Would we even be able to enjoy college football this fall?

[MowerDave]

Setting aside the state of our own football team for this discussion.

Even if the SEC, ACC and Big 12 (i.e, the conferences with balls) soldier on and decide to play this season, would we be allowed to enjoy it? The actual football would almost take a back seat to the bloodthirsty media, just hovering like vultures waiting to report breathlessly on a player or players getting covid19 and sound the alarm over the audacity and foolishness of the decision to play.

THEY have to try to suck the fun out of anything that people enjoy. People are looking forward to sports coming back as a way to take their minds off everything else in the world, but that won't be allowed to happen. College football coverage would just be a platform for more coverage of covid19.

 

[Jbouton2]

I think certain networks will be worse than others, ESPN etc.

 

[MowerDave]

I think certain networks will be worse than others, ESPN etc.

Some people, presumably college football fans, can't even be happy that there's merely a chance we might have college football. It's weird to me.

I get it if you think it's not smart to play, but everyone here is a college football fan (I'm assuming since this is a college football forum) so I would think we'd all be on the same page in at least HOPING there's a way it could happen this fall. But some are just downright mad that it's even still a possibility.

 

[badgrad]

Setting aside the state of our own football team for this discussion.

Even if the SEC, ACC and Big 12 (i.e, the conferences with balls) soldier on and decide to play this season, would we be allowed to enjoy it? The actual football would almost take a back seat to the bloodthirsty media, just hovering like vultures waiting to report breathlessly on a player or players getting covid19 and sound the alarm over the audacity and foolishness of the decision to play.

THEY have to try to suck the fun out of anything that people enjoy. People are looking forward to sports coming back as a way to take their minds off everything else in the world, but that won't be allowed to happen. College football coverage would just be a platform for more coverage of covid19.

Plus, regardless of who wins what, it'll forever be an "asterisk" year, IMO.

 

[CtownNat1ve]

Some people, presumably college football fans, can't even be happy that there's merely a chance we might have college football. It's weird to me.

I get it if you think it's not smart to play, but everyone here is a college football fan (I'm assuming since this is a college football forum) so I would think we'd all be on the same page in at least HOPING there's a way it could happen this fall. But some are just downright mad that it's even still a possibility.

Agreed. This board devolved away from a football forum a LONG time ago.

 

[Reddfoxx1]

Setting aside the state of our own football team for this discussion.

Even if the SEC, ACC and Big 12 (i.e, the conferences with balls) soldier on and decide to play this season, would we be allowed to enjoy it? The actual football would almost take a back seat to the bloodthirsty media, just hovering like vultures waiting to report breathlessly on a player or players getting covid19 and sound the alarm over the audacity and foolishness of the decision to play.

THEY have to try to suck the fun out of anything that people enjoy. People are looking forward to sports coming back as a way to take their minds off everything else in the world, but that won't be allowed to happen. College football coverage would just be a platform for more coverage of covid19.

I think that all depends on who’s watching.
The people that actually like sports (and don’t care about people talking about sports) will love the games.

Gamblers tend to like the games more than others I’ve learned.

The NBA games have been great.
European Soccer has been great.

The games haven’t changed. The people reporting on them and the people watching them have.

 

[paladin181]

Setting aside the state of our own football team for this discussion.

Even if the SEC, ACC and Big 12 (i.e, the conferences with balls) soldier on and decide to play this season, would we be allowed to enjoy it? The actual football would almost take a back seat to the bloodthirsty media, just hovering like vultures waiting to report breathlessly on a player or players getting covid19 and sound the alarm over the audacity and foolishness of the decision to play.

THEY have to try to suck the fun out of anything that people enjoy. People are looking forward to sports coming back as a way to take their minds off everything else in the world, but that won't be allowed to happen. College football coverage would just be a platform for more coverage of covid19.

Honestly, the lack of fans will make it hard for me to watch if my lack of enthusiasm for hockey this year is any indication.

 

[Silver_Coconut]

Some people, presumably college football fans, can't even be happy that there's merely a chance we might have college football. It's weird to me.

I get it if you think it's not smart to play, but everyone here is a college football fan (I'm assuming since this is a college football forum) so I would think we'd all be on the same page in at least HOPING there's a way it could happen this fall. But some are just downright mad that it's even still a possibility.

It’s akin to the teachers who protest opening school. Very strange.

 

[ToddFlanders]

I think the second you pop open a cold one, grab a plate of wings and sit down in front of the TV - it will be just like old times.

 

[MowerDave]

Honestly, the lack of fans will make it hard for me to watch if my lack of enthusiasm for hockey this year is any indication.

Well, yeah. I said on here before that you can't have college football without fans. MLB games without fans is weird enough. College football without fans would be awful. Fans are an integral part of the college sports experience.

 

[MowerDave]

I think the second you pop open a cold one, grab a plate of wings and sit down in front of the TV - it will be just like old times.

Here's hoping.

 

[gamecockjosh]

Don’t turn on the news or read news websites for a few days. It’s amazing how much happier you will be since both sides seem intent on creating hysteria. Kind of a sad state of affairs.

I will watch the football if they have it. As always, I’ll enjoy it if the Gamecocks are winning!

 

[Jbouton2]

Don’t turn on the news or read news websites for a few days. It’s amazing how much happier you will be since both sides seem intent on creating hysteria. Kind of a sad state of affairs.

I will watch the football if they have it. As always, I’ll enjoy it if the Gamecocks are winning!

Using the ignore button on this with your ideas here make it better

 

[Reddfoxx1]

Well, yeah. I said on here before that you can't have college football without fans. MLB games without fans is weird enough. College football without fans would be awful. Fans are an integral part of the college sports experience.

I tend to agree here. College football will be the worst version with no fans.
This is big reason the Big10 pulled the plug.

 

[Freddie.B.Cocky]

Setting aside the state of our own football team for this discussion.

Even if the SEC, ACC and Big 12 (i.e, the conferences with balls) soldier on and decide to play this season, would we be allowed to enjoy it? The actual football would almost take a back seat to the bloodthirsty media, just hovering like vultures waiting to report breathlessly on a player or players getting covid19 and sound the alarm over the audacity and foolishness of the decision to play.

THEY have to try to suck the fun out of anything that people enjoy. People are looking forward to sports coming back as a way to take their minds off everything else in the world, but that won't be allowed to happen. College football coverage would just be a platform for more coverage of covid19.

But to be honest, speaking for myself only, I had soon not have a football season as opposed to a "watered down" football season. Football just would not be the same to me without every conference playing, even the smaller conferences.

 

[MowerDave]

I tend to agree here. College football will be the worst version with no fans.
This is big reason the Big10 pulled the plug.

I imagine that will likely drive the decision for the remaining leagues.

Last I saw, Tanner said they had a plan in place for 20,000 bodies in the stadium (includes everyone). Whether the would be approved for that remains to be seen.

If we could do 15,000 fans, would that create enough fan noise to make it passable?

 

[lexgamecock]

Don’t turn on the news or read news websites for a few days. It’s amazing how much happier you will be since both sides seem intent on creating hysteria. Kind of a sad state of affairs.

I will watch the football if they have it. As always, I’ll enjoy it if the Gamecocks are winning!

Like this and agree a million times. There's a reason 65% of people don't believe the MSM. Instead of reporting the news most 'journalists' are really activists that want to impose their views on you through biased reporting, omissions on anything that does not fit their agenda, and outright lies.

 

[Brace1]

I would enjoy it more if everybody was playing!” Getting back to football would help the country get back to normal quicker. I know some people are worried that playing could further the spread, but overall it might be better for the “health, of a lot of people. Being happy is always a plus, and right now we have a lot of depression going on and football may help with that.

 

[ToddFlanders]

I tend to agree here. College football will be the worst version with no fans.
This is big reason the Big10 pulled the plug.

I don’t know. I have a rooting interest in the MAC and always end up watching MACtion games mid-week and sometimes there’s hardly anyone there (literally a couple thousand people) - it’s never mattered. If you care about the outcome, you’ll get into it.

And come to think of it, there are tons of bowl games that hardly have any fans - those can still be good as well.

As long as they pump in fan noise to the broadcast, i think it will be good to go.

 

[SLODAWG]

I think the second you pop open a cold one, grab a plate of wings and sit down in front of the TV - it will be just like old times.

Couldn't agree more. I'd add that given the state of the world right now, that cold one, those wings, and college football will be all the better.

 

[MowerDave]

I don’t know. I have a rooting interest in the MAC and always end up watching MACtion games mid-week and sometimes there’s hardly anyone there (literally a couple thousand people) - it’s never mattered. If you care about the outcome, you’ll get into it.

And come to think of it, there are tons of bowl games that hardly have any fans - those can still be good as well.

As long as they pump in fan noise to the broadcast, i think it will be good to go.

The problem with the piped in noise is that you can't simulate fan reactions in real time. There's no way to fake that spontaneous roar of 80k+ people in response to a big play.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

But to be honest, speaking for myself only, I had soon not have a football season as opposed to a "watered down" football season. Football just would not be the same to me without every conference playing, even the smaller conferences.

I'm with you all the way on this. I'm in all my glory when I have 3-4 games on my review button on the remote and checking in. Then the afternoon games bleeding into the evening games and I'm pure bliss.
Not saying I wont watch, but it just wont be the same.

 

[LazyIslander]

10 SEC games... coming off of a 4-8 year.

I'm not sure the media is the one that would be taking the fun out of watching.

 

[Who Cares_Who Cares]

OP is correct that, objectively, the product won't be as good.

However, my SUBJECTIVE threshold for what constitutes quality entertainment has also diminished, so on balance I expect that I'll be able to enjoy it.

 

[Lurker123]

I don’t know. I have a rooting interest in the MAC and always end up watching MACtion games mid-week and sometimes there’s hardly anyone there (literally a couple thousand people) - it’s never mattered. If you care about the outcome, you’ll get into it.

And come to think of it, there are tons of bowl games that hardly have any fans - those can still be good as well.

As long as they pump in fan noise to the broadcast, i think it will be good to go.

I had not thought of it that way. I've watched those games with practically no one in the stands. I still enjoyed it.

It will be weird, it may even be little less enjoyable, but imho, it's way better than not playing at all.

 

[Silver_Coconut]

The problem with the piped in noise is that you can't simulate fan reactions in real time. There's no way to fake that spontaneous roar of 80k+ people in response to a big play.

Is this something you think they will try to do?

 

[ShannonL]

Funny to see how people on here think. I’d love to have things back to normal and see the games as well, but it’s not going to be like that this year.

I’m thinking about the piped in crowd noise and wondering just how loud they’d let it get. Loud enough to drown out opposing qbs?

If it’s all about letting them play, what if they don’t let anyone but the teams go in? They could just play the game and then you could read about it the next day.

Or if you’re really just starved for the entertainment for yourself, and to hell with the safety of the players, coaches, and officials, why not just pick a random team that you don’t follow and watch their games from a few years ago on YouTube? You could have a whole season of surprises and be entertained for 12 weeks.

Just looking at alternative ideas until we know for sure what’s going to happen this fall.

 

[gamecokpride]

Would I enjoy watching football?
Absolutely!!!!!!
I learned a LONG time ago the secret to enjoying your life is to live in the moment, and don't let others distract or diminish you.
Of course the media would be negative. Of course it would become a hot-button political issue.
Of course some on here would get on their soapbox.
But I enjoy watching football as a hobby. I'd get my fall beers, some wings, and have a blast.

 

[CtownNat1ve]

I would just like to understand what the end game is here. Not just in football but in everything. This thing isnt going away. If/when I vaccine is created, a large percentage of the population is going to refuse it. So is this just the way things will be for the rest of life? Even some of the countries that claimed to have things under control are once again fighting cases. I don't get it and don't think anybody does.

 

[adcoop]

I tend to agree here. College football will be the worst version with no fans.
This is big reason the Big10 pulled the plug.

Another reason is the example of MLB. College football can't afford to be postponing games over COVID cases. Who is going to want to play a team that just had 5 or 6 COVID cases? I see the remaining conferences trying to play only to have postponed games and ultimately scrap the season. That is why I have taken an ambivalent attitude toward whether they decide to play or not. I can't get excited when all indications are that kids are going to test positive resulting in postponed or cancelled games. The sports that can maintain a bubble for all participants are the only ones I think are going to make it for awhile. I know a lot of posters on here don't like the NBA. However, you better get used to it or take up watching a socially distanced sport like golf.

 

[Gamecock Lifer]

Setting aside the state of our own football team for this discussion.

Even if the SEC, ACC and Big 12 (i.e, the conferences with balls) soldier on and decide to play this season, would we be allowed to enjoy it? The actual football would almost take a back seat to the bloodthirsty media, just hovering like vultures waiting to report breathlessly on a player or players getting covid19 and sound the alarm over the audacity and foolishness of the decision to play.

THEY have to try to suck the fun out of anything that people enjoy. People are looking forward to sports coming back as a way to take their minds off everything else in the world, but that won't be allowed to happen. College football coverage would just be a platform for more coverage of covid19.

This is not at all how it has been with golf, basketball, or non-Miami baseball teams. Those seasons have been quite enjoyable... If people are able to put their own biases and made up “political issues” aside long enough to watch them.

I don’t know why people blame the media for reporting on COVID. It has infected millions of people and killed what? Like 175,000 in America alone. The media reports the news and I’d say this pandemic qualifies as news.

 

[Tyrannosaurus cox]

The media ruined the football TV experience a long time ago when they started hyping up the same players and teams all the time and showing so many commercials. I think it's unbearable.

You should try just listening to the radio broadcast and watching the game simultaneously.

Right now my favorite way to watch is the (silent) SkyCam, but it's rarely available for Sakerlina games.

Setting aside the state of our own football team for this discussion.

Even if the SEC, ACC and Big 12 (i.e, the conferences with balls) soldier on and decide to play this season, would we be allowed to enjoy it? The actual football would almost take a back seat to the bloodthirsty media, just hovering like vultures waiting to report breathlessly on a player or players getting covid19 and sound the alarm over the audacity and foolishness of the decision to play.

THEY have to try to suck the fun out of anything that people enjoy. People are looking forward to sports coming back as a way to take their minds off everything else in the world, but that won't be allowed to happen. College football coverage would just be a platform for more coverage of covid19.

 

[KA Martin]

I sure would enjoy it, regardless. I’ll bet the people who would least enjoy it are the athletes in the Big 10 who had the decision not to play made for them. Shouldn’t they have had a say in the matter? Some of them will watch their NFL stock drop as they lose any significant airtime. Wouldn’t that suck to play for OSU and have to sit at home and watch the likes of Clemson, LSU and Alabama hit the field while all you get to do is practice, if that?

 

[MowerDave]

This is not at all how it has been with golf, basketball, or non-Miami baseball teams. Those seasons have been quite enjoyable... If people are able to put their own biases and made up “political issues” aside long enough to watch them.

I don’t know why people blame the media for reporting on COVID. It has infected millions of people and killed what? Like 175,000 in America alone. The media reports the news and I’d say this pandemic qualifies as news.

It's been quite different actually.

The media surrounding the return of the NBA was largely positive. It seemed the media was eager for the NBA to return.

Not the same for college football.

I'll leave it to you to decide why that is.

p.s. the media in this country does very, very little news reporting. if any.

 

[Creek Snake]

I just hope the fish are biting this fall.I've found I can survive without football,basketball,and baseball.I always tell my kids life is not a spectator sport.I'm trying to live that example.