Long, not joking post alert from Lil Bona X/BonaCommenter!!!
I just thought of one idea in the wake of the TBT/MLS is Back. I'll spit ball this at you guys. Let's assume conditions in this dystopia remain rough through January and online classes/hybrid models remain in effect through the spring semester. What if each conference did a bubble in February/March?
As an A10 example:
- Two seven-team divisions
- Have the tournament with best infrastructure to safely house teams and located in an area that also has lowest infection rate at the time
- Same testing/social distancing protocols you see for TBT, MLS and NBA
- 15 days in "bubble," will allow players to keep up with online classes
- 12 days of games, each team plays 6 division opponents (Bonnies get to play Fordham all 6 times)
- Top 4 in each division make the "A10 Tournament," three days for quarters/semis/final, just like in the before times
- all 32 conference champions then enter a second bubble for a single-elimination "NCAA Tournament"
- sorry, no at-larges, we're already playing with fire (good luck getting P5 to agree to this), maybe some conferences don't play and at-larges can fill the void?
I know it is overly simplified and this doesn't account for all the lost training, players living off-campus and how readily available testing is by then. I have to wonder if it's morally right for any sports leagues to be hoarding all the testing needed to safely run a bubble when people are waiting at least a week for results. I'm a prime example of that. I've had a dry cough (no other symptoms) since around last Tuesday. I got tested at CVS (shoved that sucker up my nose, Pissah! Aloha!). Quest Diagnostics are in charge of that test and they're saying 7-9 days. What's the fucking point when you're supposed to be quarantined for 14 days if you have it? Now imagine if I weren't in my 20s and if I had more serious pre-existing conditions beyond only chronic sinus infections in the fall.
I'm getting off track, but it's worth thinking of whether it's ethical to be using thousands of tests every day on athletes when our testing is an unmitigated disaster. TBT's player pool is microscopic when compared to all the tests needed in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, WNBA, NWSL, USL and NASCAR.
Ultimately, we should not play any college sports if we are not in an extremely safe place as a country (safer than allowing pro sports). I love the Bonnies just as much as you all and I would hate to possibly see the junior year of Osun/Lofton/Welch not happen (no guarantee they come back for a 5th year if given extra eligibility). However, I'm not going to advocate for college athletes to risk death or long-term/permanent health risks to play for free in any kind of normal looking schedule. Cattaraugus County is dodging most of the bullets, but how do you expect our guys to safely play at Davidson, where cases are skyrocketing in the south? How can we welcome teams from some of the largest cities in the world like NYC, Philly or Dayton if cases spike again there?
I just think that, as much as I shit on TBT,
their bubble model clearly worked. Even on a larger scale, MLS is doing relatively well. Two teams did have to withdraw due to outbreaks of like 8+ within their own teams, but I think only a couple other players outside of those two teams tested positive. I think we'll also see more success out of the NBA/NHL bubbles than if the NFL doesn't do a single-city bubble or whatever the fuck MLB is doing. This is just my idea of doing something in 2021 if our country continues being absolutely stupid for most of what's left of 2020.
By the way, everyone, PSAC canceled sports today through December 31st, so that effectively ends any hope of Gannonfest 2020.