A rather shocking development occurred when it was announced that the 2020 Ivy League Tournament was cancelled. The cancellation was a result of a coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) that has, as of this submission, claimed approximately 30 lives in the United States. The Ivy League announced that it would give its automatic NCAA Tournament qualifying bids to its two regular-season champions: the Yale men and Princeton women.
This entire COVID-19 story makes me think of the blue penguin (Pablo) on The Backyardigans. Pablo often scrambled around and flapped his flippers in a panicked frenzy. The other characters managed to get him to chill out. Then they faced whatever small problem was ahead of them.
COVID-19 is new. Its newness creates a fear of the unknown. What is known? From Claire Gillepsie of health.com…
Flu season is hitting its stride right now in the US. So far, the CDC has estimated (based on weekly influenza surveillance data) that at least 12,000 people have died from influenza between Oct. 1, 2019 through Feb. 1, 2020, and the number of deaths may be as high as 30,000.
The CDC also estimates that up to 31 million Americans have caught the flu this season, with 210,000 to 370,000 flu sufferers hospitalized because of the virus.
… (Continued) Overall, the CDC estimates that 12,000 and 61,000 deaths annually since 2010 can be blamed on the flu. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the flu kills 290,000 to 650,000 people per year.
Hardly anybody discusses influenza. That poses a greater risk to young individuals. Yet, nobody cancels sports events for that. The flu doesn’t threaten the economy to the point where businesses are losing nearly 65 percent of their stock share prices (cruise companies such as RCL, CCL, and NCLH). All because of fear. It’s fascinating—and disturbing—to witness how fear can manipulate a society.
Is the Ivy League guilty of an overreaction, an under-reaction, or both? If the Ivy League believes that the COVID-19 outbreak calls for such drastic measures, then why allow either of these teams to represent them in the NCAA Tournament? Aren’t they subjecting all players, coaches, staff, and fans to deadly hazards?
Outside of Yale men and Princeton women, seniors are losing an opportunity to close out their careers on their terms. All teams entered the season with the idea that the conference tournament would net them an NCAA Tournament berth. At the same time, if the Ivy League Tournament was cancelled for safety reasons, then why expose Princeton and Yale to health hazards? If the COVID-19 outbreak evolves into a major epidemic, then it’ll carryover throughout the NCAA Tournament that begins next week.
This was a hypocritical response. The Ivy League made an irrational decision that is based on fear. Either play the Ivy League Tournament or cancel everything. Are they projecting that the COVID-19 outbreak will vanish within the next week?
Health is more important than a basketball tournament. That doesn’t change the fact that the Ivy League’s response sends mixed messages. Even if they feel that COVID-19 is far more dangerous than the average belief, then they should discourage entrants into the NCAA Tournament.
As Zach Williams sang, “Fear…he is a liar.”
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Joshua Huffman was born in Middle Tennessee. He has published content for Yahoo! Sports (via Contributor Network) and Titan Sized, among other venues. At SoBros, he’ll provide Daily Fantasy Sports suggestions and broad sports coverage.
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