I totally get why it's being done, but canceling spring games isn't without impact
When Florida announced Tuesday that it would not be hosting a 2021 spring game, I probably had a similar thought as you.
Man, what a bummer.
Thanks to 2020, we’re all experts in the school of reacting to canceled events. It was a reminder that a new year doesn’t necessarily mean a new approach to reality. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin made an announcement that plenty of athletic directors (not all) will have to make. That is, a spring football game isn’t worth it with these circumstances.
Was part of Florida’s trend-setting announcement motivated by the desire to deviate from Dan Mullen’s infamous “pack The Swamp” plea after the Texas A&M loss? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
What we do know is that there’s still a pandemic going on, and an exhibition football game probably doesn’t really seem like something worth justifying for some programs. There’s still a dead period, so it’s not like recruits can be there. It would be a reduced capacity crowd, which already has reduced pricing. It’s not a regular-season game wherein massive TV contracts are involved, either.
It’s a glorified practice that, under normal circumstances, helps us forget that we’re still months from watching a meaningful snap.
Having said all that, canceling spring games isn’t without impact. We’d be foolish to think that.
No, I’m not referring to the autograph seekers who won’t get to try and make a living off reselling signatures from college kids (some programs have done away with those). I’m not even referring to people like us in the content business who don’t mind having a few Saturdays worth of news come from an intra-squad game.
Who actually benefits spring games? Players and coaches.
They aren’t the end all, be all, but personnel decisions can certainly be made from a spring game. Position battles play out and guys get a stage that doesn’t exist for the other 8 months of the year. Some thrive on it, some crumble on it. It doesn’t determine long-term success, nor does it determine long-term failure. It’s only 1 data point.
We can see guys thrive in spring games and then end up in the transfer portal a short while later (Malik Willis). We can also see situations like 2019 LSU, wherein the offensive transformation was evident in the spring game, and it proved to be a sign of things to come.
Spring games don’t matter for everyone. Do we need to see Matt Corral start in a spring game to know what he and that Ole Miss offense are capable of? No. Would it have been huge for Dan Mullen to get to see Emory Jones in his first spring game as the presumed starter? Absolutely.
For non-established quarterbacks, spring games matter. Besides the obvious of trying to establish a rapport with the receivers, that spring game stage also provides an opportunity for signal-callers to settle into the flow of a game. Are they too juiced up and overthrowing receivers? Do the surroundings overwhelm their ability to make decisions?
You’ll hear no shortage of coaches talk about the importance of a spring game being a key factor in deciding a quarterback battle. By my count, there are only 4 SEC programs that return their full-time starting quarterback and head coach:
- Georgia
- Mizzou
- MSU
- Ole Miss
That means 10 SEC teams will have either a new full-time starting quarterback or a new head coach. Look at all the SEC programs just with new offensive coordinators:
- Alabama
- Auburn
- Florida
- Kentucky
- LSU
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Vanderbilt
Granted, not all of those programs are overhauling their systems (Florida is the only one of that group without a new offensive play-caller). Still, though. That’s 8 teams with new offensive coordinators who would probably like to get a more realistic look at their quarterbacks — some incumbent and some not — in a game-like situation before September. This isn’t basketball where there’s a preseason with a handful of exhibition games.
This is crucial in the evaluation period. It’s also usually crucial in the recruiting period. But with the NCAA extending the dead period through April 15 — that means no in-person visits — we’re talking about another cycle of recruits potentially missing out on getting those visits to make an important decision before their senior seasons.
Again, does it make sense that this is the way things are playing out? Sure. Is it OK to acknowledge the impact? Definitely.
We have to be consciously aware of how these circumstances impact people, even as they become more and more entrenched in this bizarro reality that we’re living in.
From an on-field standpoint, there’s a chance we’ll look back on some of the absurd offensive numbers put up and decide that an offseason that yielded so few opportunities for tackling probably had something to do with that. We’re allowed to acknowledge that canceling spring games impacts more than football junkies who want something to watch after March Madness ends in April. It’s OK to understand the circumstances and still be bummed that plenty of early enrollees, transfers and hopeful starters won’t get that annual platform.
Even though we all wanted to turn the page and keep our fingers crossed that 2021 will feel much more normal than the 2020 season, Stricklin’s announcement was a “not so fast” moment.
Brighter days are ahead. We just still have some pandemic aftershocks to work through.
Kneel before your bureaucratic lords serfs!
I really hope you’re one of those older bandwagon fans leftover from the ’90s or late 00’s and didn’t actually go to UF. That would be really embarrassing to the faculty and staff of the University to know they failed you so badly.
Nope…double degreed. Fischer School and everything. So get back on your knees and blow me.
Best snowflake swat in a while!
They need to hold a spring game without fans for safety, but televise it for the fans.
My thoughts exactly.
I would guess that might try to finish up with some simulation of what would have been called a spring game.
Stadium vendors are hurting.
Athletic departments are losing money too.
6 more weeks of vaccinations and herd immunity.
I think 35% capacity is very doable.
This is what Stricklin said: “Also, the SEC Network will have a dedicated window to showcase Gators Football, similar to what televised spring games have provided in the past.” He’s being careful here to not say that there will be a televised game, but he’s also offering something comparable? Not sure exactly what that means. I think they might not want to officially call it s Spring game in case they have to cancel it because of an outbreak, but I’m guessing at least a scrimmage will be available.
He was talking about them televising portions of practices.
Canceling the annual Spring game is insane. These players practice vs. each other during Spring practice. Hold the Spring games, but just limit fan attendance to maybe 20% like the 2020 season. And yes…allow tailgating for sure. *AD’s…Remember we are the fans who purchase season tickets and spend money on tshirts/baseball caps/etc.
Cancelling a spring game makes no sense to me. Some schools are actually playing real games now. If you are worried about a crowd, don’t have one. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a game. I sure hope we don’t follow UF with this nonsensical decision.
If spring practice is taking place then why can’t there be a game. I am totally lost on this. Has there been any reason given other than Covid concerns? Cause if Covid is the reason, than we need new leadership.
Yes, the main reason is the stadium is being used as a large scale testing and vaccination site. I guess you could maybe have it at the indoor practice facility, but the fact of the matter is Mullen has never really taken the orange and blue game that seriously anyway. It’s always been more about entertainment value for the fans and having fun than a serious scrimmage that’s going to make or break the season. As long as they can get the full 15 practices in, which I’m sure they’ll have a few scrimmages anyway, then that’s all that really matters as far as getting prepared for the season.
Good point.
youve been lost foe years boy.
“You been lost foe years”! What? It took you 3 hours to come up with that and you still could not spell a 3 letter word?! WOW. Speaking of being lost for years, How is the Little Orange Football team doing?
After having basically a year of the pandemic so far, I don’t see the point of cancelling anything (at least something that’s nearly two months away at this time). There should have been enough of a precedent already to get things done with precaution, and if we’re talking about a spring game, it can be done with limited fan participation.
At a minimum of minimums, they should have a spring game where only direct family attends and it’s televised for the rest of us.
I’m kind of hoping this is what they’re planning in the background. To call a spring event a Spring Game brings with it a ton of expectation (UF does a lot of activities, player meetings, etc). After reading some of the press and statements, they could be setting up a spring scrimmage that the SEC Network can televise, but closed to the public.
Florida’s Governor is handling the China virus very well. Thousands will be fully vaccinated by the time the game comes around. There’s no reason why they can’t ‘Pack the Swamp’ for the game. Provide those who’ve been fully vaccinated with proof of being vaccinated and allow them to attend the Spring games.
Hundreds of thousands of Doctors, Nurses, Fire and Police, and many more have already been vaccinated, not to mention the elderly. Why not allow these people (many of which have stayed on the job at great risk) to safely attend the Spring games. Same for the Masters…
I am not in any way a specialist on the covid “vaccines”, so by all means take anything that I say on the subject with a grain of salt.
It is my understanding that the “vaccines” are not vaccines at all. They do not act as typical vaccines in stimulating the body’s immune system to build antibodies against the virus, to keep someone from getting covid. The covid “vaccines” are in reality gene therapy, or actually chemotherapy, which help the body limit the symptoms of the virus. You will note that those who have been “vaccinated” have been told that they must still wear masks, & further that they can still carry the virus/illness.
With this understanding, it would be a bad idea to have any stadium filled with those who have taken the covid “vaccine”. They could easily catch the virus from others at the event, & then unknowingly become a super spreader, since the “vaccine”, if working as designed, would likely make them an asymptomatic carrier.
The purpose of these “vaccines” is to curtail symptoms & keep people from dying from the virus, not to keep people from getting the virus. On the other hand, if the government told the truth & said that it was chemotherapy, even more people would refuse to get “vaccinated”.
Correct. This vaccine isn’t going to wipe out covid.
I’m pretty sure that’s all vaccines. With the flu it’s an even bigger crap shoot because of how fast it mutates. They “guess” as to what the strain will be and hope for the best every year. Sometimes it’s mostly affective, a lot of times it’s useless.
You are generally right about flue vaccines. While everything about the current covid inhibiting injections, call them a “vaccine”, they are not really a vaccine at all! The government is allowing it to be called a vaccine when that is really not what it is, because calling it what it is, would further limit people taking it.
Pretty amazed that the most insightful information I’ve read about the “vaccine” would come on an SEC football site. I appreciate you sharing this information, gives me an avenue for further research about mRNA vaccines and this one, in particular.
The Moderna and Pfiz vaccines are given as a preventative…
Based on evidence from clinical trials, the Moderna vaccine was 94.1% effective at preventing laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 illness in people who received two doses who had no evidence of being previously infected.
The vaccine appeared to have high effectiveness in clinical trials (efficacy) among people of diverse age, sex, race, and ethnicity categories and among persons with underlying medical conditions.
Also, the vaccines are given to help the population reach herd immunity.
Herd immunity, or community immunity, is when a large part of the population of an area is immune to a specific disease. If enough people are resistant to the cause of a disease, such as a virus or bacteria, it has nowhere to go.
While not every single individual may be immune, the group as a whole has protection. This is because there are fewer high-risk people overall. The infection rates drop, and the disease peters out.
Herd immunity protects at-risk populations. These include babies and those whose immune systems are weak and can’t get resistance on their own.
Agreed…the year of COVID will end soon and life can actually be as it was in the pre-COVID era. As I recall the words of a song…..
“Paranoia will destroy ya”. It is time to move on past this year. Just think of how many people did not contract the virus.
I’m willing to bet $5 that they still have a spring scrimmage of some sort, it just won’t be a full Spring Game and all that comes with it.
The main thing here is risk vs. reward. Risking an outbreak over a scrimmage that could cause injuries as it is, but isn’t outweighed by revenue or exposure, doesn’t seem worth it. I get that. So get creative and hold something else.
Connor, please tell us how the FL AD justified fans in the Swamp to watch the Gators play games this past season but it’s not okay this spring.
I can’t read the man’s mind but I’m guessing its because most spring games have free admission and the university doesn’t make any money off them.
Exactly
I honestly don’t care if I get to attend A Day in Tuscaloosa as long as the team gets in a full schedule of spring practices. They can televise the last scrimmage and that would be fine with me.
Same here…I would just like the teams to get everything in…doesn’t matter if we are able to attend the spring game or not.
FCS football starts this Friday. Yes, it is FSC, but it is college football. I’ll watch.
FCS. Dislexic keyboard. It couldn’t be me. :-/
Im surprised just because the state of Fla and their Governor have been the model for handling covid so far imo. This isn’t consistent with whats been going on in the rest of the state. Also why not have a game with no fans instead of canceling it altogether? Maybe they just don’t want to play it for some reason.
There have been no spikes in any of the impromptu crowd gatherings like in Tuscaloosa or Chapel Hill. So this doesn’t make sense. Caution instead of Cancelation is my motto
Just yesterday UGA announced they will allow 25% capacity for our spring game.same as last regular season.
that makes no sense lol. DeathSantis is pretty hated here in Florida for how terribly he’s handled this thing and how he’s handing out the vaccine based on the affluence of retirement communities rather based on the actual need of retirement communities or communities with a higher percentage of elderly people.
Speak for yourself. It seems that while that may be the consensus from Mayor Poe and the rest of Gainesville who operate in delusion half the time, the majority of people essential workers and such that have been out there since the beginning including myself think the opposite. Then again im actually out there living instead of cooped up inside watching (insert choice here) main stream medi-sensationalism.
I’m an essential worker too, moron. I’m exposed to other people every day. Piss poor attempt to box me into your straw man.
What exactly makes you more qualified to comment on the seriousness of COVID, then? Are you an epidemiologist? Do you have access to the wealth of data the CDC has? Have you actually read anything that isn’t FOX, Breitbart, Newsmax, etc? If you’re about to cite the 99% number then you’re already outing yourself as a room-temperature IQ mouth breather.
“Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of the most popular governors in America*, according to a new poll conducted by Pulse Opinion Research for U.S. Term Limits.
Statewide, 64 percent of Florida voters approve of the job DeSantis is doing, versus just 24 percent who disapprove. Support for DeSantis is broad across nearly all political and demographic groups.
Among Republicans, 85 percent approve of the Governor while 10 percent disapprove. Among independents, 60 percent approve and 23 percent disapprove. DeSantis is even performing well with Democrats, garnering 46 percent approval versus 39 percent who disapprove.”
I think you are thinking of Cuomo.
Not sure why they just don’t play the game with limited to no fans.
I don’t think it is that big of a deal. Though a team may not have an oficial spring game, that does not preclude the coaching staff from holding one on their own.
All of this is total crap. Healthy 18-20 somethings are not at risk from Covid. Gov. DeSantis’s actions against the pandemic BS (since May, 2020) has proven that these sports related decisions are unnecessary. Let the kids play, let the fans come watch and vaccinate the 65+ yr olds so they too can come out and play. Our personal freedoms have been trampled long enough by politicians who don’t have the guts to face the reality that they may get blamed for someone dying on their watch. I’m 70+, vaccinated and coming out to play.
1974Gator, Well said!
totally agree
Perfectly stated sir. Glad you were able to get the vaccination. We’ll see you in Jax!
So next time a hurricane comes I’m glad you want the announcement to be “Don’t worry! Hurricanes have a 99% survival rate! Just go out and drive and have fun and don’t take any precautions when the Hurricane hits!”
These Texas snowstorms have a 99% survival rate, why not open Texas up? Why are people being asked to say in their homes and why are businesses asked to close?
Do you see how dumb this is?
No, but I am getting the picture of what a triple masked moron you are…
HA! Exactly!
Nice Ad Hominem, but it has nothing to do with the actual point being made…
Are you going to actually respond or are you going to put your hand over your ears and scream “LALALALALA IM NOT LISTENINGGGGGG” as the facts hurt your feelings?
A regular practice session is of more value to most teams than a spring game.
It’s all BS! Masks don’t protect you – they CONTROL you! Vaccines are said not to keep you from getting the kung fu flu! Young, healthy people have nothing to fear. Old and/or sick people should take precautions such as WASHING their hands often! No reason to cancel the spring games – people have lost out on too much already! Fresh air and SUNSHINE are good for you – that’s why the dems/chinamen don’t want you to enjoy it!
Moron.
Get on back in your hole boy. We will let you know when it’s safe FOR YOU to come out!
The real “morons” here are the mask-wearing Karens pushing their science-denying fear porn on the rest of us!
Go around licking every doorknob you find. I’m sure it was a hobby for you before the pandemic anyway. I’m sure if I put your 69 IQ mind to work trying to find a corner in a circular room you would be entertained for hours.
ironic for you all to call me a “science denialist”… tell me, what studies do you have to indicate that masks don’t work.
Exactly!
Agree. It makes ‘zero’ sense. Florida played games in the Swamp all season. You do the same thing you did for games. It’s not a money issue. Whatever the cost is – is negligible when you roll it into the over-all budget. I’m guessing that there will be an about face in Gainesville. They can ill afford for Georgia, Bama, LSU to all have Spring games and have them televised and not be on TV as well. This is part of every school’s recruiting strategy. If you watch these games, the announcers are full of positives for the program they are covering that day. There will be a spring game in Gainesville folks.
I am sure all of those coaches will manage to figure out what QB to start somehow.
Time to get this country back to normal. If you are fearful of going to a game, it is simple. DON’T GO, STAY HOME! It started as “two weeks to flatten the curve” and has turned into a year of fear mongering. These teams work hard and sacrifice greatly to be able to play. LET THEM PLAY! If the players/coaches are fearful of playing, fine, let them sit out.
Well said!
Come on O’Gara! Call this what it is! This is nothing more than another example of University leftists perpetuating the Wuhan virus fear-porn! There’s NOTHING in the science or the mountains of data that we now have that says you can’t have games with fans! My own children’s winter sports (basketball and karate) prove this. My daughter plays b-ball with a private Christian school. We had our regular season and tournament with little to no interuptions, often in packed gyms, and virtually NO MASKS!!! (Games, practices, etc.! And both my 70+ year-old parents attended multiple games maskless!) And we had ZERO issues! What’s more, several of my children recently attended (this year) a karate tournament in an area public school gym. There were HUNDREDS of competitors, and MANY HUNDREDS of fans. The crowd was the largest I’ve seen in person in the past year. The sign out front said “masks required” but many ignored this (I have photo and video evidence) and nothing (THANKFULLY!) was done about it. Not one of these incidents proved a “super spreader” or anything near it. Whether or not you’re going to get this virus (and have any real health issues as a result) has NOTHING to do with mask mandates, etc. END THE FEAR PORN and OPEN AMERICA!!!
Word…truth.