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That's Fro in a Nutshell. 

Americans are a bunch of  morons that drink Budweiser that they bought from Walmart while they watch Nascar, thus they need to have all of their important decisions made by the Liberal Elite, who are educated and smart and know what is best for everyone else. 

I’m sure you probably aren’t like that. Just like I’m sure the people in favor of playing aren’t taking the “just rub some dirt on it” attitude like you suggested.  The caricature of you being frightened of your shadow is just as unfair as the one you are painting of others.

Bingo. Obviously people saying all is fine are overstating one way and people saying this is the greatest travesty are the other way.

I can't help but be fascinated by the idea of bravery in all of it. Like chances are, people are mostly bad at judging risk. It's just not something our brains are wired for. We know this. That isn't to say that someone needs to step in all the time (though in various ways, a lot of people step in) or even most of the time. But sometimes, they create guardrails. Sometimes those guardrails are too much, and we need more freedom to make our own choices and mistakes. 

BB asked if the idea is "adults are such idiots that they need someone else to make all of their important decisions." It's honestly probably not the important decisions, but the mundane ones. Like I'm about to go get gas an pick up groceries. And someone has decided almost all the times my car stops on that drive. They've decided roughly where I stop my car when I go to the store. They've decided the range of speeds at which I'll likely go. I suppose if I run all those stop signs and drive 60 in a 25, I'm just out there taking on risk that I accept. It's kind of a weird thing. 

(the bravery part is mostly silly. There's half a bit of logic that you can only be brave if you're in some ways afraid. I think about driving after too many. I've done it without fear at 22 and with fear at 27, and in neither case did it demand bravery in a real sense)

I am against all over generalizations.

Specifically as well as generally? 

That's Fro in a Nutshell.

Americans are a bunch of  morons that drink Budweiser that they bought from Walmart while they watch Nascar, thus they need to have all of their important decisions made by the Liberal Elite, who are educated and smart and know what is best for everyone else.

But what I don't get about the "not playing football" issue is that it wasn't the "liberal elite" that did it. 

It was the university Presidents, answering to their BoD or chancellors, that made this decision.

It wasn't OAM or me or you. It wasn't POTUS. It wasn't the Speaker of the House. It wasn't SCOTUS. 

The players want to play and the coaches want to coach, of course. But the university Presidents have a wider view of this, and IMHO they are thinking beyond this season. They're thinking about the question of "what if a player gets COVID and dies, or what if a player gets horrible continuing heart or lung problems, from an on-the-field incident?"

It's one thing to say "the players want to play" so we should let them. But if they're putting the future reputation of the university at risk, the university that is sponsoring their sport is the one who should make the decision whether they play. 

Not you. Not me. Not OAM. Not Congress. Not POTUS. To use the legal term, "we don't have standing" in this discussion. 

Did the Brits join the allied forces against the Nazis? Or did they just hide under their beds until the danger was over? 

Definition of bravery


1: the quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty


At no point in human history (until now) has it been considered courageous to curl up into the fetal position at the first sign of adversity, and do absolutely nothing. That's always been known as cowardice.

To this point, no one has suggested either curling up in the fetal position or doing absolutely nothing. The suggestion has been to avoid large group gatherings and the action has been taken to do that. 

Now, one could actually make a tenuous case that being deprived of normalcy in the face of difficulty fits that definition (possibly mental strength, moral would be a judgement call), but it's a bit of a stretch. Here's the thing, even if one accepts its not the brave thing to do (a fair thing), it doesn't really contrast with the alternative. Demanding that things be normal requires zero "mental or moral strength." It's all sorts of soft to pound the table and say "I wanna do what I wanna do right now!" So at best, it's a magnificent push. 

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To this point, no one has suggested either curling up in the fetal position or doing absolutely nothing. 

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The Big Ten has elected to curl up into the fetal position and do nothing, at the first sign of adversity.

High School, Pros, other College Conferences are all going to give it a go. They might not make it through the season, but they are at least willing to give it the old college try.