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Post by Lark11 on Jul 17, 2020 0:25:03 GMT -5
www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2020/07/15/america-you-dont-deserve-to-have-sports-right-now/?subId3=xid:fr1594853571044hbg#4061549e7e5aAmerica, You Don’t Deserve To Have Sports Right NowMaury Brown #SportsBiz, National MLB Writer, BBWAA Member, Motorsports Writer  If you don’t know who Ignaz Semmelweis was, I don’t blame you. But his story is a good one worth noting in what is now the seventh month of a novel coronavirus pandemic in America. Semmelweis was a Hungarian physician and scientist who lived from July of 1818 until his untimely death on August 13, 1865. He’s now considered one of the earliest pioneers of antiseptic procedures -- using a chlorinated lime solution to wash his hands when treating puerperal fever or as it was also called "childbed fever." He discovered that cases of the fever could be drastically reduced by this simple method of handwashing. Today, we’d see Semmelweis as ahead of the curve -- a man of science that helped save the lives of so many children that he was described as the "savior of mothers". In a cruel twist, Semmelweis became the victim of what might be one of the first culture war battles over the spread of infectious disease. Instead of Semmelweis being in the pantheon of scientists like Jonas Salk, he was ridiculed in his day for his outspoken views on the handwashing practice so much so that he had a nervous breakdown where his peers had him committed to an asylum. He would later be beaten by guards so severely that he died from the injuries. All because of handwashing. I bring Semmelweis up because it often seems like humanity can go out of its way to make life more difficult when given the choice between something very simple (like handwashing or mask-wearing), and loud voices in the gallery (such as Semmelweis’ peers). As America has seen COVID-19 cases approach 3.5 million and related deaths about to surpass 137,000, the country is embroiled in a culture war that has done anything but put us in a place to see the light at the end of the tunnel. While other countries figured out how to flatten the curve, the U.S. continues its steep climb in cases and deaths with a faction of the country looking to “get on with life” while discounting the grim data. Science be damned. Lock the scientists up in the asylum. Through this all, sports leagues have stumbled their way through the complexities of trying to come back amid the escalating COVID numbers. Rob Manfred, the commissioner of Major League Baseball has said that bringing baseball back might bring some normalcy into life and somehow soothe the nation much as it did when it did the week after 9/11. But more and more, I see bringing sports back as rewarding bad behavior. That in “bring back my normal, not the new normal,” the country has decided it is far better to ignore Rome burning and get their sports fix on. Washington Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle recently talked about bringing sports back in the pandemic and landed on some truisms. Namely, “sports are like the reward of a functioning society.” Doolittle is right. Be it baseball, basketball, hockey, or eventually football, as the numbers continue their increase, the health and safety of friends or family just doesn’t seem enough to get the point across. It might not register that Grandma may wind up on a ventilator and die, but tell them they’ll lose the NFL or SEC football if they don’t start wearing a mask and watch the country fall in line. Right now, America doesn’t deserve sports. Some of you are trying. Others say it’s overblown. The virus, meanwhile, really doesn’t seem to care. While the culture battle rages into a dumpster fire worthy of the core of the sun in 2020, the reality is that 2021 is in the crosshairs. Think it sucks now? What if America doesn’t get its act together and we’re having this same conversation a year from now? Sports will then be fighting not just the pandemic but serious economic crisis. At that point, is it the owners or commissioners we should blame? Or, should we be taking a hard look in the mirror and realizing America is its own worst enemy? Through this, the athletes are trying to perform under bizarre circumstances, and potential danger so we can be entertained. MLS has seen one contest already canceled due to a player testing positive just before kickoff. The NBA’s Kevin Durant has tested positive. And a large list of MLB players are opting out of the 60 game shortened regular season that could get started only to collapse under its own weight under the pandemic. Yes, there are front line workers out there doing critical work at grocery stores and the like to allow us to go about our daily lives, but let’s be honest… are athletes essential workers? Maybe it’s not a roman colosseum but I keep waiting for Mike Trout or LeBron James to eventually channel Maximus in Ridley Scott’s epic movie Gladiator, turn to the cameras and say, “Are you not entertained?!?” Sports is America’s top distraction, and maybe that’s the problem. Maybe we should be paying closer attention, wear a mask, and try and get the numbers to a point where we can have nice things. Like a child that doesn’t finish its dinner, America, you shouldn’t be given your dessert; your treat; your sports fix. Right now, you don’t deserve it.
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Post by crashdavissports on Jul 17, 2020 11:48:50 GMT -5
I fully agree with him.
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Post by jbuck on Jul 17, 2020 12:11:31 GMT -5
you are gawdamn right. This country is the worst run, and worst managed country of every other gawdamn country. Stupid corrupt REPUBLICANS. If you are republican, you are a stupid mutherfucker and thanks for this cocsucker in office
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Post by kycatscinnreds on Jul 17, 2020 14:50:05 GMT -5
"Yeah but I got my rights, I don't gotta wear any goldang mask. America!"
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Post by crashdavissports on Jul 17, 2020 15:42:30 GMT -5
you are gawdamn right. This country is the worst run, and worst managed country of every other gawdamn country. Stupid corrupt REPUBLICANS. If you are republican, you are a stupid mutherfucker and thanks for this cocsucker in office I think it has more to do with people being idiots and feeling entitled. I will vote for Trump again over absent minded Biden. Or whatever Vice President the Dems try to put in office who will be the actually President as Biden becomes the figurehead and scapegoat since he couldn't even find his way out of his own house in the morning if he didn't have a team of individuals dressing him and pointing him where to go. Pretty sure the Democrats are the corrupt ones, but I am not going to get into an argument here, this forum was meant for baseball. We will respectfully agree to disagree my friend. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2020 16:47:32 GMT -5
How about this Trump and the Republicans are garbage. Biden,Pelosi and the Dems are garbage. 99% of politicians are garbage. That is why this country is a mess.
Instead of ironing out differences and trying to work for the better of the people they just argue like 5 year old kids.
If anyone trusts any of these clowns in office you better wake up.
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Post by donho97 on Jul 17, 2020 19:02:44 GMT -5
Bunch of morons
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Post by jbuck on Jul 18, 2020 7:52:07 GMT -5
"I will vote for Stump again". did you just say that? I've been giving you guys way too much credit. Holy crap you are an idiot. You deserve him, that's for sure.
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Post by breakerslim on Jul 18, 2020 8:07:43 GMT -5
you are gawdamn right. This country is the worst run, and worst managed country of every other gawdamn country. Stupid corrupt REPUBLICANS. If you are republican, you are a stupid mutherfucker and thanks for this cocsucker in office I think it has more to do with people being idiots and feeling entitled. I will vote for Trump again over absent minded Biden. Or whatever Vice President the Dems try to put in office who will be the actually President as Biden becomes the figurehead and scapegoat since he couldn't even find his way out of his own house in the morning if he didn't have a team of individuals dressing him and pointing him where to go. Pretty sure the Democrats are the corrupt ones, but I am not going to get into an argument here, this forum was meant for baseball. We will respectfully agree to disagree my friend. disgraceful. been watching too much hannity |
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Post by scottscudder on Jul 18, 2020 13:01:44 GMT -5
Has anyone been able to sort out the impact of how effective the US has been in slowing/halting the virus vs. the fact that the US seems to be testing more than other countries? I definitely see major opportunities for a more effective response to the virus in the US, but it is also difficult to ignore the idea that if you test more, you're going to identify more cases. And when I look at the data that's out there, it appears that that US is testing much more per capita than most countries, twice as much as some European countries. I'm not saying that the US is doing better than other countries with this virus, or even as well as others. I see examples everyday of people being irresponsible at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as individual citizens acting stupidly. But because of the testing discrepancy I don't know that the US's poor response is the order of magnitudes worse than other countries that is often stated. I'd definitely like to see more info on this though if anyone has it. The chart at the link below shows that the US is testing much more than most countries and that the positive test rate is somewhere in the middle. Is the US the only country undeserving of sports? coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/international-comparison |
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Post by vtreds22 on Jul 18, 2020 20:48:52 GMT -5
The US has handled the virus in as poor of a manner as possible. The people who refuse to wear masks, and the general "I'll do what I want cause this is America, baby" attitude, is unbelievably selfish and sad.
That said, I don't agree with the premise of sports shouldn't start as a way to "punish" Americans. If professional sports leagues can start and begin in a relatively safe manner, I fail to see why they shouldn't. And I hate to break it to the guy who wrote this, but most of the athletes want to play. Sports are their livelihood and their jobs - they're getting paid *a lot* of money to play. If they don't want to play, the have the option to opt out - the vast majority (< 1%) are not.
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Post by Lark11 on Jul 18, 2020 23:10:30 GMT -5
The Canadians don't want to commingle with pandemic infested Americans:
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Post by Lark11 on Jul 19, 2020 0:22:08 GMT -5
The US has handled the virus in as poor of a manner as possible. The people who refuse to wear masks, and the general "I'll do what I want cause this is America, baby" attitude, is unbelievably selfish and sad. That said, I don't agree with the premise of sports shouldn't start as a way to "punish" Americans. If professional sports leagues can start and begin in a relatively safe manner, I fail to see why they shouldn't. And I hate to break it to the guy who wrote this, but most of the athletes want to play. Sports are their livelihood and their jobs - they're getting paid *a lot* of money to play. If they don't want to play, the have the option to opt out - the vast majority (< 1%) are not. Reasonably points across the board, though I do wonder about "most of the athletes" wanting to play. Do they "want" to play? Or do they "need" to play? Do they really have a burning desire to play a truncated season with ad hoc rules without fans while wearing a face mask? Or, do they need to play for the paycheck and/or to protect their jobs going forward? |
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Post by schellis on Jul 19, 2020 13:56:57 GMT -5
you are gawdamn right. This country is the worst run, and worst managed country of every other gawdamn country. Stupid corrupt REPUBLICANS. If you are republican, you are a stupid mutherfucker and thanks for this cocsucker in office I think it has more to do with people being idiots and feeling entitled. I will vote for Trump again over absent minded Biden. Or whatever Vice President the Dems try to put in office who will be the actually President as Biden becomes the figurehead and scapegoat since he couldn't even find his way out of his own house in the morning if he didn't have a team of individuals dressing him and pointing him where to go. Pretty sure the Democrats are the corrupt ones, but I am not going to get into an argument here, this forum was meant for baseball. We will respectfully agree to disagree my friend. I think trump is one of the best presidents this country has ever had. I’ll gladly vote for him again over anyone the dems put out there most so far left they want to help out illegals foreign countries and those that just want free handouts before doing anything for the working class. I certainly will over Biden who appears to have dementia His VP will be someone decided first one race gender instead of actual accomplishments already had eight years of that crap with Obama Instead of working to make country better the dems spent four years doing nothing but trying to impeach I’m at the point where I’m not voting for career politicians if all you’ve done is that you haven’t done anything. They’re people of no substance that will just tell you what you want to here. Biden’s yes let’s defund the police........I never said I wanted to defund the police. Trump is a twitter idiot who post a lot that he shouldn’t. But what he has actually done I agree with completely. |
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searay
Bid McPhee
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Post by searay on Jul 20, 2020 11:04:47 GMT -5
It's too bad that the C-19 virus has turned so political. It shouldn't be. It's what ails the country right now and that has nothing to do with the President. Get everyone immunized and things will turn around quick regardless of who's President
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