Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Pacers lose 109-100 – here are nine reasons unrelated to Nate McMillan they are down 0-2 in series to the Heat

More than two hours of our lives gone, and for what?  The Pacers took an L today in the Bubble as the Heat gave the Pacers a shovel, watched them dig the hole, and then buried them in it.

Have to be mad at somebody, right?

Social media reflects the frustration felt by Pacers fans.  Some are pissed at coach Nate McMillan.  Others welcome Victor Oladipo leaving as a free agent.  A bunch are still yelling about how annoying they believe ESPN’s Doris Burke to be, as though he hyper-executed articulation is causing Malcolm Brogdon to miss shots.

Click here for your copy of “Oops – the Art of Learning from Mistakes and Adventures” by Kent Sterling

The Pacers now have to win four of the final five games of a series in which they have not been seriously competitive.

So why have the Pacers foundered to this point?  That’s the question.  What are the factors that have taken the Pacers to the brink of an early reprieve from Bubble life?  Here are nine answers:

No Domas – Sabonis was the Pacers lone all-star this season, and he has been in Los Angeles getting treatment for plantar fasciitis since July.  Averaging 18.5 points and 13 rebounds, and bringing a physicality to the squad, Sabonis helped the Pacers compete.  His absence in a wide variety of ways has been noticeable.

Heat defense makes Pacers uncomfortable – The Heat defense is very skilled at making difficult the process of finding makable shots by switching at all five spots.  The Heat play basketball like Greg Maddux pitched.  They get offenses off balance, and that causes tentative execution.  Only teams with extreme discipline or superior talent expose the Heat defense.  The Pacers have neither.

Lack of healthy talent – Sabonis is gone, Oladipo is still rehabbing, Brodgon is dinged up, and T.J. Warren is dealing with plantar fasciitis of his own.  Those four guys are the best the Pacers have.

When healthy, the Pacers are without a player in the NBA’s top 25 – In a seven game series, talent will almost always win.  The Pacers have not drafted a player in the single digits since George McCloud was selected 9th in 1989.  They have traded for guys like Oladipo and acquired the draft rights to Jonathan Bender (5th overall in 1999), but building a roster of studs has been a tough task for Donnie Walsh, Larry Bird, and Kevin Pritchard.  Without studs, well, you saw what not having studs does.

Duncan Robinson went off today –  When a shooter like Robinson is allowed to get a clean cut to an open spot, he is going to make shots.  Without the discipline needed to stay with Robinson regardless of the situation, he is going to kill you.

The Pacers are not as deep as the Heat – No offense to Edmund Sumner, but if he plays real minutes in the postseason, opponents are going to be able to defend the other four Pacers on the floor with their five.  Doug McDermott has not delivered in this series yet

When the Heat hit the gas, they blow by the Pacers – There are moments in a game when teams decide they need to raise their intensity to win.  While the Heat have done that – the Pacers have failed to match in aggressiveness or execution.

Experience – Jimmy Butler is 30.  Andre Iguodala is 36.  Jae Crowder is 30.  Goran Dragic is 34.  Bam Adebayo is the outlier at 23.  The oldest Pacers starter is Oladipo at 28, and the only Pacer older than 28 is Justin Holiday, 31.  There is something to be said for having been there, done that.  Myles Turner is the longest tenured Pacers; he is 24.

Jeremy Lamb – I don’t know what Lamb would have been able to if healthy that others on the Pacers have not done, but he is another rotational piece whose lack of availability has forced the Pacers to play guys who can’t compete in a high level series.

That’s nine issues weighing against the Pacers without a single mention of coaches Nate McMillan and Erik Spoelstra.  Before Pacers fans go haywire and scream louder for Nate to become the former coach, remember that given all of the roster tumult, injuries, and COVID-19 challenges, the Pacers were 45-28 in the regular season.  McMillan is not perfect, but be careful what you wish for if you want Nate gone.

An exhumed and revitalized Red Aeurbach would be 0-2 against the Heat in this series.

Thom Brennaman suspended; screwed up in every way – from saying “f*g” on air to his self-serving apology

Thom Brennaman stepped on two of broadcasting’s third rails last night by using a truly offensive word and then issuing a live self-serving apology.

There is an old saying in broadcasting – “Treat every microphone like a live microphone!”

Managers remind hosts of that multiple times everyday, and anyone who gets paid to speak into a microphone repeats it often.  Cincinnati Reds play-by-play voice Thom Brennaman forgot that basic rule last night.

About some city, Brennaman said, “one of the f*g capitols of the world” as the broadcast returned from commercial prior to the seventh inning of game one of a doubleheader.  When the fifth inning of game two began, Brennaman attempted to apologize and left the studio.

Obviously, Brennaman did not know his mic was live, but that is no excuse.  Broadcasters are responsible for what comes out of their mouths at all times, and words that denigrate and offend groups should never be uttered anywhere, but especially near a microphone.

Click here for your copy of “Oops – the Art of Learning from Mistakes and Adventures” by Kent Sterling

So Brennaman has been suspended by the Reds, who employ Brennaman to call games on Fox Sports Ohio.  Some words convey thoughts that cannot be excused, and “fag” is one of them.

There was some anger on social media last night about why Brennaman was allowed to continue broadcasting for five innings after his critical error.  I’ve been a part of this kind of drama as a manager, and it’s not as easy you the manager (or you) would like to unilaterally remove a talent from a show.  There is a process to handle moments like these that must be respected..

The producer calls the ops manager to notify him of the issue.  This might have taken a few minutes as the producer may not have known the comment aired live until someone who heard it posted on social media.  After the ops manager is told, he or she will notify the boss at the next level.  That boss will call lawyers and HR people.  Everyone meets – probably on a Zoom call – and a protocol is hammered out.  Action follows swiftly after that, but it takes a little time to get ducks in a row.

It’s likely the Reds and Fox waited to see if there was an uproar on social media that required an immediate suspension or dismissal.  They landed on a Brennaman apology followed by an indefinite suspension.

The live apology from Brennaman was inglorious on a number of levels.  Here it is in its entirety:

“I made a comment earlier tonight, that I guess went out over the air, that I am deeply ashamed of. If I have hurt anyone out there, I can’t tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart that I am very, very sorry.”

“I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith, as there is a drive into deep left field by Castellanos. It will be a home run, and so that will make it a 4-0 ballgame. I don’t know if I’m going to be putting on this headset again. I don’t know if it’s going to be for the Reds, I don’t know if it’s going to be for my bosses at Fox. I want to apologize to the people who sign my paycheck, for the Reds, for Fox Sports Ohio, for the people I work with, for anybody that I’ve offended here tonight.

“I can’t begin to tell you how deeply sorry I am. That is not who I am and it never has been. I’d like to think maybe I could have some people that can back that up. I am very, very sorry, and I beg for your forgiveness.”

The first paragraph is fine, and that is where is should have ended.  From there, Brennaman indulged in defensive language that defies credulity and common sense.

At the top of the second paragraph, Brennaman refers to himself as a man of faith.  This is where all pious fools wander when they get caught exhibiting non-faithful behavior.  It insults those who are truly people of faith.  He then interrupts his apology to call a home run by Nick Castellanos (a strange choice), before blathering about whether he will put on the headset again, as though the consequence for his stupidity and offensiveness is the most important part of this drama for the audience.

In Brennaman’s conclusion, he really goes off the rails by claiming his choice to use a truly offensive word does not define him.  Sadly for Brennaman, human beings are exactly the sum of their thoughts, words, and actions.  With wrongheaded audacity, Brennaman then calls for people he knows  to “back that up.”  Using a public apology to rally troops to his defense shows where his heart truly is – in survival mode.

The better play would have been to end the apology with the first paragraph.  A written and more complete statement focused only on contrition could have followed.  Following that, a very quiet meeting with Brennaman and LGBTQ leaders is convened.  Maybe a donation is made to PFLAG Cincinnati and Brennaman volunteers at their events.  At some point during the offseason, Brennaman tells the story of his awakening.

The point is not for Brennaman to defend who he is – or have friends and family do that.  It’s for the people he offended to forgive him, and that can only be done through displaying growth away from the dark-hearted behavior he exhibited.

Two days into training camp – here are nine irrefutable observations about the Indianapolis Colts

With his job threatened, Colts DL Tyquan Lewis appears to have taken several steps forward.

The Colts were back to work this morning trying to elevate the level of play that led to a disappointing 7-9 record last year.  High priced free agent Philip Rivers, DeForest Buckner, the guy for whom they traded the 13th overall pick, and Chris Ballard’s fourth draft class will help them make strides from without.  The rest of the improvement will have to come from within.

Click here for your copy of “Oops – the Art of Learning from Mistakes and Adventures” by Kent Sterling

It’s early, really early, to make any wild declarations of massive leaps toward a championship run, but there were obvious takeaways from the last two days.  Today was a much better day than yesterday to get a look at the Colts.  The weather forced the work indoors and the media gets to watch from the sideline rather than the end zone outdoors.

Here are nine declarations about the Colts as we look forward to another morning of work tomorrow:

  • Rivers makes the right read and hits his target far more often than he doesn’t, but with his trademark sling, velocity is lacking.  That means that any mistake is going to result in an opportunity for a defensive takeaway.  Yesterday, Rivers was spot on throughout 11-on-11 work until a bad read.  Same deal today.  Many good throws that put playmakers in spots to make plays, and then Rivers throws a floater to the defense.
  • Tyquan Lewis looked like a guy who has shown up knowing he needs to earn his position in a very deep defensive line rotation.  Paired twice against Quenton Nelson in one-on-one drills, Lewis made Nelson look like less than the All-Pro left guard he is.
  • Communication is a problem that will be corrected.  It’s been a long time since Rivers was a new man on a roster, and so occasional communication breakdowns are expected early in camp (that’s why they have camp!).  Every time one occurred today, Rivers and the receiver had a conversation.  The Colts and Rivers have 26 days to get this straight because with Rivers throwing changeups instead of fastballs, bad communication will lead directly to turnovers.
  • Jacob Eason looks and throws like an NFL starting quarterback.  The fourth round draft pick out of Washington is a statuesque 6’6″, throws with velocity and touch, and is the guy to whom my eyes are naturally drawn.  In drills and very few throws in 11-on-11 work, Eason has aimed small and not missed.  His only miscue today was a fumbled snap of the last rep of today’s practice.
  • DeForest Buckner is immense.  Funny, the difference between 6’5″ and 6’7″ should be harder to notice than it is when Denico Autry and Buckner stand next to each other.
  • The kicker competition seems to be advantage Chase McLaughlin.  Rodrigo Blankenship is a rookie out of Georgia with a big foot, but McLaughlin won the competition today by hitting every kick that I saw.  The ball just seems to come off McLaughlin’s foot more consistently and with slightly greater force than Blankenship.
  • There is always one unheralded undrafted rookie who flashes, and this year is no different.  That guy is DeMichael Harris, a small wide receiver out of Southern Miss.  He’s getting a look as an option to return kicks, and is also adroit at creating space as a receiver.
  • Andrew Donnal looks okay as an option for offensive line depth.  For a second day, he was steady against a variety of opponents in one-on-one drills.  He’s a six-year veteran out of Iowa with a chance to help if either Anthony Castonzo or Braden Smith.
  • Michael Pittman Jr., is a long, graceful and explosive athlete with soft hands.  It’s easy to get lost watching him move off the line and blowing by an overmatched corner whether or not the ball is thrown his way.  You know how sometimes you glance across a field or court, and an athlete just appears to be different from everyone else?  That’s Pittman.  He is unique.

Like I wrote earlier – only 26 days to the opener.  So far, so good for the Colts.

Joe Kelly lays out the truth against the Astros in podcast

Joe Kelly made a pout face after striking out Carlos Correa to end the inning in which he through at several Houston Astros cheaters.

Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly is now my favorite baseball player – ever.

It’s not because he threw at members of the Houston Astros as retaliation for cheating the game during the 2017 season – a year they won the World Series – but because he laid out the reasons for his actions so strongly while a guest of “The Big Swing” podcast with Ross Stripling.

Click here for your copy of “Oops – the Art of Learning from Mistakes and Adventures” by Kent Sterling

Here is a portion of what Kelly said:

The people who took the fall for what happened is nonsense.  Yes, everyone is involved. But the way that was run over there was not from coaching staff.  They’re not the head boss in charge of that thing. It’s the players. So now the players get the immunity, and all they do is go snitch like a little bitch, and they don’t have to get fined, they don’t have to lose games.

When you take someone’s livelihood to save your own ass, that’s what I don’t like. Cheating? They cheated. Everyone knows they’re cheaters. They know they’re cheaters. It’s over. That’s done with. But now they mess it up by ruining other people’s lives, so they f—ing it up twice. When you taint someone’s name to save your own name, this is one of the worst things that you could probably do. … That really friggin’ bugs me. I think I’ll be irritated forever.

Maybe they have called AC (Alex Cora) and said, ‘Hey, I’m sorry.’ Or called (Jeff) Luhnow and said, ‘Hey, I’m sorry.’ Or called (AJ) Hinch, and (Carlos) Beltran. … If they had said, ‘Hey, I’m super-scared, I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t want to lose money, I had to rat.’ Grow a pair of balls and say that.

Kelly’s suspension was reduced from eight games to five games yesterday, and it should have been reduced further.  It is not right to throw at a batter’s head EVER, but Kelly is right in what he said.  The wrong done by the Astros players was worth a significant penalty that will never be assessed because of the cowardice of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

Somehow, our society has decided that ratting is proper behavior and that it should be rewarded.  Instead of holding wrongdoers accountable through a thorough and intense investigation, Manfred took the easy way out by offering blanket immunity for all players who tattle, and crushed the player who had graduated into management, the manager, coaches, and GM.

Justice must be served, and if it can’t be asserted by the feckless Manfred, than a 95 mph fastball to the fleshy part (not the head – EVER) will have to suffice – as it has in MLB for 150 years.  For good measure, a public scolding (like Kelly’s) should follow.

Kelly has been willing to call out this farce, and because of that – I’ll be a Joe Kelly fan forever.

Nate McMillan gets an extension – which has been well-earned despite asinine arguments to the contrary

Nate McMillan is going to be the Pacers coach for at least another year, which should make fans happy.

Pacers coach Nate McMillan got a one-year extension today, and it was the exact right thing to do, regardless of a small subset of silly fans.

Despite a stack of evidence as high as the ceiling of Bankers Life Fieldhouse, there is a sect of Pacers fans on social media that whined after today’s announcement about how they would like McMillan to join Frank Vogel and Jim O’Brien as former Pacers coaches.

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They yelp about McMillan’s inability to win playoff series during his entire career, adjustments, and out of bounds plays that lack creativity.  Never mind that most of the disgruntled have never coached even a CYO game.  I would prefer to talk about McMillan’s success despite rosters that flip almost every season.

Here are the Pacers top five players in McMillan’s four seasons with the Pacers (current players in bold):

2016-2017

  • Paul George
  • Jeff Teague
  • Myles Turner
  • Thad Young
  • Monta Ellis

2017-2018

  • Victor Oladipo
  • Thad Young
  • Myles Turner
  • Bojan Bogdanovic
  • Darren Collison

2018-2019

  • Victor Oladipo (lost for the season after 36 games)
  • Thad Young
  • Myles Turner
  • Bojan Bogdanovic
  • Darren Collison

2019-2020

  • Domas Sabonis (lost for the Bubble)
  • TJ Warren
  • Malcolm Brogdon
  • Myles Turner
  • Jeremy Lamb (Lost for the season after game 46)
  • (Victor Oladipo has returned to play 20 games)

Despite the roster churn and injury issues, the Pacers have been able to click away impressive regular season winning percentages of .512, .585, .585, and .611.  Minus the stirring seven-game series loss to the eventual runner-up Cavaliers, the Pacers have bowed out quickly in the postseason, but it hasn’t been quite that simple.

In McMillan’s first season with an undermanned team, the Pacers were swept by the Cavs, but lost those four games by a combined 16 points.  By the way, the Cavs also swept the Raptors and beat the Celtics in five on their way to the finals.  The Celtics losses were by 13 (twice), 33, and 44.  It was argued accurately at the time that the Pacers played the Cavs closer than any of the three opponents the Cavs thrashed on their way to the finals.

The second year saw the hard-fought seven-game series loss to the Cavs, who then went on to sweep the Raptors (again), and beat the Celtics in six.  Again, it was argued the Pacers played the Cavs the toughest.

Last year, the Pacers were rolling with a 32-15 record when Oladipo went down with his torn right quad tendon.  From that point forward, the Pacers slogged through the rest of the regular season trying to replace their all-star, posting a 16-19 record before being dispatched in a non-competitive opening round series against the Celtics.

So the flaws McMillan’s detractors are so quick to cite were that his team twice lost to the eventual Eastern Conference champs prior to the Raptors and Celtics, and then lost Oladipo for the season at a point where they were on pace to win 55 games.

In his fourth year, this year, the Pacers returned a grand total of one starter, added Oladipo back to the lineup January 29th, needed to adjust to Brogdon missing games for a variety of injuries five times, and tried to get his team prepped for an unprecedented bubble finish to the season.  Including today’s win over the Rockets, the Pacers are 5-2, despite Sabonis being in Los Angeles getting treatment for plantar fasciitis.

Fans of change, be careful what you wish for.  McMillan has been damn good at getting the Pacers to play consistently hard, smart (mostly), and unselfish basketball.  Ask for a new coach at your own risk of sounding like you know nothing about the game you claim to love.

Fall college football – Who’s right, the Big 10 or SEC? We don’t know and that frustrates the hell out of us!

Did Big 10 presidents and commissioner Kevin Warren make the right call yesterday? How do we know?

Fan frustration and confusion because the Big 10 and Pac-12 canceled college football is being driven by inconsistent protocols designed to help preserve health and life that are applied unevenly.

Click here for your copy of “Oops – the Art of Learning from Mistakes and Adventures” by Kent Sterling

There are questions and anecdotal reports from friends, co-workers, and on social media that make it virtually impossible for reasonably intelligent people to know exactly what the hell is going on.  Here are 12 of those questions and anecdotes:

  • If it isn’t safe to play in the Big 10 and Pac-12, why are high schools playing?
  • How about the SEC, Big 12, and ACC?  They seem determined to play.  What do the Big 10 and Pac-12 know that they do not?  Or, what do the SEC, Big 12, and ACC know that the Big 10 and Pac-12 don’t?
  • The NFL is rolling forward toward a reasonable facsimile of a regular season.  Are players and coaches unsafe?
  • High school students are being sent home for two week quarantines by school health officials simply because they visited the nurse – regardless of the reason.
  • High school athletes are being quarantined for two weeks because the co-worker of a parent tested positive.
  • Positive tests are being assessed and reported for people who made an appointment to be tested, but didn’t show up.
  • The University of Nebraska says its health officials believe football players have a better chance to avoid COVID-19 by playing this fall rather than sitting, so its chancellor, president, and coach are threatening to defy the Big 10 by playing a rogue schedule.
  • The vast majority of COVID-19 patients under 65 without underlying conditions quickly recover fully and most are asymptomatic.
  • America’s response to COVID-19 has been politicized to the point no one trusts anything coming out of the mouths of any elected official.
  • National media sources are weaponizing COVID-19 coverage to increase ratings, clicks, and circulation.  As a result, trust in media continues to erode.
  • COVID-19 related death counts are increased by including car and motorcycle accident victims who test positive postmortem.
  • Because most people are wearing masks, washing hands, and practicing social distancing, hospitals are not overwhelmed and ICUs are able to treat patients with a variety of other ailments.  Improved treatments are also shortening stays and lessening the burdens on our health care system.

Confusion reigns because of those 12 bullet points – and more.  People don’t know what to do or believe to keep themselves safe and employed, so we wear masks and avoid anything that could get our employer sued or exposed in the media as irresponsible.  That’s how you get fired in 2020.

To say these are uncertain times is a massive understatement, and many people are scared out of their minds by the unknown.  The Big 10 and Pac-12 responded to fear of legal action from parents of players by canceling football.  The ACC, Big 12, and SEC has not yet responded to that fear.

These are chaotic times.  Life is different because of COVID-19, and our society is impatient in a wide variety of directions as a result.  Cancellations suck, and so do business closings.  Riots, looting, and murders are uniquely idiotic expressions of rage.

As I asked the Big 10 to take a deep breath before acting yesterday, I would hope all of us might be a little more tolerant of one another as we process this unprecedented tumult – even when much of it is of our own making.

If we can’t create a fact-based COVID-19 culture, maybe we can help each other simmer down a little bit to make the rest of 2020 more pleasant.  Just smile under your mask and understand most people are not nearly as smart and sane as you believe yourself to be.

[If you want some real unpleasantness to look forward to, just wait for the deployment of a vaccine or vaccines.  Everyone is going to want to jump to the front of the line.  Should be a total mess!]

Bruiser Flint heads to the darkside – flees Bloomington to join Calipari at Kentucky

If you would work for this man, I want nothing to do with you. Bruiser – get out of Indiana!

I hope Bruiser Flint’s muffler falls off as he drives from Bloomington to Lexington.

Bruiser Flint is turning his back on Indiana’s basketball program to embrace the dark side of college basketball at the University of Kentucky, where he will reportedly replace Kenny Payne, who is leaving UK to become an assistant with the New York Knicks, and I don’t like it!

And now, I also do not like Flint!

It’s not that Flint is repulsive as a guy or coach, and it isn’t that he is a GREAT assistant whose unique gifts will be missed.  I don’t know that he is – or would be.  There are plenty of assistants out there who do great work developing players and helping head coaches build a program.  I’m sure Archie Miller has a short list of guys he can tab to replace Flint.  He might hire an upgrade.

Click here for your copy of “Oops – the Art of Learning from Mistakes and Adventures” by Kent Sterling

My revulsion stems from Flint’s destination not his departure.  Either he is going to Lexington because of cash – or because he feels a position on Calipari’s staff is somehow an upgrade over his position at IU.  Either way, he is choosing evil over goodness.  He is choosing the devil’s underbelly over God’s country.

If Flint left for Kansas, UCLA, or Louisville, I wouldn’t care much.  Bon voyage, Bruiser!  Hope you get to live your dreams wherever you are headed!

But this is Kentucky, and I do not like Kentucky, so now I have no choice but to dislike Flint – a guy who has always been very cordial in our few interactions.

That’s the way it goes in college basketball as in life.  The friend of my enemy becomes my enemy,  Flint has revealed himself to be a mercenary willing to work for a program that has long disgraced college basketball with its rule flouting arrogance.  So it’s good riddance instead of good luck to Bruiser.

Don’t let the door hit you on the backside as you leave Cook Hall.

Big 10 Football – Time for university presidents to take a deep breath and kick can down the road

“Never rush to solve a crisis,” is a quote that should be hanging in the office of every manager, coach, and department head, and the Big 10 is on the precipice of violating that immutable tenet.

Big 10 presidents are meeting this morning to decide how to handle the building storm surrounding the decision to play or cancel the college football season this fall.

The outcome of that meeting should be to move the start of the season back to September 26th.  In a rare moment of strategic clarity, the Big 10 built a football schedule that would allow them to collapse bye weeks to delay the start of the season by three weeks.  They should take advantage of that.

Click here for your copy of “Oops – the Art of Learning from Mistakes and Adventures” by Kent Sterling

Why hurry into a commitment to cancel?  What is gained?  If a decision to cancel can be made three weeks from now, make it then when more information may be available to guide a reasonable and safe policy.  Is it likely the information will change?  It’s changed a hell of a lot during the five months since sports went on its extended hiatus.  I remember Dr. Fauci saying that masks were not effective in preventing the spread of COVID-19.  That changed.  Maybe nothing will change.  We don’t know,

What I do know is that once the announcement to cancel is made, there is no unhinging that bell.  So why ring it before it has to be rung?

This is a substantially important decision for many reasons.  The economies of the athletic departments and college towns are substantially driven by football.  Universities don’t print money, and without the media cash from football, sports and amenities might be liquidated.

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez estimated the loss of revenue to his department will top $100-million if the season is scrapped.  That money will not be replaced by a presidential executive order.  It will just be gone, and there will be adjustments made because of that loss.

At Indiana, the slogan is “24 sports, one team!”  What if that becomes “18 sports, one team?”  Is it worth the remote possibility of a football player suffering longterm health issues related to COVID to eradicate 50 scholarships that allow athletes to attend college and get a degree.  Is it worth 20 lost scholarships?

In the end, this cancellation may affect the health of football players, but definitively has hideous tentacles that reach into many other areas of athletic departments, universities, and towns.

And one of the most difficult aspects of the decision to play or cancel is the assessment of whether players are safer as football players involved in a season instead of normal students who are left to roam the campus unfettered around each other in dorms, frats, and apartments.

If it makes sense to cancel the season, does it make sense to allow students back on campus where their natural tendencies will cause them to enjoy time together in close proximity, where COVID can also be transmitted.

As much as this decision appears to be a clear cut evaluation of health versus economics, it is much, much murkier with consequences and benefits lurking everywhere.  This decision requires great thought and deliberation, so why not take the next three weeks to try to figure out a way to more forward with the season in a way that makes sense.  Why not use the time to see if a path to play exists that might preserve the positives of a college football season while mitigating the negatives?

If there is no downside to waiting to make the call to cancel, why not postpone it and try to create an upside?

Sometimes a crisis needs time rather than than action.  The Big 10 should take its time.

Prospects for college football dimming as universities hypocritically prepare to re-open for students

Ohio State’s Horseshoe won’t look anything like this for quite a while as football players sit idle until COVID-19 and the surrounding hysteria abates.

College football will likely not be played this fall.  The MAC punted their season yesterday, and the Big 10 in likely to say adios tomorrow, according to reports.  And that is bad news for everyone.

Conversely, Big 10 universities plan of being open for business.  Yes, the dorms, frats, and sororities will be filled with 18-to-22-year-olds who may or may not adhere to suggestions they socially distance themselves from one another.  It’s been a few years since I lived in a dorm, but the instances of responsible behavior are scarce in my memory, while the irresponsible moments are plentiful.

Click here for your copy of “Oops – the Art of Learning from Mistakes and Adventures” by Kent Sterling

One of the primary reasons cited for canceling college football is that trusting students to adhere to protocols seemed a bad bet.  Okay, so athletes in the dorm are going to throw caution to the wind occasionally in order to enjoy college life, and so will other students.  That’s a given.  But if the idea is to control the spread of COVID-19, why would universities cancel sports while allowing students, including athletes, to stay in the dorm?

I’m a fan of rationalizations, but how is moving sports from the fall going to keep students safer as long as the very thing that smart people worried would corrupt football from being played is allowed?

None of this makes any sense, but that’s nothing new.

After a couple of centuries where we cared about very little, care runs deep about every single slight suffered by anyone.  While that is a great thing in many cases, it can be overplayed in others.  COVID-19 is hardly the biggest concern for many football players.

Football is an insanely dangerous activity where knees are destroyed in virtual every game, and the long-term effects of brain injuries are wretched, irreversible, and sometimes fatal.  I once asked a Pro Bowl defensive tackle what he thought about when he was in the tunnel before taking the field.  He said, “I think ‘This might be the last time I walk.'”

COVID-19 is serious stuff and is not to be taken lightly, but the potential miseries from football are far worse.  It’s very important that we wear masks, wash our hands, sanitize, and keep those with underlying conditions isolated, but if COVID-19 caused problems in the same measure football does, we would hide in our basements and never come out!

Smart people know that talk about fall sports being canceled is about limiting liability rather than actual concern over safety, and that’s fine.  If the priority was safety, football would not exist.  The first responsibility for all executives is to mitigate risk of lawsuits and protect the brands they lead from media-driven taint.  Given that COVID-19 leads all newscasts, a player suffering long-term damage or – God forbid – death would stain a university and college basketball for years.

There is nothing left to do but await the decision and announcement that football will not be played in college towns that rely upon those game days to fund their businesses and feed their families.

The ongoing challenge with COVID-19 is to make sure the cure is not worse than the disease, and for towns like Bloomington, West Lafayette, South Bend, Knoxville, Morgantown, College Station, Athens, Gainesville, Baton Rouge, Ann Arbor, and dozens, a seriously flawed cure is about to cause as much pain as it resolves.