2020 Pandemic vs Polemic

Browns center JC Tretter was elected President of the NFLPA this year and he recently commented that there is a "long list of hurdles" before players are going to be ready to bless getting on the field in 2020 given the current state of the pandemic.

The reaction of Twitter verse included the usual volume of thoughtless polemic about how much money football players make.  The polemic is a virtual reminder of the lack of education and intellectual laziness of too many citizens today.

Should athletes subject themselves to a higher than normal level of risk of being infected by a potentially fatal or life changing virus because they are well paid?   The key to understanding the issue is to turn down the ignorance volume and understand Covid-19.

I am in favor of steps to get our economy opened back up because we now understand that social distancing and masking up move risk levels down significantly.  Tretter reminds us of a pretty obvious point though.  Uh... football is a contact sport.

Except for defensive backs, for whom the NFL long ago mandated social distancing rules that prevent defenders getting anywhere near a receiver, most NFL players are obligated to come into physical contact with their foes.

Given the above it is difficult to imagine football being played in 2020.  However there is time left before the season and maybe one solution:  TESTING

If the NFL can test every player, frequently with a 100% reliable result that is immediate, I could imagine a scenario where practices and games can take place.   But right now, that capacity does not exist.   Test samples need to be sent by Fedex to a test center and reliable results require at least 24 hours.   Home based tests to my knowledge are neither 100% reliable nor available.

it should be very fascinating to watch this play out over the summer.

NFL owners and their commissioner are doing everything they can to make it feel like the 2020 NFL season is coming no matter what, maybe they feel like they can bully players into accepting a higher risk.  But JC Tretter is not drinking the owners Kool Aid and I for one say, "good for JC Tretter"!