2020 Atlantic 10 Tournament (March 11-15, Brooklyn, NY)

Unpopular opinion: I've started to come around on the idea of having events with no spectators. I don't agree with canceling the events all together but having limited spectators might be the prudent thing to do. I really think the NCAA should consider it for the big dance. Do I trust the NCAA to make a decision that would result in them losing $$$? Absolutely not.

It sure seems like the NBA is going to announce today/tomorrow they will be limiting spectators and possibly more drastic measures. The NCAA should follow suit on the spectators part. Announce it now and people that had made plans to travel to host sites can still cancel their arrangements. Wait until Tuesday/Wednesday when local governments might force the NCAA's hands it will be a big mess. You already have the Governor's of two host states (Ohio & Washington) trying to limit the size of any gathering.

If they go to no spectators, we have one year of a really strange tournament, but you potentially slow the spread of a disease. On the other hand you have spectators you potentially contribute to a spike in the outbreak rate that could be catastrophic. Experts in this type of thing have to weigh in on the chances that having spectators would lead to a spike, but all the experts I have found seem to lean towards no spectators without coming out and saying it.

I know it is an unpopular opinion but take two big steps back from your personal interests and desires, look at the bigger picture and it sure seems like having on goofy year of a tournament with no spectators is a lot better than trying to go on as normal and contributing to a epidemic.
 
Unpopular opinion: I've started to come around on the idea of having events with no spectators. I don't agree with canceling the events all together but having limited spectators might be the prudent thing to do. I really think the NCAA should consider it for the big dance. Do I trust the NCAA to make a decision that would result in them losing $$$? Absolutely not.

It sure seems like the NBA is going to announce today/tomorrow they will be limiting spectators and possibly more drastic measures. The NCAA should follow suit on the spectators part. Announce it now and people that had made plans to travel to host sites can still cancel their arrangements. Wait until Tuesday/Wednesday when local governments might force the NCAA's hands it will be a big mess. You already have the Governor's of two host states (Ohio & Washington) trying to limit the size of any gathering.

If they go to no spectators, we have one year of a really strange tournament, but you potentially slow the spread of a disease. On the other hand you have spectators you potentially contribute to a spike in the outbreak rate that could be catastrophic. Experts in this type of thing have to weigh in on the chances that having spectators would lead to a spike, but all the experts I have found seem to lean towards no spectators without coming out and saying it.

I know it is an unpopular opinion but take two big steps back from your personal interests and desires, look at the bigger picture and it sure seems like having on goofy year of a tournament with no spectators is a lot better than trying to go on as normal and contributing to a epidemic.
The more I have thought about it, the more I agree. I dont like what the Ivy did but Harvard closed their campus and it was probably too difficult to move the tournament. I have to think they could have moved it to Yale, or the Palestra and played in front of just media and administration members.

The NCAA has a tough decision on their hands but there is precedent around the world for this. If Euro soccer leagues are playing with no spectators, the NCAAT can too. Is there anything more crazy than a European soccer league?
 
I don't know, and if time proves me wrong I'll eat crow, but a headline today, "Chilling Milestone Reached" because we hit 1000 COVID cases in the USA. I don't want to belittle those 1000, but that's 0.0003% of the population. You can understand how intelligent people, or even dummies like myself, might wonder if the sky is really falling. Considering this thing hit the USA over 2 weeks ago, the next month should tell us if this is a major pandemic or is going to fizzle out, right? If it spreads as easily as they fear (whoever "they" is), then we should have many more x that # of cases at month's end.

Of course, if the NCAAT is played in empty arenas, and other sporting events follow suit or cancel, we won't know the answer to the major question - was spread prevented because of these measures, or was it not going to actually spread too badly to begin with? Unless everyone at Harvard is staying home with weeks supplies of necessities, shutting down the campus was a dumb move. If those students are treating it as time off and are out socializing, bar hopping, etc. (what do you think SBU students would be doing?) then you may as well be going to classes.

It's a tough decision, there's probably no right or wrong, but watch the slippery slope. We're already becoming an over-coddled nanny-state.
 
The evidence seems pretty clear that spread will happen regardless, and there’s way more undocumented cases floating around than documented ones. We're all probably going to catch this thing one day. The message from leading doctors and health organizations is not that we are trying to stop the spread, it's that we’re trying to stagger it. If we stagger it, and slow it down, then health care systems can better deal with it.

That all makes sense. Doctors and health institutions have been saying that for weeks now. The problem is, almost no one was reporting that until recently. Outside of a very, very small collection of truly unbiased news sources, uninterested in clicks and views, most media outlets were treating it as a boogeyman that must be stopped from entering the US. It's only within the last week that the above has shifted into the view of the mainstream.

It boils down to an age old sociopolitical question of, what measures do we take on the whole to protect the interests of a few? I don’t really know the correct answer, nor am I interested in debating what it is. There’s a reason you leave that shit to the people in charge. The NCAA Is in a catch 22. They lose a ton of money if they empty arenas, but fuck if I know how much money they’ll be sued for if an outbreak is traced back to one of the tournament events.
 
While I will be HIGHLY disappointed if the A10 follows suit and plays in an empty Barclays (they obviously would not pull that ivy league bullshit), I would somewhat understand.

My corporation made a decision last week not to send a handful of us to a conference in New Orleans last weekend. It came out last night that someone at the conference had the disease. Had those employees actually attended, they'd probably be in quarantine right now. No fucking joke.

That said, I will be attending all the events and boozing it up hard this weekend no matter what.
 
I don't know, and if time proves me wrong I'll eat crow, but a headline today, "Chilling Milestone Reached" because we hit 1000 COVID cases in the USA. I don't want to belittle those 1000, but that's 0.0003% of the population. You can understand how intelligent people, or even dummies like myself, might wonder if the sky is really falling. Considering this thing hit the USA over 2 weeks ago, the next month should tell us if this is a major pandemic or is going to fizzle out, right? If it spreads as easily as they fear (whoever "they" is), then we should have many more x that # of cases at month's end.

Of course, if the NCAAT is played in empty arenas, and other sporting events follow suit or cancel, we won't know the answer to the major question - was spread prevented because of these measures, or was it not going to actually spread too badly to begin with? Unless everyone at Harvard is staying home with weeks supplies of necessities, shutting down the campus was a dumb move. If those students are treating it as time off and are out socializing, bar hopping, etc. (what do you think SBU students would be doing?) then you may as well be going to classes.

It's a tough decision, there's probably no right or wrong, but watch the slippery slope. We're already becoming an over-coddled nanny-state.
Isn’t it supposed to fizzle out anyway once cold and flu season is over in spring? Either way, where we are at right now is if your are below the age of about 65 and relatively healthy, this thing ain’t gonna really hurt you. If they need to play in empty arenas so be it, but I’m not in favor of that at all.
 
I don't know, and if time proves me wrong I'll eat crow, but a headline today, "Chilling Milestone Reached" because we hit 1000 COVID cases in the USA. I don't want to belittle those 1000, but that's 0.0003% of the population. You can understand how intelligent people, or even dummies like myself, might wonder if the sky is really falling. Considering this thing hit the USA over 2 weeks ago, the next month should tell us if this is a major pandemic or is going to fizzle out, right? If it spreads as easily as they fear (whoever "they" is), then we should have many more x that # of cases at month's end.

Of course, if the NCAAT is played in empty arenas, and other sporting events follow suit or cancel, we won't know the answer to the major question - was spread prevented because of these measures, or was it not going to actually spread too badly to begin with? Unless everyone at Harvard is staying home with weeks supplies of necessities, shutting down the campus was a dumb move. If those students are treating it as time off and are out socializing, bar hopping, etc. (what do you think SBU students would be doing?) then you may as well be going to classes.

It's a tough decision, there's probably no right or wrong, but watch the slippery slope. We're already becoming an over-coddled nanny-state.

#1 - It's not an interest of the few - it's literally 12% of the population that is at serious risk right now. For those of us that have loved ones over 70 it's fucking scary. There's no cure for this shit, and if you have a compromised immune system you're in some serious danger.

#2 - We've tested less than 50,000 people in the country, so of course the numbers are low right now. Once testing is more widespread the numbers will go up.

#3 - Spread too badly to being with? Have you looked at the other models in countries that have the virus right now (and have tested more extensively)?

Experts are stating that this is a serious issue. We're not becoming an over-coddled nanny-state - the dumb response from so many is the result of a serious decline in the publics trust in experts. Everyone thinks they can just watch a youtube video now and suddenly they have a PHD in epidemiology.

Right now I just don't want the A10 tourney to get cancelled. Unfortunately this is a fluid situation and I could see NYC in particular take drastic measures to try to prevent the spread.
 
Isn’t it supposed to fizzle out anyway once cold and flu season is over in spring? Either way, where we are at right now is if your are below the age of about 65 and relatively healthy, this thing ain’t gonna really hurt you. If they need to play in empty arenas so be it, but I’m not in favor of that at all.

My last comment on this fucking rona debacle.

It's not about the severity of symptoms for young people. It's about not becoming a carrier and transmitting it to an at-risk person. As a healthy 20-something, I'm not worried about getting sick, but I will be doing small, but extra things to make sure I don't become a carrier. Basically, don't be a dick, wash your hands and don't shake/fist bump/forearm pound/whatever.

Ok, the ESPN+ broadcast has started and I'm 90% sure they're letting fans in, can't be too sure since it's a pillow fight (THIS IS SARCASTIC).
 
It's not about the severity of symptoms for young people. It's about not becoming a carrier and transmitting it to an at-risk person.

Based on the fellow‘s username, I’m guessing this type of thought registers very rarely.

MY guns.

MY taxes.

MY employer-provided healthcare.

MY right to fly the Dixie flag.

MY right to drive a 10 mpg Hummer.

MY desire for cheaper, cruelly produced farm goods.

MY life being affected by precautionary measures.
 
Based on the fellow‘s username, I’m guessing this type of thought registers very rarely.

MY guns.

MY taxes.

MY employer-provided healthcare.

MY right to fly the Dixie flag.

MY right to drive a 10 mpg Hummer.

MY desire for cheaper, cruelly produced farm goods.

MY life being affected by precautionary measures.

Yeah, but at this point, I just want to watch some damn basketball.

George Mason has got a thin bench. Jamal Hartwell is out and it sounds like the GooMoos are only going 8 deep. Can't say either team has stood out about 7 minutes in...
 
Yeah, but at this point, I just want to watch some damn basketball.

George Mason has got a thin bench. Jamal Hartwell is out and it sounds like the GooMoos are only going 8 deep. Can't say either team has stood out about 7 minutes in...

The identity of the opponent is not a concern. Bring them to me! DESTROY.
 
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Based on the fellow‘s username, I’m guessing this type of thought registers very rarely.

MY guns.

MY taxes.

MY employer-provided healthcare.

MY right to fly the Dixie flag.

MY right to drive a 10 mpg Hummer.

MY desire for cheaper, cruelly produced farm goods.

MY life being affected by precautionary measures.

Some interesting assumptions there
 
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With the NBA suspending the season, I'd be stunned if any A10 games happen tomorrow...
 
This honestly feels like a prolonged version of when Kobe died. Yes, this is way worse, but I'm talking through the lens of a basketball fan. Immediately after the news of Kobe's death, I was numb for a few days and couldn't even really watch basketball and enjoy it. This feels the same way right now. How the hell am I supposed to be fired up about talking shit about Mason when people are getting sick left and right?

Best case scenario for me is if they do play today, we beat George Mason, get the guys to 20 wins, let Amadi end his career on a positive note and the NCAA shuts everything down once and for all tonight. Athletes should not be playing for free and risking illness when the pros aren't playing. That's absolute horseshit.
 
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