B1G has cancelled football.

 The B1G and PAC 12 have cancelled fall sports. Here is the B1G official statement. I have been thinking about this and getting steadily more upset ever since 1:45 PM. This is horrible. I have avoided really shitting on the COVID-19 media coverage too much because I didn't want to deal with the trolling and "yOu THinK cOroNavIruS iS faKe IF yOu qUEstioN anYthIng!" crowd. I am done. Bring on the trolls. This decision has nothing to do with the coronavirus. The B1G, as a whole, is not concerned about player safety per coronavirus. Nothing has changed in the overall COVID-19 numbers between when they announced the season schedule and when they cancelled. The schedule was announced August 5. Per the CDC report release July 31 hospitalization rate was 130.1 per 100,000 and mortality rate was 8.4% if you include pneumonia, influenza, and COVID-19 deaths. The report released August 7  has hospitalization at 137.6 per 100,000 and mortality rate at 7.8% if you include pneumonia, influenza, and COVID-19 deaths. Per the same two reports, positive tests dropped from 8.7% to 7.8% between the time the season schedule was announced and the season was cancelled. There were 50,000 more tests conducted the week of the August 7th report and there with 15,000 less positives. There were no outbreaks reported at any B1G or PAC 12 schools. Nothing changed for the worse, if anything the numbers got slightly better between schedule announcement and season cancellation. So why cancel? Money. It's always money. College football is a multi-million dollar industry built on the backs of amateur players. This is a convenient excuse to take away the leverage/support building for a player's association. There has been a growing movement to get the players paid, and they should be. This statement was made by player representatives on August 5th in regards to the B1G schedule announcement. The PAC 12 players made this statement August 2nd. B1G and PAC 12 are both cancelled. SEC, ACC, and Big 12 players have not made any unified statements regarding a player's association or union. The only conferences that have cancelled are B1G and PAC 12. This is not a coincidence. There is a popular political podcast I listen to where the host's approach to every news story is " The issue is never the issue". I believe this applies here. The issue is not the rona, it is NCAA not wanting to pay the players because it cuts into their profits. The NCAA would much rather have the bag men continue to operate because it doesn't affect their revenue than have a player's association ensuring the players are treated fairly and giving them a cut. The NCAA is stuck in the 1950s and unwilling to admit that their business model is wrong and needs to be changed. Cancelling the season for players who challenged the system is just another power move by the NCAA. Stay safe every one, be smart, follow local guidelines, and GO CUBS GO.