Could a bubble work for Big East basketball?

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otis

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The Big East is currently exploring multiple different options to play a 2020-21 college basketball season. And according to multiple sources, one of those options is playing games inside a “bubble.”

The NBA and NHL are currently playing the remainder of their respective seasons in a bubble (at Disney World in Orlando for the NBA; in Toronto and Edmonton for the NHL). This keeps players, coaches, staff, etc. essentially in one area where they can be monitored and not risk being infected by COVID-19 while out in public.

https://outline.com/EsW4Hx
 
The Athletic put together what a hypothetical bubble system might look like for get this...non-conference games. (I'm not a believer but a fun mental exercise) Here's how they did it and I'll put our hypothetical pod under it...


The Athletic’s plan to save the nonconference hoops season: 44 pods, 357 schools
The Athletic College Basketball Staff Aug 10, 2020 102

How do you protect a college basketball season? Put it in a bubble.
Or 44 bubbles, anyway.
With conferences creating silos for fall sports, the time for college hoops drawing nearer and pandemic-related challenges going nowhere, The Athletic’s college basketball staff convened with one goal: Save the regular season with a plan to stage nonconference games as safely as possible.
The result? A regionalized collection of mini-bubbles, with both the men’s and women’s programs at each school using the same structure and same groupings.
It’s a familiar format, given the logistics for multi-team events and the NCAA Tournament. In this case, though, no one gets on a plane. One or two hotels serve exclusively as mini-athletes villages for the duration of the pod. No one misses in-person classes, because the pods are staged during what will be an extended, post-Thanksgiving semester break for most schools. And everyone is invited, giving programs big and small a chance.
The competitive details are fairly straightforward:
• Eight teams per pod, at most sites
• Six games per team, in a round-robin format
• Conference matchups avoided
• Off-days included, based on best practices from the schools and the NCAA
Naturally, there are crucial details to address:
Cost. Likely north of $50,000 per school per team, if not well north of that, depending on the venues and testing protocols. With department budgets in turmoil, that may require creative solutions, such as conferences throwing in funds banking on future revenue and/or cajoling television partners to ante up more for inventory that doesn’t otherwise exist. Sponsorships could be another way to generate revenue.
Quality. Pod balance inevitably will not be uniform. A one-size-fits-all plan might strike some as the wrong approach. In particular, marquee cross-sectional matchups that have brought essential visibility to women’s basketball (think Baylor-South Carolina, et al) wouldn’t happen. That’s undoubtedly a loss. But the plan aims to streamline a massive enterprise for schools by aligning the men and the women. Moreover, getting on planes or taking cross-country bus trips are antithetical to protecting student-athlete welfare and safely staging games and therefore a non-starter. In short: Unusual times require unusual measures and concessions.
Health. Most important, a universal plan must exist for establishing the health of the participants going in (like quarantining on campus before departure), monitoring the situation in the bubble and taking protective measures should the need arise. Every program must have access to and follow the same protocol; otherwise this simply doesn’t work. If it makes sense to stagger the timing of men’s and women’s bubbles, so be it.
As for the basketball? The Athletic’s staff divided the nation into essentially seven regions and sorted teams into pods. And here is what nonconference basketball in 2020 looks like.

Site: Albany, N.Y.
Arena: Times Union Center
Teams: Albany, Central Connecticut, Marist, UMass Lowell, Sacred Heart, St. John’s, Siena, Syracuse, Yale
Quick take: We could have played this at the Carrier Dome, but since Syracuse never leaves home in the nonconference, why not force it? (It’s a joke, people.) Albany isn’t the most scintillating city, but that should make staying inside all the easier. Loved the idea of partnering up some old Big East rivals, with Syracuse and St. John’s, and Yale — men and women — are good enough to upset both.
 
Aren't our basketball players supposed to be student-athletes? If every school that would participate in a "bubble" plans on delivering instruction to all of it's students 100% remotely, I guess it doesn't matter where the students are located and perhaps a bubble situation might be considered in order to save the season.

But, if schools are employing a hybrid model, with in person classes mixed with some remote learning or if they plan on using a 100% in person instructional model, how can anyone justify moving the basketball team offsite to a bubble? I guess arrangements might be able to be made for the student-athletes to link into in class instruction remotely but is that really the right thing to do just to save a season? College basketball is my favorite sport and I've been a diehard St John's fan for 55 years but I would say no. If the campus is offering some or all of it's classes in person, I feel that it's important that all students should be on campus to learn. Our athletes should be students first. That's why they are referred to as student-athletes.
 
[instagram][/instagram][quote="MarkRedman" post=395746]Aren't our basketball players supposed to be student-athletes? If every school that would participate in a "bubble" plans on delivering instruction to all of it's students 100% remotely, I guess it doesn't matter where the students are located and perhaps a bubble situation might be considered in order to save the season.

But, if schools are employing a hybrid model, with in person classes mixed with some remote learning or if they plan on using a 100% in person instructional model, how can anyone justify moving the basketball team offsite to a bubble? I guess arrangements might be able to be made for the student-athletes to link into in class instruction remotely but is that really the right thing to do just to save a season? College basketball is my favorite sport and I've been a diehard St John's fan for 55 years but I would say no. If the campus is offering some or all of it's classes in person, I feel that it's important that all students should be on campus to learn. Our athletes should be students first. That's why they are referred to as student-athletes.[/quote]
____________

Mark ..... D1 athletes in basketball and football receive academic accommodations throughout their college careers: from help in admission to be admitted to the school, to housing, to priority class scheduling, to academic support (tutoring), and so on.

The term "student - athlete" is a phrase coined by the NCAA to masquerade an illusion.
 
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[quote="otis" post=395749][instagram][/instagram][quote="MarkRedman" post=395746]Aren't our basketball players supposed to be student-athletes? If every school that would participate in a "bubble" plans on delivering instruction to all of it's students 100% remotely, I guess it doesn't matter where the students are located and perhaps a bubble situation might be considered in order to save the season.

But, if schools are employing a hybrid model, with in person classes mixed with some remote learning or if they plan on using a 100% in person instructional model, how can anyone justify moving the basketball team offsite to a bubble? I guess arrangements might be able to be made for the student-athletes to link into in class instruction remotely but is that really the right thing to do just to save a season? College basketball is my favorite sport and I've been a diehard St John's fan for 55 years but I would say no. If the campus is offering some or all of it's classes in person, I feel that it's important that all students should be on campus to learn. Our athletes should be students first. That's why they are referred to as student-athletes.[/quote]
____________

Mark ..... D1 athletes in basketball and football receive academic accommodations throughout their college careers: from help in admission to be admitted to the school, to housing, to priority class scheduling, to academic support (tutoring), and so on.

The term "student - athlete" is a phrase coined by the NCAA to masquerade an illusion.[/quote]

Otis - that's true but the effort being made to play college football and basketball this year is not to benefit the kids, it's all about the "Benjamins". Big time schools are going to take a huge financial hit if there is no college football season. The amount of money that these schools get from broadcasting rights are insane as is the cost of my monthly cable bill.

I wonder if I'll get a rebate if no games are played this year :lol:
 
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[quote="MarkRedman" post=395750][quote="otis" post=395749][instagram][/instagram][quote="MarkRedman" post=395746]Aren't our basketball players supposed to be student-athletes? If every school that would participate in a "bubble" plans on delivering instruction to all of it's students 100% remotely, I guess it doesn't matter where the students are located and perhaps a bubble situation might be considered in order to save the season.

But, if schools are employing a hybrid model, with in person classes mixed with some remote learning or if they plan on using a 100% in person instructional model, how can anyone justify moving the basketball team offsite to a bubble? I guess arrangements might be able to be made for the student-athletes to link into in class instruction remotely but is that really the right thing to do just to save a season? College basketball is my favorite sport and I've been a diehard St John's fan for 55 years but I would say no. If the campus is offering some or all of it's classes in person, I feel that it's important that all students should be on campus to learn. Our athletes should be students first. That's why they are referred to as student-athletes.[/quote]
____________

Mark ..... D1 athletes in basketball and football receive academic accommodations throughout their college careers: from help in admission to be admitted to the school, to housing, to priority class scheduling, to academic support (tutoring), and so on.

The term "student - athlete" is a phrase coined by the NCAA to masquerade an illusion.[/quote]

Otis - that's true but the effort being made to play college football and basketball this year is not to benefit the kids, it's all about the "Benjamins". Big time schools are going to take a huge financial hit if there is no college football season. The amount of money that these schools get from broadcasting rights are insane as is the cost of my monthly cable bill.

I wonder if I'll get a rebate if no games are played this year :lol:[/quote]

It is about money, for certain, but not the way most fans perceive. Revenue producing sports PLUS donations to the athletic department fund all other non-revenue producing sports, including scholarships, coaches and administrator salaries, travel, uniforms, referees and umpires, etc.

Without even a season of revenue producing sports, there is fear the entire system could collapse. As has been pointed out in other threads, St. John's us a school at risk to close because of a low ($69,000) endowment per student. We would be unable to subsidize athletic should there be no basketball season, and should enrollment drop significantly there would be serious additional fiscal woes.

If there is no in fan attendance, it may be necessary for us as fans to do our part to sustain athletic department revenue. Could you imagine what most professional teams financial outlook would look like if they had to support 18-20 non revenue producing sports? If you recall, our volleyball team solicits donations just to go to post season tournaments. It isn't just a cute way for the athletic department to make more money. It's a reality.

Should this happen, those of us who sit in pretty good garden seats watching first class college basketball at a fraction of the cost to see less exciting professional basketball may consider helping out. I hope there is a season, but we have to start thinking of ways to help should a season with in person attendance not occur.

Here's a sobering stat for those of us who want a first rate basketball program. Our entire AD fundraising brings in less than $3 million annually. Duke basketball fundraising alone brings in over $30 million each year.
 
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[quote="Beast of the East" post=395753][quote="MarkRedman" post=395750][quote="otis" post=395749][instagram][/instagram][quote="MarkRedman" post=395746]Aren't our basketball players supposed to be student-athletes? If every school that would participate in a "bubble" plans on delivering instruction to all of it's students 100% remotely, I guess it doesn't matter where the students are located and perhaps a bubble situation might be considered in order to save the season.

But, if schools are employing a hybrid model, with in person classes mixed with some remote learning or if they plan on using a 100% in person instructional model, how can anyone justify moving the basketball team offsite to a bubble? I guess arrangements might be able to be made for the student-athletes to link into in class instruction remotely but is that really the right thing to do just to save a season? College basketball is my favorite sport and I've been a diehard St John's fan for 55 years but I would say no. If the campus is offering some or all of it's classes in person, I feel that it's important that all students should be on campus to learn. Our athletes should be students first. That's why they are referred to as student-athletes.[/quote]
____________

Mark ..... D1 athletes in basketball and football receive academic accommodations throughout their college careers: from help in admission to be admitted to the school, to housing, to priority class scheduling, to academic support (tutoring), and so on.

The term "student - athlete" is a phrase coined by the NCAA to masquerade an illusion.[/quote]

Otis - that's true but the effort being made to play college football and basketball this year is not to benefit the kids, it's all about the "Benjamins". Big time schools are going to take a huge financial hit if there is no college football season. The amount of money that these schools get from broadcasting rights are insane as is the cost of my monthly cable bill.

I wonder if I'll get a rebate if no games are played this year :lol:[/quote]

It is about money, for certain, but not the way most fans perceive. Revenue producing sports PLUS donations to the athletic department fund all other non-revenue producing sports, including scholarships, coaches and administrator salaries, travel, uniforms, referees and umpires, etc.

Without even a season of revenue producing sports, there is fear the entire system could collapse. As has been pointed out in other threads, St. John's us a school at risk to close because of a low ($69,000) endowment per student. We would be unable to subsidize athletic should there be no basketball season, and should enrollment drop significantly there would be serious additional fiscal woes.

If there is no in fan attendance, it may be necessary for us as fans to do our part to sustain athletic department revenue. Could you imagine what most professional teams financial outlook would look like if they had to support 18-20 non revenue producing sports? If you recall, our volleyball team solicits donations just to go to post season tournaments. It isn't just a cute way for the athletic department to make more money. It's a reality.

Should this happen, those of us who sit in pretty good garden seats watching first class college basketball at a fraction of the cost to see less exciting professional basketball may consider helping out. I hope there is a season, but we have to start thinking of ways to help should a season with in person attendance not occur.

Here's a sobering stat for those of us who want a first rate basketball program. Our entire AD fundraising brings in less than $3 million annually. Duke basketball fundraising alone brings in over $30 million each year.[/quote]

Beast - does St. John’s collect student fees for athletic’s? Some schools raise a significant amount of money this way but won’t be able to collect them this fall if sports are canceled.
 
[quote="Andrew" post=395785][quote="Beast of the East" post=395753][quote="MarkRedman" post=395750][quote="otis" post=395749][instagram][/instagram][quote="MarkRedman" post=395746]Aren't our basketball players supposed to be student-athletes? If every school that would participate in a "bubble" plans on delivering instruction to all of it's students 100% remotely, I guess it doesn't matter where the students are located and perhaps a bubble situation might be considered in order to save the season.

But, if schools are employing a hybrid model, with in person classes mixed with some remote learning or if they plan on using a 100% in person instructional model, how can anyone justify moving the basketball team offsite to a bubble? I guess arrangements might be able to be made for the student-athletes to link into in class instruction remotely but is that really the right thing to do just to save a season? College basketball is my favorite sport and I've been a diehard St John's fan for 55 years but I would say no. If the campus is offering some or all of it's classes in person, I feel that it's important that all students should be on campus to learn. Our athletes should be students first. That's why they are referred to as student-athletes.[/quote]
____________

Mark ..... D1 athletes in basketball and football receive academic accommodations throughout their college careers: from help in admission to be admitted to the school, to housing, to priority class scheduling, to academic support (tutoring), and so on.

The term "student - athlete" is a phrase coined by the NCAA to masquerade an illusion.[/quote]

Otis - that's true but the effort being made to play college football and basketball this year is not to benefit the kids, it's all about the "Benjamins". Big time schools are going to take a huge financial hit if there is no college football season. The amount of money that these schools get from broadcasting rights are insane as is the cost of my monthly cable bill.

I wonder if I'll get a rebate if no games are played this year :lol:[/quote]

It is about money, for certain, but not the way most fans perceive. Revenue producing sports PLUS donations to the athletic department fund all other non-revenue producing sports, including scholarships, coaches and administrator salaries, travel, uniforms, referees and umpires, etc.

Without even a season of revenue producing sports, there is fear the entire system could collapse. As has been pointed out in other threads, St. John's us a school at risk to close because of a low ($69,000) endowment per student. We would be unable to subsidize athletic should there be no basketball season, and should enrollment drop significantly there would be serious additional fiscal woes.

If there is no in fan attendance, it may be necessary for us as fans to do our part to sustain athletic department revenue. Could you imagine what most professional teams financial outlook would look like if they had to support 18-20 non revenue producing sports? If you recall, our volleyball team solicits donations just to go to post season tournaments. It isn't just a cute way for the athletic department to make more money. It's a reality.

Should this happen, those of us who sit in pretty good garden seats watching first class college basketball at a fraction of the cost to see less exciting professional basketball may consider helping out. I hope there is a season, but we have to start thinking of ways to help should a season with in person attendance not occur.

Here's a sobering stat for those of us who want a first rate basketball program. Our entire AD fundraising brings in less than $3 million annually. Duke basketball fundraising alone brings in over $30 million each year.[/quote]

Beast - does St. John’s collect student fees for athletic’s? Some schools raise a significant amount of money this way but won’t be able to collect them this fall if sports are canceled.[/quote]

Not sure but remember ALL students got in free to basketball games last season without purchasing a multi sport season pass as other schools do. Even then student sections weren't filled
 
one idea would be for teams to train on their campuses in late December-early January, then travel to their respective bubbles on Jan. 10. Upon arrival, everybody is tested. Then everybody quarantines. Test. Test. Test. Then games start on Jan. 20 with teams playing, on average, every other day. They would then complete a 20-game league schedule by the weekend of Feb. 27-28. The conference tournaments would be held the following week.

[URL]https://www.cbssports.com/coll...he-ncaa-tournament-from-being-canceled-again/[/URL]
 
[quote="otis" post=395841]Then games start on Jan. 20 with teams playing, on average, every other day. They would then complete a 20-game league schedule by the weekend of Feb. 27-28. The conference tournaments would be held the following week.[/quote]

I know they are young, but this seems like we'd be running their bodies into the ground.
 
St. John's athletic director Mike Cragg on the idea of a bubble for the Big East: "If the season was tomorrow, that's the only way we could do it." There has been more talk among the leage AD's in the least few weeks about it. #sjubb #bigeast
Braziller
 
Every week since the novel coronavirus pandemic hit in March, canceling most of the Big East Tournament and the entire NCAA Tournament, the league’s athletic directors have met virtually. And as the fall nears, and the college basketball season gets closer, they have begun talking about the possibility of a bubble for men’s and women’s basketball to safely play a conference season.

“We definitely talk about it. There’s been discussions in every meeting since June about different concepts and over the last two-to-three weeks we’ve had presentations of some early ideas from the league office, how [a bubble] could look,” St. John’s athletic director Mike Cragg told The Post. “I’m not in favor of a three-month bubble or the whole season. That’s not practical. I am interested in short bursts of a bubble. If you can create a two- or three-week bubble and play six or eight games, I think that makes a lot of sense.”

A bubble has worked well for the NBA and NHL, but as Cragg eluded to, the Big East isn’t interested in a bubble for multiple months. The discussions have centered on bubbles a few weeks at a time, sources said, though the basketball-centric league is still focused on a number of different options, from starting the season on time without fans to it being moved back to January. NCAA senior VP of basketball Dan Gavitt said last week a decision will be made by mid-September of whether the season and practice will start on time. NCAA president Mark Emmert, Gavit and Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart, who is also the Charmian of the selection committee, have all said publicly that a bubble model could be used for an altered championship structure, a sign that leagues would be encouraged to play conference seasons in a similar vein. It’s clear how important the sport is to the conference and that’s why so many different possibilities are on the table.

“At this stage, our job is to come up with as many ways as could be possible [to have a season],” Cragg said.

There is, of course, a lot that would be needed to happen for a bubble to be created. For one, it would have to be affordable. All the schools are either going to virtual learning or a hybrid approach, so players wouldn’t miss classes. And the TV partner, Fox, would have to be on board. At that point, the league’s presidents could be given the parameters of the plan and hold a vote.

“It takes a lot of things. It’s not just here’s 13 guys, here’s another 13 guys, let’s go play a game,” Cragg said. “It’s an investment.”


The league has discussed a number of options relating to a bubble, such as including men’s and women’s basketball in one bubble with all 22 teams, two separate bubbles broken down by two regions and separating men’s and women’s basketball, sources said. Fox has been approached to gauge its interest. The idea of a bubble has received “very strong” support, one source said, though it will ultimately come down to what the league’s presidents decide.

One location that has been discussed is Omaha, Neb. and Creighton serving as the host because of its ample facilities that included two on-campus practice facilities, two large hotels located right next to the team’s arena, the CHI Health Center, that is attached to a convention center that could be used for additional practice courts.

“If the season was to start tomorrow, [a bubble] is the only way we could do it,” Cragg said. “I’m in favor of trying to figure it out, if that’s only we can play with less risk.”

https://nypost.com/2020/08/23/big-east-athletic-directors-mull-college-basketball-bubble-ideas/
 
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Could be the only way to salvage TV revenue. Think they have to secure options for a "bubble season".
 
When I first saw this, I thought--oh no Cuse is back.

Something like this could work as most classes will probably be on line thus the players a partake of the on line educational opportunities and not miss class while being out of town for an extended period.. With fewer students in dorms, the "host" school could be the one with the most secure, empty dorm buildings where meals could also be served. Interesting concept. Would assume the same will be done for women's BB.
 
Rothstein

Sources: In addition to Orlando, Mohegan Sun has emerged as a prime location to host multiple early season college basketball tournaments in a bubble type setting.
 
The Big East can logistically figure out a way to make a bubble work. The real issue is who is going to watch? The NBA ratings are tanking and the NCAA is at risk of getting dragged down with it.
 
[quote="P Simmons" post=397045]The Big East can logistically figure out a way to make a bubble work. The real issue is who is going to watch? The NBA ratings are tanking and the NCAA is at risk of getting dragged down with it.[/quote]

NBA ratings being down a bit flawed. Other sports like MLB, NHL and soccer are up as well. Fans still want to see sports. There are no new entertainment programs because of Covid either.
 
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[quote="Moose" post=397046][quote="P Simmons" post=397045]The Big East can logistically figure out a way to make a bubble work. The real issue is who is going to watch? The NBA ratings are tanking and the NCAA is at risk of getting dragged down with it.[/quote]

NBA ratings being down a bit flawed. Other sports like MLB, NHL and soccer are up as well. Fans still want to see sports. There are no new entertainment programs because of Covid either.[/quote]

The NBA has become politically charged in a way that NHL, soccer and MLB have not.
 
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