Absolutist statements like these are a problem. Are you absolutely sure that the environments that student athletes return to would be less susceptible to COVID transmission than an environment like that was created on campus for football players at Northwestern? I'm not sure. Asking college students to leave protocol and fend for themselves does not seem like a better approach than keeping them institutionalized protocols, whether they play games or not.
Relatedly, I also strongly believe that in circumstances such as these where the government cannot protect individuals, increased governance has a tendency to further denigrate constitutionally guaranteed principles of individual liberties to a far greater extent than any enhanced safety that such governance can provide. The Big Ten cancelling the season likewise has denigrated the right of student athletes - the vast majority of whom (if not all?) are legal adults - to make choices relevant to their own well-being.
By rushing to cancel the season, the Big Ten has taken away the safety net of enhanced testing, rigorously enforced cleaning and sickness testing protocols, and the mental health boosting structure that organized athletics provides. Perhaps hindsight will prove that this was the correct decision, but statements suggesting that a person does not care about the health of players if they advocate for the reinstatement of football are short-sighted.
sign.moveon.org
