Crazy Covid Season

I just got through reading the latest proposal for a 6 game season and then everyone that wants to makes the playoffs. I am scratching my head over this. In my mind, either the season is on or it isn't. These half way measures are just plain confusing and I don't know that they actually accomplish anything except to show that "we are trying".

 I guess that this is the best compromise to get football played this fall in Ohio. But like all compromises, no one is happy. This makes me think of the 10pm rule for bars. What is magic about 10pm? Either the bar is shut down because it is a hot bed for Covid, or it is open because it is not. I don't know that keeping a bar open for half the night really accomplishes much - except to show that we are trying to do something. And this is the same for football. It is a halfway measure (Ok one more game than half) for a 6 game football season.

 But wait it is more convoluted because schools can opt out of the playoffs and play more than the 6 game regular season. But who do they play if their competitors are opting for the playoffs? Do they stop at 6 and start sending out flyers saying that they are looking for games in weeks 7, 8, 9, 10?  How do you fill those last 4 weeks if you decide that this is a rebuild year and you want to get in the max number of games for experience?

A cynical person would look at the higher number of football playoff games from these new rules and note that OSHAA (the Ohio Athletic Association) gets a cut of the gate. Are they making up lost revenue from the shortened basketball tournament last season, or maybe building up funds in case the Covid re-emerges this winter and basketball season is either shortened or doesn't happen at all.

 Then instead of the Harbin system we are using votes. We are going back to 1960. So if you have a school that you hate, you can not vote for them, or vote them down in the rankings so that they get a poor seed. I am not happy, but now the kids who have been working so hard this winter, spring, summer and now fall will get a chance to play - I am happy for that.