Interesting discussion today on ESPN. Two commentators were asked if they would allow a son of theirs to play football this fall. One was adamant that he would; his reasoning was that a young man in that age group needs structure, and football gives him that structure--his whole life is centered around it. Without the structure what would he be doing? It is a good point, as these kids are surely not going to sit around in their dorm rooms avoiding all personal contact.
The other guy was just as adamant the other way. He felt that if it wasn't safe for fans to come to the games, it certainly won't be safe for the players. Hard to argue with that.
The discussion continued on a more cerebral level for quite awhile. The NCAA came in for much criticism due to its lack of leadership.
But more than that, the NCAA is vulnerable for continuing to insist on the fiction of the athletes as students, who therefore should not be paid in recognition of the millions of dollars the big schools earn from collegiate athletics. The students are starting to organize to advocate for safe working conditions, and it seems only a matter of time till the NCAA will be forced to recognize a union and pay the players, a development it has resisted for so long.
This may be another example of a positive result of the virus; the college players may finally get the rights they deserve to make money from their efforts.
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