COVID-19 Updates
- Thread starter SJUFAN2
- Start date
- Status
[quote="SJUFAN2" post=380065]This thread is for informative purposes only. Read at your own risk and draw your own conclusions.
Post links to news sources. People can take them or leave them as they like.
Rants, jokes, arguments will be deleted to keep the thread from being cluttered.[/quote]
Typical, get in your shot and lock it, don’t worry, my last comment which is the only one cluttering and ranting was you.
Post links to news sources. People can take them or leave them as they like.
Rants, jokes, arguments will be deleted to keep the thread from being cluttered.[/quote]
Typical, get in your shot and lock it, don’t worry, my last comment which is the only one cluttering and ranting was you.
Class of 72
Active member
[quote="SJUFAN2" post=380065]This thread is for informative purposes only. Read at your own risk and draw your own conclusions.
Post links to news sources. People can take them or leave them as they like.
Rants, jokes, arguments will be deleted to keep the thread from being cluttered.[/quote]
While I and others appreciate your concern for our concerns, as a "moderator" you appear to imply that this older and highly educated forum of basketball fans needs someone's interweb linking skills to stay informed. There are attorneys, doctors and many professionals here that don't need to be lectured or scolded when it comes to a virus. Like your link to the comical John Oliver episode people also need comic relief from continuing depressing stories. That's why we see so much John Oliver nonsense.
Next time, if you want to address a legitimate question by OTIS, just answer him like everyone else did instead of starting a topic twice in the Rookie Forum. Ergo, we appreciate your concern but etiquette would dictate that your topic should be in the Player's Lounge. Rookies should make their bones on St. John's basketball and not the pandemic of fear that is permeating the media and this country in general. Please don't take this as a personal attack as I truly appreciate every mod's time and effort here. I'm going to Italy for a wedding in a few weeks and I'm in constant communication with family and friends there. Half the country is on lockdown because of a slow government response. Soccer games are either canceled or are being played in empty stadiums. All schools are closed and anyone with a computer is being forced to work from home in the north of the country. As an older fan who is in the most vulnerable group I wish I could avoid social contact in certain places but life still has to go on.
As for the political implications of all this this is clearly the Chinese Corona virus. The current administration has been trying to make us in America more self sufficient and less reliable on China while the previous administration did the complete opposite. If you like statistics take a look at the growth of Chinese trade and the world's growing reliance on cheap Chinese labor in the 8 years of the Obama administration. It will make your hair stand on its end. 95% of the antibiotics or their ingredients now come from China. Take a look at your Iphone, T.V. and 80% of the manufactured products in your home. We created a monster that is both our biggest supplier of goods and our biggest threat. When I referenced the political agenda of the liberal media it went back at least a dozen years ago when we as a nation forgot to be what we were to our citizens. Work hard and be rewarded. Have faith and you will be rewarded. Hold to family values and debauchery will not be a social cause.
So, while our American universities and their leftist liberal professors indoctrinate their young charges into wing nut causes like transgender rights, open borders and safe spaces that ironically exclude any students percieved to be conservative, the Chinese have, with corporate and liberal American support, created the greatest economy in the world that has no standards in their closed society.
So, the greatest irony is that our greed and desire for all things made in China has put us in this precarious position to be critical of a slogan like "Make America Great Again" because of the twisted political correctness of the extreme left while leaving us completely vulnerable to something as simple as a virus.
Thank you and good night.
Post links to news sources. People can take them or leave them as they like.
Rants, jokes, arguments will be deleted to keep the thread from being cluttered.[/quote]
While I and others appreciate your concern for our concerns, as a "moderator" you appear to imply that this older and highly educated forum of basketball fans needs someone's interweb linking skills to stay informed. There are attorneys, doctors and many professionals here that don't need to be lectured or scolded when it comes to a virus. Like your link to the comical John Oliver episode people also need comic relief from continuing depressing stories. That's why we see so much John Oliver nonsense.
Next time, if you want to address a legitimate question by OTIS, just answer him like everyone else did instead of starting a topic twice in the Rookie Forum. Ergo, we appreciate your concern but etiquette would dictate that your topic should be in the Player's Lounge. Rookies should make their bones on St. John's basketball and not the pandemic of fear that is permeating the media and this country in general. Please don't take this as a personal attack as I truly appreciate every mod's time and effort here. I'm going to Italy for a wedding in a few weeks and I'm in constant communication with family and friends there. Half the country is on lockdown because of a slow government response. Soccer games are either canceled or are being played in empty stadiums. All schools are closed and anyone with a computer is being forced to work from home in the north of the country. As an older fan who is in the most vulnerable group I wish I could avoid social contact in certain places but life still has to go on.
As for the political implications of all this this is clearly the Chinese Corona virus. The current administration has been trying to make us in America more self sufficient and less reliable on China while the previous administration did the complete opposite. If you like statistics take a look at the growth of Chinese trade and the world's growing reliance on cheap Chinese labor in the 8 years of the Obama administration. It will make your hair stand on its end. 95% of the antibiotics or their ingredients now come from China. Take a look at your Iphone, T.V. and 80% of the manufactured products in your home. We created a monster that is both our biggest supplier of goods and our biggest threat. When I referenced the political agenda of the liberal media it went back at least a dozen years ago when we as a nation forgot to be what we were to our citizens. Work hard and be rewarded. Have faith and you will be rewarded. Hold to family values and debauchery will not be a social cause.
So, while our American universities and their leftist liberal professors indoctrinate their young charges into wing nut causes like transgender rights, open borders and safe spaces that ironically exclude any students percieved to be conservative, the Chinese have, with corporate and liberal American support, created the greatest economy in the world that has no standards in their closed society.
So, the greatest irony is that our greed and desire for all things made in China has put us in this precarious position to be critical of a slogan like "Make America Great Again" because of the twisted political correctness of the extreme left while leaving us completely vulnerable to something as simple as a virus.
Thank you and good night.
Last edited:
[URL]https://www.10bestseo.com/url-opener/[/URL]]Google[/url]
Moose
Well-known member
[URL]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...rus-hospitalizations-people-staying-HOME.html[/URL]
REVEALED: 66% of New York state coronavirus hospitalizations are people staying at HOME and NOT essential workers - which begs question: Does lockdown even work?
REVEALED: 66% of New York state coronavirus hospitalizations are people staying at HOME and NOT essential workers - which begs question: Does lockdown even work?
beast of the east
Active member
[quote="EliteBaller K" post=386728][URL]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...rus-hospitalizations-people-staying-HOME.html[/URL]
REVEALED: 66% of New York state coronavirus hospitalizations are people staying at HOME and NOT essential workers - which begs question: Does lockdown even work?[/quote]
I heard it spreads through the internet, like most viruses.
FWIW, I give this thread a week till it blows up.
REVEALED: 66% of New York state coronavirus hospitalizations are people staying at HOME and NOT essential workers - which begs question: Does lockdown even work?[/quote]
I heard it spreads through the internet, like most viruses.
FWIW, I give this thread a week till it blows up.
Last edited:
Class of 72
Active member
As a public service announcement please watch this video for the clearest explanation of Covid to date.
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
The Best Coaches May Also Have the Highest Coronavirus Risk
Almost every professional athlete not named Tom Brady is in his or her 20s or 30s. The same can’t be said for the coaches.
By Andrew Beaton and Ben Cohen / WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 5, 2020
The employees are young, healthy and in extraordinarily good shape. There are huge swaths of the country that consider their jobs essential to restoring national spirit. And there are so many rewards for American sports coming back to life that every league is trying desperately to end this shutdown.
But the risk is not simply limited to professional athletes—and that’s one of the many problems that sports officials are trying to solve in the greatest crisis of their lives.
They also have to worry about the health and safety of coaches.
In perhaps no industry is the age gap between star employees and their bosses wider than it is in sports. Almost every professional athlete not named Tom Brady is in his or her 20s or 30s. The same can’t be said for their office colleagues.
The average age of the head coaches in the four major American sports leagues is remarkably consistent: NFL (50 years old), NBA (52), MLB (52) and NHL (52). There are 24 coaches who are older than 60, which amounts to nearly 20% of them, and nine who have already celebrated their 65th birthdays. That’s the age linked with the highest risk of severe illness from Covid-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Executives from multiple leagues say the health and safety of coaches is a legitimate concern they will have to consider as they strategize how to return to action. And it isn’t just big-name coaches. There are other staffers, from assistants to executives to referees, who are part of that older demographic and putting themselves at risk by returning to work.
What makes this situation even trickier to navigate is that older head coaches happen to be among the most successful people in their industry. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 68, which makes him even older than Brady, and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is the oldest in the four major leagues at 71.
The age gap between college athletes and their coaches is even wider. These coaches have more in common with the grandparents of their players. They’re some of the only people on earth who are older than 60 and required to be fluent in TikTok.
The best coach in college football is Nick Saban. He’s 68. That also makes him one of the oldest coaches in college football. His experience has always been a virtue. Now it’s a potential vulnerability.
Meanwhile the mighty Atlantic Coast Conference is basically a retirement community for basketball legends. In the ACC alone are five coaches above the age of 65: Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim (75), Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (73), Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton (71), Miami’s Jim Larranaga (70) and North Carolina’s Roy Williams (69).
The ages of these recognizable figures might seem like random trivia, but it could be a vital subplot as their respective sports chart a path back to action.
The NBA and MLB have considered plans to isolate players to reduce the risk of infection, but the players themselves wouldn’t be the only people in these protective bubbles. Even if the leagues attempt to return with skeleton crews and limited staffs, the future of their sports might be tied to this ethical dilemma: Is it worth exposing the coaches whose jobs don’t let them work from home?
Almost every professional athlete not named Tom Brady is in his or her 20s or 30s. The same can’t be said for the coaches.
By Andrew Beaton and Ben Cohen / WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 5, 2020
The employees are young, healthy and in extraordinarily good shape. There are huge swaths of the country that consider their jobs essential to restoring national spirit. And there are so many rewards for American sports coming back to life that every league is trying desperately to end this shutdown.
But the risk is not simply limited to professional athletes—and that’s one of the many problems that sports officials are trying to solve in the greatest crisis of their lives.
They also have to worry about the health and safety of coaches.
In perhaps no industry is the age gap between star employees and their bosses wider than it is in sports. Almost every professional athlete not named Tom Brady is in his or her 20s or 30s. The same can’t be said for their office colleagues.
The average age of the head coaches in the four major American sports leagues is remarkably consistent: NFL (50 years old), NBA (52), MLB (52) and NHL (52). There are 24 coaches who are older than 60, which amounts to nearly 20% of them, and nine who have already celebrated their 65th birthdays. That’s the age linked with the highest risk of severe illness from Covid-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Executives from multiple leagues say the health and safety of coaches is a legitimate concern they will have to consider as they strategize how to return to action. And it isn’t just big-name coaches. There are other staffers, from assistants to executives to referees, who are part of that older demographic and putting themselves at risk by returning to work.
What makes this situation even trickier to navigate is that older head coaches happen to be among the most successful people in their industry. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 68, which makes him even older than Brady, and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is the oldest in the four major leagues at 71.
The age gap between college athletes and their coaches is even wider. These coaches have more in common with the grandparents of their players. They’re some of the only people on earth who are older than 60 and required to be fluent in TikTok.
The best coach in college football is Nick Saban. He’s 68. That also makes him one of the oldest coaches in college football. His experience has always been a virtue. Now it’s a potential vulnerability.
Meanwhile the mighty Atlantic Coast Conference is basically a retirement community for basketball legends. In the ACC alone are five coaches above the age of 65: Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim (75), Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (73), Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton (71), Miami’s Jim Larranaga (70) and North Carolina’s Roy Williams (69).
The ages of these recognizable figures might seem like random trivia, but it could be a vital subplot as their respective sports chart a path back to action.
The NBA and MLB have considered plans to isolate players to reduce the risk of infection, but the players themselves wouldn’t be the only people in these protective bubbles. Even if the leagues attempt to return with skeleton crews and limited staffs, the future of their sports might be tied to this ethical dilemma: Is it worth exposing the coaches whose jobs don’t let them work from home?
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
How Do NBA Players Come Back to Work? It’s His Job to Figure It Out.
By Ben Cohen / WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 6, 2020
There is one moment from the night his business changed forever that’s burned into the mind of the man they call Saint.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz players were coming off the court on March 11 after learning that Rudy Gobert had tested positive for coronavirus when Thunder star Chris Paul locked eyes with Marc St. Yves. He walked past him, stopped and spun around.
“Saint,” he said, “have you ever seen anything like this?”
Few people in the league have seen as much as St. Yves. He’s been on Earth for 53 years and in the NBA for 41. His official title is Thunder vice president of logistics and engagement, and his less official title is the franchise’s glue guy—the human adhesive who holds the team together. But not even he’d seen anything like what happened when American sports stopped.
Since that night he’s never had so much time and so much to do. And his job has never been so essential.
Marc St. Yves is the person responsible for bringing his colleagues back to the office. His colleagues just happen to be NBA players.
It’s a peculiar truth that the people who have put the most time into planning the future of American sports also have the greatest understanding of how tricky it will be to pull off. St. Yves has come to realize that almost every detail of a team’s workplace environment must be reconsidered and reimagined.
Take, for example, dirty underwear. The Thunder always used the same cart to transport clean and dirty laundry. But after calling local hospitals for advice, they updated their policy for the pandemic. That meant buying another laundry cart to prevent contamination.
“I never would’ve dreamed you’d need two laundry carts,” St. Yves said.
He also wouldn’t have dreamed that he would become Oklahoma City’s hottest fashion designer. His unexpected foray into textiles began when a friend visited with a mask for his mother-in-law and mentioned that she was running out of material for her new hobby. This gave St. Yves a brilliant idea.
“Can we use uniforms to make masks?” he thought.
Every team has a small mountain of jerseys that can no longer be worn, and St. Yves calculated that one Thunder uniform could be four Thunder masks. He presented his local embroidery shop with several options before Donnie Strack, the Thunder’s vice president of player and human performance, realized that only some masks would perform well in the summer heat.
They picked a lightweight nylon from the Thunder’s old warmups, made sure there was room for a filter and personalized the masks with players’ numbers.
But turning pants into face masks was only the beginning of the creative process. When his lettering shop ran out of elastic, St. Yves tapped an unlikely supply of earloops: the shoelaces of sneakers. “Now we’ve got enough masks on site for all of our players and staff,” he said.
That careful attention to lots of little things is one reason that St. Yves has spent his entire working life in the NBA. He started as a ballboy for the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979 and was promoted to equipment manager at 18. Chris Paul was right to ask if he’d seen anything like the scene two months ago because there is almost nothing that St. Yves hasn’t seen. He even had machine guns pointed at him one strange night in 2002 after the Sonics’ equipment truck took a wrong turn into the parking lot of the U.S. Pentagon.
He moved to Oklahoma City when the Sonics became the Thunder, and now it looks as if he’s spent the last four decades preparing for this moment. St. Yves has always viewed his team of equipment managers, facility supervisors, security officials and travel coordinators as the overlooked engine that powers NBA organizations. The world changed. The job didn’t.
St. Yves has a motto taped on the wall above his home desk: “Be prepared to execute our standards in a new normal.” That was his team’s philosophy even during the last days of the old normal. In the first week of March, Thunder senior facilities manager Johnny Shults secured two cases of cleaning wipes and one 55-gallon drum of disinfectant spray, which St. Yves said he probably wouldn’t have been able to buy a day later.
A quick look inside the Thunder’s practice center reveals logistical challenges lurking pretty much everywhere. When he swept the building, St. Yves counted 17 refrigerators, or 17 potential homes for a highly contagious virus. The more he walked around, the more vectors he noticed. The racks of balls, the shelves of towels, the containers of gum—they were all “community touchpoints,” as St. Yves now calls them.
The plan that St. Yves devised for the team’s return eliminates the most popular community touchpoints by situating eight tables around the courts to give the players their own personal space for drinks (water or Gatorade, cold or room temperature), basketballs, towels and their favorite brand and flavor of gum.
The locker room is another problem. The bottles of soap that were luxuries two months ago now appear to be liabilities. The faucets and toilets might have to be touchless. The showers alone are worthy of epidemiological study.
Even getting into the building requires a surprising amount of strategy. Some employees swipe ID cards when they get to the office. Thunder players scan their fingerprints. Or at least they did. Suddenly their fingerprint readers have the appeal of a subway pole. “We’re researching thermal imaging cameras,” St. Yves said. “And we may end up eliminating doors altogether.” They have already identified four doors they can open to circulate fresh air, and St. Yves ordered screens that arrived this week.
What comes next is deeply uncertain. The NBA has said teams in some markets can reopen their gyms for limited workouts as soon as Friday, but not even St. Yves knows when Oklahoma City’s players will be permitted to come back.
“The short term is daunting,” he said. “The long term is very daunting.”
He’s been weighing that balance since March 11. In the morning, he went to the Jazz’s shootaround, where he learned that Utah’s assistant equipment manager had a new position: hand sanitizer guy. “He literally had a backpack full of hand sanitizer,” St. Yves said.
His day would only get weirder from there. St. Yves visited the officials’ locker room before the game to show the referees how to disinfect the ball during timeouts. They wouldn’t get the chance. Gobert tested positive, Strack stopped the game seconds before it tipped and the NBA suspended the season.
In the chaos of that night, Thunder general manager Sam Presti told St. Yves to make the Jazz feel at home, and so he did. When they didn’t know if a hotel would take them, he arranged for the Red Cross to bring cots. Only after they were tested, found rooms with real beds and were cleared to leave the arena did St. Yves follow the Jazz buses outside. It was 1:30 a.m. on March 12.
He’s been working to get his co-workers back inside ever since.
By Ben Cohen / WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 6, 2020
There is one moment from the night his business changed forever that’s burned into the mind of the man they call Saint.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz players were coming off the court on March 11 after learning that Rudy Gobert had tested positive for coronavirus when Thunder star Chris Paul locked eyes with Marc St. Yves. He walked past him, stopped and spun around.
“Saint,” he said, “have you ever seen anything like this?”
Few people in the league have seen as much as St. Yves. He’s been on Earth for 53 years and in the NBA for 41. His official title is Thunder vice president of logistics and engagement, and his less official title is the franchise’s glue guy—the human adhesive who holds the team together. But not even he’d seen anything like what happened when American sports stopped.
Since that night he’s never had so much time and so much to do. And his job has never been so essential.
Marc St. Yves is the person responsible for bringing his colleagues back to the office. His colleagues just happen to be NBA players.
It’s a peculiar truth that the people who have put the most time into planning the future of American sports also have the greatest understanding of how tricky it will be to pull off. St. Yves has come to realize that almost every detail of a team’s workplace environment must be reconsidered and reimagined.
Take, for example, dirty underwear. The Thunder always used the same cart to transport clean and dirty laundry. But after calling local hospitals for advice, they updated their policy for the pandemic. That meant buying another laundry cart to prevent contamination.
“I never would’ve dreamed you’d need two laundry carts,” St. Yves said.
He also wouldn’t have dreamed that he would become Oklahoma City’s hottest fashion designer. His unexpected foray into textiles began when a friend visited with a mask for his mother-in-law and mentioned that she was running out of material for her new hobby. This gave St. Yves a brilliant idea.
“Can we use uniforms to make masks?” he thought.
Every team has a small mountain of jerseys that can no longer be worn, and St. Yves calculated that one Thunder uniform could be four Thunder masks. He presented his local embroidery shop with several options before Donnie Strack, the Thunder’s vice president of player and human performance, realized that only some masks would perform well in the summer heat.
They picked a lightweight nylon from the Thunder’s old warmups, made sure there was room for a filter and personalized the masks with players’ numbers.
But turning pants into face masks was only the beginning of the creative process. When his lettering shop ran out of elastic, St. Yves tapped an unlikely supply of earloops: the shoelaces of sneakers. “Now we’ve got enough masks on site for all of our players and staff,” he said.
That careful attention to lots of little things is one reason that St. Yves has spent his entire working life in the NBA. He started as a ballboy for the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979 and was promoted to equipment manager at 18. Chris Paul was right to ask if he’d seen anything like the scene two months ago because there is almost nothing that St. Yves hasn’t seen. He even had machine guns pointed at him one strange night in 2002 after the Sonics’ equipment truck took a wrong turn into the parking lot of the U.S. Pentagon.
He moved to Oklahoma City when the Sonics became the Thunder, and now it looks as if he’s spent the last four decades preparing for this moment. St. Yves has always viewed his team of equipment managers, facility supervisors, security officials and travel coordinators as the overlooked engine that powers NBA organizations. The world changed. The job didn’t.
St. Yves has a motto taped on the wall above his home desk: “Be prepared to execute our standards in a new normal.” That was his team’s philosophy even during the last days of the old normal. In the first week of March, Thunder senior facilities manager Johnny Shults secured two cases of cleaning wipes and one 55-gallon drum of disinfectant spray, which St. Yves said he probably wouldn’t have been able to buy a day later.
A quick look inside the Thunder’s practice center reveals logistical challenges lurking pretty much everywhere. When he swept the building, St. Yves counted 17 refrigerators, or 17 potential homes for a highly contagious virus. The more he walked around, the more vectors he noticed. The racks of balls, the shelves of towels, the containers of gum—they were all “community touchpoints,” as St. Yves now calls them.
The plan that St. Yves devised for the team’s return eliminates the most popular community touchpoints by situating eight tables around the courts to give the players their own personal space for drinks (water or Gatorade, cold or room temperature), basketballs, towels and their favorite brand and flavor of gum.
The locker room is another problem. The bottles of soap that were luxuries two months ago now appear to be liabilities. The faucets and toilets might have to be touchless. The showers alone are worthy of epidemiological study.
Even getting into the building requires a surprising amount of strategy. Some employees swipe ID cards when they get to the office. Thunder players scan their fingerprints. Or at least they did. Suddenly their fingerprint readers have the appeal of a subway pole. “We’re researching thermal imaging cameras,” St. Yves said. “And we may end up eliminating doors altogether.” They have already identified four doors they can open to circulate fresh air, and St. Yves ordered screens that arrived this week.
What comes next is deeply uncertain. The NBA has said teams in some markets can reopen their gyms for limited workouts as soon as Friday, but not even St. Yves knows when Oklahoma City’s players will be permitted to come back.
“The short term is daunting,” he said. “The long term is very daunting.”
He’s been weighing that balance since March 11. In the morning, he went to the Jazz’s shootaround, where he learned that Utah’s assistant equipment manager had a new position: hand sanitizer guy. “He literally had a backpack full of hand sanitizer,” St. Yves said.
His day would only get weirder from there. St. Yves visited the officials’ locker room before the game to show the referees how to disinfect the ball during timeouts. They wouldn’t get the chance. Gobert tested positive, Strack stopped the game seconds before it tipped and the NBA suspended the season.
In the chaos of that night, Thunder general manager Sam Presti told St. Yves to make the Jazz feel at home, and so he did. When they didn’t know if a hotel would take them, he arranged for the Red Cross to bring cots. Only after they were tested, found rooms with real beds and were cleared to leave the arena did St. Yves follow the Jazz buses outside. It was 1:30 a.m. on March 12.
He’s been working to get his co-workers back inside ever since.
beast of the east
Active member
[quote="jerseyshorejohnny" post=386744]The Best Coaches May Also Have the Highest Coronavirus Risk
Almost every professional athlete not named Tom Brady is in his or her 20s or 30s. The same can’t be said for the coaches.
By Andrew Beaton and Ben Cohen / WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 5, 2020
The employees are young, healthy and in extraordinarily good shape. There are huge swaths of the country that consider their jobs essential to restoring national spirit. And there are so many rewards for American sports coming back to life that every league is trying desperately to end this shutdown.
But the risk is not simply limited to professional athletes—and that’s one of the many problems that sports officials are trying to solve in the greatest crisis of their lives.
They also have to worry about the health and safety of coaches.
In perhaps no industry is the age gap between star employees and their bosses wider than it is in sports. Almost every professional athlete not named Tom Brady is in his or her 20s or 30s. The same can’t be said for their office colleagues.
The average age of the head coaches in the four major American sports leagues is remarkably consistent: NFL (50 years old), NBA (52), MLB (52) and NHL (52). There are 24 coaches who are older than 60, which amounts to nearly 20% of them, and nine who have already celebrated their 65th birthdays. That’s the age linked with the highest risk of severe illness from Covid-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Executives from multiple leagues say the health and safety of coaches is a legitimate concern they will have to consider as they strategize how to return to action. And it isn’t just big-name coaches. There are other staffers, from assistants to executives to referees, who are part of that older demographic and putting themselves at risk by returning to work.
What makes this situation even trickier to navigate is that older head coaches happen to be among the most successful people in their industry. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 68, which makes him even older than Brady, and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is the oldest in the four major leagues at 71.
The age gap between college athletes and their coaches is even wider. These coaches have more in common with the grandparents of their players. They’re some of the only people on earth who are older than 60 and required to be fluent in TikTok.
The best coach in college football is Nick Saban. He’s 68. That also makes him one of the oldest coaches in college football. His experience has always been a virtue. Now it’s a potential vulnerability.
Meanwhile the mighty Atlantic Coast Conference is basically a retirement community for basketball legends. In the ACC alone are five coaches above the age of 65: Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim (75), Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (73), Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton (71), Miami’s Jim Larranaga (70) and North Carolina’s Roy Williams (69).
The ages of these recognizable figures might seem like random trivia, but it could be a vital subplot as their respective sports chart a path back to action.
The NBA and MLB have considered plans to isolate players to reduce the risk of infection, but the players themselves wouldn’t be the only people in these protective bubbles. Even if the leagues attempt to return with skeleton crews and limited staffs, the future of their sports might be tied to this ethical dilemma: Is it worth exposing the coaches whose jobs don’t let them work from home?[/quote]
Just think how at risk our average fan is.
Almost every professional athlete not named Tom Brady is in his or her 20s or 30s. The same can’t be said for the coaches.
By Andrew Beaton and Ben Cohen / WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 5, 2020
The employees are young, healthy and in extraordinarily good shape. There are huge swaths of the country that consider their jobs essential to restoring national spirit. And there are so many rewards for American sports coming back to life that every league is trying desperately to end this shutdown.
But the risk is not simply limited to professional athletes—and that’s one of the many problems that sports officials are trying to solve in the greatest crisis of their lives.
They also have to worry about the health and safety of coaches.
In perhaps no industry is the age gap between star employees and their bosses wider than it is in sports. Almost every professional athlete not named Tom Brady is in his or her 20s or 30s. The same can’t be said for their office colleagues.
The average age of the head coaches in the four major American sports leagues is remarkably consistent: NFL (50 years old), NBA (52), MLB (52) and NHL (52). There are 24 coaches who are older than 60, which amounts to nearly 20% of them, and nine who have already celebrated their 65th birthdays. That’s the age linked with the highest risk of severe illness from Covid-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Executives from multiple leagues say the health and safety of coaches is a legitimate concern they will have to consider as they strategize how to return to action. And it isn’t just big-name coaches. There are other staffers, from assistants to executives to referees, who are part of that older demographic and putting themselves at risk by returning to work.
What makes this situation even trickier to navigate is that older head coaches happen to be among the most successful people in their industry. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 68, which makes him even older than Brady, and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is the oldest in the four major leagues at 71.
The age gap between college athletes and their coaches is even wider. These coaches have more in common with the grandparents of their players. They’re some of the only people on earth who are older than 60 and required to be fluent in TikTok.
The best coach in college football is Nick Saban. He’s 68. That also makes him one of the oldest coaches in college football. His experience has always been a virtue. Now it’s a potential vulnerability.
Meanwhile the mighty Atlantic Coast Conference is basically a retirement community for basketball legends. In the ACC alone are five coaches above the age of 65: Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim (75), Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (73), Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton (71), Miami’s Jim Larranaga (70) and North Carolina’s Roy Williams (69).
The ages of these recognizable figures might seem like random trivia, but it could be a vital subplot as their respective sports chart a path back to action.
The NBA and MLB have considered plans to isolate players to reduce the risk of infection, but the players themselves wouldn’t be the only people in these protective bubbles. Even if the leagues attempt to return with skeleton crews and limited staffs, the future of their sports might be tied to this ethical dilemma: Is it worth exposing the coaches whose jobs don’t let them work from home?[/quote]
Just think how at risk our average fan is.
Update and a Happy Story amidst so much negative "stuff"
And more important than a college basketball game.
I did not want to follow-up discussing my 94 year old diabetic mother Nina - who has poor hearing and vision but has a great attitude - I previously mentioned that she had to be rushed from the St. ALbans Veterans Home to Jamaica hospital several weeks ago, was lethargic and ultimately determined to have coronavirus, her health and survival outlook was not promising etc.
Just about a week later we received a call from the hospital staff that my mom was breathing on her own, began to eat some AND was being released back to St. Albans. She was never on a ventilator.
As I think I mentioned before, I sincerely believe that the social isolation, quarantined inside her room and lack of mobility (she would normally get out of her room and use the PT exercise bike 5 x per week) and inability for her family to visit = more likely to kill her than the CV. Despite her usual upbeat attitude she actually for the first time mentioned she had lost interest in this life.
It was a sad time and my kids and I had a few good cries - I felt as though I was grieving whether she would survive or not.
Well -
My mom is back at the Veterans' Home, eating, breathing on her own and regaining her positive spirit.
The staff at the hospital could not have been more professional and accommodating.
The staff at St. Albans could not have been more loving and attentive to my mother's needs.
Both places placed calls TO US to update my mother's status and reached out to us in all manners of courtesy - rather than we having to call, be put on hold, be transferred to the wrong place etc.
We also have been able to face time - with a staff member using her own cell phone to contact myself or my kids. In short, the nurses and their assistants, the doctors, the recreation and rehabilitation staff members and the security guards at St. Albans have been wonderful and deserve a loving pat of their collective backs. (If anyone is able to put this story into a local paper, that would be fine and deserving)
Thanks for listening and for all of your goodwill.
Health to your families!
I look forward to the day we can once again spend time in person with my mom.
And more important than a college basketball game.
I did not want to follow-up discussing my 94 year old diabetic mother Nina - who has poor hearing and vision but has a great attitude - I previously mentioned that she had to be rushed from the St. ALbans Veterans Home to Jamaica hospital several weeks ago, was lethargic and ultimately determined to have coronavirus, her health and survival outlook was not promising etc.
Just about a week later we received a call from the hospital staff that my mom was breathing on her own, began to eat some AND was being released back to St. Albans. She was never on a ventilator.
As I think I mentioned before, I sincerely believe that the social isolation, quarantined inside her room and lack of mobility (she would normally get out of her room and use the PT exercise bike 5 x per week) and inability for her family to visit = more likely to kill her than the CV. Despite her usual upbeat attitude she actually for the first time mentioned she had lost interest in this life.
It was a sad time and my kids and I had a few good cries - I felt as though I was grieving whether she would survive or not.
Well -
My mom is back at the Veterans' Home, eating, breathing on her own and regaining her positive spirit.
The staff at the hospital could not have been more professional and accommodating.
The staff at St. Albans could not have been more loving and attentive to my mother's needs.
Both places placed calls TO US to update my mother's status and reached out to us in all manners of courtesy - rather than we having to call, be put on hold, be transferred to the wrong place etc.
We also have been able to face time - with a staff member using her own cell phone to contact myself or my kids. In short, the nurses and their assistants, the doctors, the recreation and rehabilitation staff members and the security guards at St. Albans have been wonderful and deserve a loving pat of their collective backs. (If anyone is able to put this story into a local paper, that would be fine and deserving)
Thanks for listening and for all of your goodwill.
Health to your families!
I look forward to the day we can once again spend time in person with my mom.
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Great news S, S & G. So happy to hear that your incredibly spirited Mom is feeling better and back at St. Albans. Another example of the superhuman, caring health care workers who are doing everything possible to get us through this and make sure their patients are well cared for and family members well informed whenever possible.
God bless you and your Mom.
God bless you and your Mom.
beast of the east
Active member
May 6-12 each year is National Nurses week. Thank a nurse in particular, and all healthcare professionals. We all know at least one, and most of us many.
Great news SS&G!
One of the clients we serve is the Veteran's home in Holyoke, where there have been 19 deaths. So glad your mom is recovering. Awesome news.
Great news SS&G!
One of the clients we serve is the Veteran's home in Holyoke, where there have been 19 deaths. So glad your mom is recovering. Awesome news.
[quote="EliteBaller K" post=386728][URL]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ne...rus-hospitalizations-people-staying-HOME.html[/URL]
REVEALED: 66% of New York state coronavirus hospitalizations are people staying at HOME and NOT essential workers - which begs question: Does lockdown even work?[/quote]
what everyone seems to be forgetting is that those non essential workers (i hate that term) still go out to the supermarkets etc.....and in the beginning nobody was wearing masks
REVEALED: 66% of New York state coronavirus hospitalizations are people staying at HOME and NOT essential workers - which begs question: Does lockdown even work?[/quote]
what everyone seems to be forgetting is that those non essential workers (i hate that term) still go out to the supermarkets etc.....and in the beginning nobody was wearing masks
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