We are at the 7-day mark where the NCAA requires 7 days of negative covid tests before going to Indy for March Madness. I had mentioned before that some teams were worried about conference tournaments risking their NCAA hopes and looks like that is happening. I think UVA is right on the edge and could still have enough players test for 7-days to be okay but they are not going to Indy as early as they planned. Duke example is maybe more complex, they were not likely going to Indy. The Big10 looks like the smart ones - moving their conf tournament right to Indianapolis so their 8 or 9 NCAA teams are already in the "bubble". So, at least ANOTHER straight week of hotel rooms for these "student" athletes. Will be so many covid stories from these kids when this is all over. I'm sure some will frame it as they "saved the NCAA" with the cbs money by living in hotels and eating carry out food for literally weeks and weeks on the road. ps - I always think it's interesting in the reporting of these covid pauses, when some concern for the health of the athlete or coach comes up. Sometimes it just doesn't come up. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-b...valiers-acc-tournament-positive-covid-19-test
Washington State obviously having an outbreak. Games cancelled again this weekend. Anyone know the rules on makeup games? This will be four missed.
Staying in a hotel on the road for an extra week has little to no affect on being a 'student' athlete. Most, if not all, of their classes are online anyway. It doesn't matter what state they are in.
Schools will do anything to save a season. Mine was moved to a hotel last July. Been there with most dorm athletes, except football, in single rooms ever since. Will be required to stay until they finish the season. I have very mixed emotions on it, but it seems everyone is just happy to be playing in the end.
Thank you for sharing that @Tigmon there are student-athletes that haven’t lived in the housing they expected to for months. Not just a weekend here and there. Some in these tournament locations are being told not to get close to even their families. Duke having bigger problems than initially thought. https://www.wsbtv.com/news/trending...ne-undergraduates/L2O4G5KM3VHMFNIJRANIT66E3E/
We have all had to make sacrifices in our lives due to covid. These student-athletes are hardly any more disadvantaged than the rest of us.
you’re right! This Covid year has just been no big deal. Especially for these spoiled basketball players. I mean hugging your parents, having your parents just attend your games, having a personal relationship with another human, sleeping in your own bed, even doing laundry- all that stuff is so overrated. I mean Marriott and Hilton need the business right? These kids have access to the “world-class faculty” like they were promised, it’s just through a 14 inch laptop screen with crappy hotel Wi-Fi. what are they complaining about? You get a Subway sub every day with whatever you want on it! Just sometimes we have to eat outside on the curb. As long as we get a couple weekends of basketball on CBS. I mean what is college sports all about anyway??
From the article, the issue seems to be traced to "recruitment parties" for selective living arrangements. Fancy name for fraternity rush?
Finally got some info about the protocol for positive tests at the program I am near, and apparently since last July, roughly 1/3 of the team has tested positive at some point, and they are not being retested for 150 days. So I was way off on my previous number, apologies for that.
COVID has been a "big deal," but actually ask players who are competing in sports this year. I'm willing to bet most of them are glad they have sports, despite the "sacrifices" versus the same "virtual" life with no sports. MBB/WBB are a little different than WoSo because the bulk of the athletes are on full scholarship, but let's not act like these student athletes had no choice in this. They could (and many have) opt(ed) out at any time and retain their scholarship.
They are very fortunate, free travel, free hotels, game competition. Many others are stuck in their homes for months with little outside stimulation. So many youth sports in some states have been restricted. No games allowed. Their mental health has been strained. Employees stuck at their home computers, not able to go into a working environment. So yeah, the college athletes have it good, even during Covid. And, if they don't want to do it they do not have to. It is voluntary. But being forced to stay home due to quarantine or not allowed to do contact youth sports ... not so much.
I know there are many people that want everything to be closed but I for one appreciate things happening as long as it’s done so safely as data shows it can be done. Extreme approach will have its consequences one way or another. Schools in my county have been closed for over a year now. Amount of kids that have taken their own lives in my kids’ school in this past year is sickening. I don’t blame people for not wanting go out or do things as it’s their own liberty, but can’t understand how people don’t understand the importance of having life for these kids knowing these awful things happening to them.
I like to play 'devils advocate' and use sarcasm sometimes here to get a reaction from folks. It's easy frankly. But real question for you @LeftyMac Where in the world are you hearing "many people want everything to be closed" Is that the propaganda from Tucker on Fox or Newsmax complaining about everything and trying to paint everyone who wants to not get sick as the bad guy? Really, where do you get that idea? Are you locked in on the Duke or Naval Academy campus right now? Maybe last April when covid was on fire in nursing homes, then maybe there were lots of folks staying home very purposefully and advocating for limitations on indoor activity because we didn't know very much about this, but that was a full year ago. Kids around me are playing soccer, going to school in person every other day, and almost all business restrictions are lifted - in a very "liberal" State. The point of my post was that there are student-athlete experiences out there that are pretty stunning and I think the stories from many of them will speak for themselves - when they are done "volunteering" for service to their athletic departments. I could share plenty of my own anecdotes but I can assure you the level of risk we are exposing these students to is very high. Mainly because of non-existent or inconsistent contact tracing. We went from shutting sports down over a few NBA cases to now saying all you need is 5 healthy college players to get on CBS and help us make the money. For those advocating out there that student-athletes deserve a bigger share of the revenue - either through scholarships, larger stipends, or the upcoming name/image rules, this year is going to help you make an argument. The NCAA still officially mandates sickle-cell trait tests more than covid testing or vaccination.
You like to use sarcasm to get a reaction from people. That’s nice. Extremes from both sides acting this way, no wonder we are in a giant mess that we are in.
They are volunteering to do this. There are so many people who would love to be in their shoes. I don't know why you feel compelled to make that word in quotes. It is a privilege to be a college athlete. And, no one is forcing them to play a sport. The risk of effects from Covid for these college athletes is very low. And, they are more at risk hanging out socially, so these college sports environments are more of a protective bubble for them.
If anyone thought my post #483 was not complete sarcasm, I apologize for attempting to make light of a serious situation while picking on @ytrs comments. @LeftyMac decided to have a go at me rather than explain the extreme hyperbole "I know there are many people that want everything to be closed" I get it, folks are tired of this. And it's just easy to believe everything you read or that you hear from a whiny person on Foxnews. But I would caution anyone using an anonymous forum about college women's soccer as a reliable source. and I'm a regular poster! (I do try to provide references when I'm sharing things when I can) Now - this is for another thread perhaps but I'm not sure why @ytrs is so interested in downplaying the crap experience of some of these athletes this year. Do you know one? Have you asked them how their experience is now so different? They like it? You realize around half the college soccer players in the country still didn't have a competitive season (almost all of D3 and much of D2). Of course, we are all saying 'be grateful and thankful for the opportunity" but its not at all what they signed up for. And NO, they are not "volunteering". they have willingly entered into a binding contract that they (and you the parent may) have signed. It includes a very explicit exchange of services. The NLI has legal provisions, the scholarship agreement, the NCAA, Conference and school athletic departments all have tons of rules, most are legally binding. THEN the team rules come across the desk (or screen). You act like a kid can just raise their hand and say "coach, that rule #17 about accessing our social media accounts? Yea, I'd like to opt out on that one. and the 7am covid testing? I really prefer 9:00." We are going to hear lots of stories about kids who "opted out" and then wonder why some transfer is now wearing their jersey? Keeping your eligibility is not the same as keeping your place on the team or the same money. Scholarship deals will be changing but if you think there's just a line out the door of comparable quality players who wanted to "volunteer" to play this year, I think you are wrong. Now, Next Year, when we are past this, there will be a backlog of players at lots of schools and there will be plenty of roster bloat and less money to go around and complaints about travel rosters and playing time and it's going to be a different problem. But what many of these kids are experiencing right now....memorable perhaps, but not for the right reasons. Looks like the defending champs at UVA are having lots of fun! They will be the very last team to arrive at Indy now and I really hope the "undisclosed player" is not sick. And they do get the chance to play they've paid such a price for....even after a week of quarantine and one practice! https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nc...its-for-ncaa-tournament-clearance/ar-BB1eGgF5
Nothing good ever comes from comparing grief. This has been hard for all of us in different ways. Telling one group it hasn’t been that bad for them vs another group is pointless. It’s been hard on everyone. Losing your job or business due to shutdowns doesn’t seem to compare to a college athlete being limited in social life and class online and limited games but it’s hard for each person. I think compassion and empathy is more effective than comparing just who had it worse.
One more thought for consideration: As tragic for many and difficult for most as this has been, it has been a tremendous opportunity for learning. I truly hope we all learn as much as we can from it.
NCAA stated, link here, they would pick the PreDetermined sites for the preliminary rounds by March 8th. Does anyone know where those sites are? I cannot find them.
they are looking at moving the entirety of the men’s and women’s tournaments to North Carolina. No final decision yet, or sites.
Yes Eddie K, I know a lot of players playing and they are enjoying it. It is voluntary. You can opt out. Your experience is not everyone else's. None of us signed up for this past year. But, we make due with the circumstances.
@ytrs these are not volunteers. As I explained earlier, they have entered into a contract for services that compels them to follow rules. Lots of them. I thought I’d share the dictionary definition just in case you don’t understand the word: “one who renders a service or takes part in a transaction while having no legal concern or interest” this does not define what student-athletes do that are on scholarship or even just get priority admission in d3. This article below showed in my paper. Sounds like soccer may do something very similar. So will all the Spring sports as well? Not sure about that. It is funny how every team is treated about the same in Indy. btw- I love the tournament and I know these kids are not being tortured. I’m not making any argument others haven’t had it much worse. But the NCAA is in survival mode and riding the backs of these kids for the money. That’s just as obvious as it has ever been. NCAA tournament trip leads to life on lockdown By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer INDIANAPOLIS — At Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis on Wednesday, a couple of coaches running laps around the warning track passed different diversions scattered across the minor league ballpark. In one section, a badminton net. In others, a soccer ball and a football. No sign of a basketball. When the 1,500 or so players, coaches and staff members in town for the NCAA tournament want to get a breath of fresh air and a glimpse of some green grass, this is their option. Their only option. This is life at a basketball tournament being played in a pandemic. The unspoken message: If they came to Indianapolis hoping for fun and games, they are not in the right place — at least not until tip-off. “I’m in a bed for, like, 15 hours a day,” Iowa swingman Connor Mc-Caffery said in describing his new, austere routine in Indy. It is, quite simply, how things have to be over the next three weeks. Starting Thursday, in an attempt to get through 67 games uninterrupted, the NCAA has placed players, coaches and staff under a virtual lock and key. They don’t like calling it a bubble, but semantics aside, there is no straying between the team hotels, the adjacent convention center for practice, meetings and 30-minute windows in the weight room, and Victory Field, home of the Triple A Indianapolis Indians. “We’ve been playing a lot of Spades,” Alabama forward Herb Jones said. The Tar Heels might consider themselves lucky. They’re among the few teams not playing their first games in Indianapolis. Instead, North Carolina will face Wisconsin at Purdue’s home court, 70 miles away. It means the Heels get to practice there, too. “Today, the monotony is really going to be broken up,” coach Roy Williams said. “We’re going to have two and a half hours in the bus. ... It hasn’t exactly been Maui.” Or Spokane. Or Omaha. Or Raleigh. Normally, on the Wednesday before the start of the tournament, parking lots at arenas in cities such as those would be open, with music playing, hot dog vendors working and fans in face paint streaming in to take advantage of free admission to team shootarounds. Certainly not much to see there in the way of real basketball, but the band plays, the cheerleaders cheer and everyone gets pumped for the next day’s action. This year, bands, mascots and cheerleaders are staying at home (at least through the Elite 8), because teams are restricted to 34 members for their travel squads. On Wednesday, the four arenas in Indianapolis (and the ones in West Lafayette and Bloomington) were mainly empty, save for the occasional delivery truck or work crew heading in through a service entrance. Illinois Street, which cuts through the heart of downtown in front of the convention center, was a veritable speedway, with nothing more than typical lunchtime traffic passing the NCAA-sanctioned hotels. “We have no reservations at all about the plan here to give the student-athletes the opportunity to play the games successfully,” NCAA vice president Dan Gavitt said. “We’re very confident the student-athletes, coaches and teams want that environment to have the best chance to play these games.” None of the 68 teams notified the NCAA they would have to withdraw by Tuesday night’s deadline. Gavitt said it also was encouraging that, of the 6,900 coronavirus tests analyzed so far, only seven have come back with positive results. He said players from Virginia, the only team of the 68 not yet in Indianapolis because of a COVID-19 outbreak last week, would need to clear three tests after arriving in Indy on Friday afternoon to be approved to play Ohio on Saturday night. Gavitt also clarified circumstances surrounding the six referees who were sent home this week — one who tested positive and five who were out with him to dinner. It’s true, Gavitt said, that they had not checked into their hotel when they went out and, so, were not officially in the NCAA protocol. “But it was not NCAA staff that encouraged meals to be had in restaurants,” he said. “At no time was there direction to go have a meal at a restaurant outside the controlled environment.” In addressing a smattering of complaints from holed-up players, Gavitt also said there was no specific instruction that players could only be in their rooms while at the hotel. He said moving around the “controlled environment” inside the hotels and at the conventioncenter was fine. “There may be teams that are being more restrictive,” he said. “But as long as teams are staying in the controlled environment, we’re providing as much flexibility as possible.” Gavitt said takeaway containers are piling up in hallways as the players order out, then have the food delivered to their rooms by staff who have been cleared to move around the hotel. Food isn’t all that’s being delivered. One team ordered whiffle ball bats. Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said a pingpong table appeared in the Badgers’ team room Tuesday. And the newest craze for the Badgers: spikeball. “I didn’t realize some of our players were so good at it,” Gard said. It could be a long three weeks, though the NCAA expects conditions to improve when 52 of these teams head home following their losses over the first two rounds. If a “trip” to the Sweet 16 isn’t motivation enough, Gavitt dangled this little carrot: “We’re going to take some teams to Top Golf, where we’ll have the whole facility to ourselves,” he said. All of which fits in with Gonzaga’s plan. “I brought a few golf balls, a putter, and I kind of line up a water bottle at the end of the room,” said Corey Kispert of the top-seeded Bulldogs. “Gotta make sure the game’s sharp by the time springtime comes.”
My last post about hoops...maybe. Lots of this will speak for itself and is out there. Anyone interested in gender equity?? Again, NCAA revealing what this is all about. https://www.instagram.com/p/CMlmJNHDIor/?igshid=1ms98ou3edbtn Soooo not enough space for food options either, @ncaa @ncaawbb? pic.twitter.com/4gsCNObZS2— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) March 19, 2021
Interesting article. From what it describes, it sounds like none of these student-athletes are doing any studying. ... Seriously, though, the fact that the article does not mention studying at all may say more about the author than about the students .... I know that for soccer during the NCAA Tournament, when teams are on the road, there is a lot of studying being done.