generate revenue to help defray costs, then not be able to play. Then they'd be in even worse shape. Tough choices for sure.

[OutsiderFan]

The issues around football are not so much about playing the game per se (although that obviously presents risk), but just the congregate nature of football.  In most states, gatherings of 100+ people are not safe.  

I suppose you could conceivably make concerted efforts to stagger when guys can and can't be in locker rooms and workout facilities, and can do some coaching sessions on Zoom or Skype or Google or what have you. College football wouldn't have the traditional whole team runs out of tunnel at same time thing going on. It would be more like the pre-game practices, where various position groups come out separately. 

IOW, there are ways to create distancing measures that if followed, might actually allow football to be operated. But the measures needed to reduce risk enough to materially reduce virus spread among team, would be substantial. One positive thing I see is that having paid attention to all the various NPIs available, and how the virus seems to spread, it doesn't take the CDC issuing guidelines to figure out what steps should be taken.

We know there are some basics:

- Masks to reduce virus particles in air and initial load
- Minimize number of bodies that spend time together
- Limit indoor time with others
- Distance between bodies
- Clean surfaces and hands

All these can be adopted into various protocols by anyone, including football teams. If they are too onerous or costly to implement, then I get calling things off, but it would be nice to see someone try to see what they can do to pull it off. The fact so many of the G5 conferences are throwing the towel in on any Fall sports is telling.  The cost/benefit for playing sports just isn't there for them, so why take the risk? Will be interesting to see what the P5 concludes, because the expense level to implement the adequate protocols seems fixed, no matter the level of sport. P5 schools could invest resources in effort to play and generate revenue to help defray costs, then not be able to play. Then they'd be in even worse shape. Tough choices for sure.