In the aftermath of the championship game, there were boatloads of opinions surrounding the game about all manner of topics, from "experts" to armchair quarterbacks alike.
What was missing from that seemingly never-ending list was a question about what the long-term effects of Covid-19 exposure and the future of what I would guess amounts to thousands of athletes who represented their university or college during this pandemic. I will admit that this particular vein was posed by a friend and former Central colleague, Ed Leach, when it was discussed that some university football programs had actually encouraged their players to get infected in the preseason so that the rest of the season would not be infected.Reporter Peter Myerberg, USA Today, reported on Sept 3rd, 2020, that Penn State's director of athletic medicine, Wayne Sebastianelli, is quoted, "Cases of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, appear to be prevalent among Big Ten athletes ... impacting roughly one-third of all athletes who have tested positive for the coronavirus." ARTICLE From where I stand, that's a lot of athletes being significantly affected! Myerberg continues later in his article with more from Sebastianelli, "We don’t know how long that’s going to last. What we have seen is when people have been studied with cardiac MRI scans — symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID infections — is a level of inflammation in cardiac muscle that just is alarming.”
Important Note: Sebastianelli's numbers were adjusted later ARTICLE from 30% to 15%, fuelling the arguments about ever changing discoveries about the virus, but the alarm bells should still be ringing.
In his report on the effects of Covid-19 on athlete's bodies, Sports Illustrated's Brian Burnsed wrote in April 2020, "Beyond potential cardiovascular issues, athletes’ muscles and ligaments will need adequate time to recalibrate to their sports’ demands." ARTICLE Burnsed's warning surrounds the potentially damning effects of either a layoff of training thanks to lockdown measures, or a diminishing effect of sub-maximal training on musculature and supporting tissue, both leading to safety concerns if, and when, athletes return to competition. There's a podcast of an interview Burnsed participated in the SI post if you wish to check it out ... I listened to "The long road to full speed" and "A 2nd chance for NCAA athletes".
What all of this amounts to is a Pacific Ocean sized body of unchartered water, with all the requisite dangers that scenario might present. On my weekly Zoom call with fellow BCC retirees, we discussed this idea for a short time. There was agreement that this very issue is a smouldering volcano whose eruption could spell significant uproar in terms of an athlete vs university lawsuit or a class action suit vs the NCAA itself. Interestingly, the question was posed, "Are fans to blame for this?" because their demand for spectacles in this stay-at-home pandemic has increased significantly. Our small panel was unanimous in splitting the answer into 3 threads;
Under 18 years - Absolutely no sports, no way, no how!
Between 18-24 years - A personal choice since the athletes are now legally seen as adults.
24+ years - Likely only professionals still playing. Their resources to maintain a safe bubble is huge!
For what it's worth, I am very much of the opinion that until science is able to (a) confirm the breadth and length of these "long haul" effects and (b) provide justification for why only some are inflicted with them, the risk is far too high to be balanced against the short-term benefits of sports participation. From what I can see, sitting in my trusty recliner safe inside my little Canadian castle, Canadians have finally accepted that all group activities for young people (elementary, secondary and post-secondary) should be ceased, leaving only the professional and semi-professional ranks to decide their own fates, and they can only make this decision thanks to the massive TV contracts already in place.
In the end, the overwhelming majority of us are not encumbered with these issues.
However, we collectively have a responsibility to do our part in the battle against this virus. To all that are not doing their very best to help with the spread, if you aren't worried for yourself, what about your children?
It's pretty simple folks.
Wear a mask when there's potential for infection,
Watch how close you are to others, especially in colder weather,
Wash your hands properly and often.
Oh, and stay home.
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