Univ of Arizona President and Cardiologist on Pac-12 Decision

University of Arizona president Robert Robbins, the former chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford gives insight into the decision by the Pac-12 Presidents.

“The sentiment among the conference leaders was unanimous – especially in light of emerging information linking COVID-19 to myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart. Several Big Ten student-athletes have been diagnosed with the condition, according to reports. The Big Ten preceded the Pac-12 in postponing fall sports.​

Robbins is a cardiac surgeon who has devoted much of his professional life to studying and researching cardiac disease and treatment. Even though he considers the chance of a “major, adverse event” happening to an otherwise healthy young athlete to be “infinitesimally small,” just one such incident would constitute a worst-case scenario.​

“It's just not worth it,” Robbins said.​

Robbins elaborated on the Pac-12’s decision, explained how viruses can lead to heart problems...”​

https://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildcats/football/the-hardest-easiest-call-ua-president-robert-c-robbins-says-pac-12-did-the-right/article_fac03470-dd3a-11ea-95e2-a7c6e30d15d3.html​

 

Blah blah blah blah.

 

I'm happy I don't live my life by this mantra, nor did I raise my kids that way. This country, by and large, didn't live in fear, either. Choices...

 

It's not about fear. It's about risk both legal and financial. As a cardiologist he know full well how small the health risk is. As a University president he also knows what it would do to the school if an athlete got sick because a bunch of macho egotistical guys decides to just roll the dice. Add to that no liability waivers so the school liability insurance now doesn't cover COVID.

Football coaches and fans aren't the ones responsible for the University which exists regardless if football is played or not.

 

1. They must have run the numbers and found the risk for these athletes of FIRST contracting COVID and THEN having it cause the myocarditis are FAR greater than the risk for these athletes to suffer from CTE, or season/career ending injury, or any of the other dangers inherent with the sport, since they've never, ever considered canceling football for any of those reasons... I'd love to see the numbers comparison of COVID + myocarditis vs. the other major risks. Since, this is all about the science, right?
2. I'd love to see the evidence that shows that these football players are at greater risk on the field than off of it. I'd love to see the evidence where keeping them from playing the sport they love and therefore freeing up a huge chunk of their time will lead them to staying home more and being even safer. It would be great to see that scientific evidence. Since, this is all about the science, right?

 

If that’s the standard, then perhaps they should consider getting out of the football business? Brain injury risk is real, and perhaps more likely to afflict these athletes than a bad Covid-19 outcome.

 

Perhaps this is the beginning of the end for all inter-collegiate sports and universities as we know them? On-line learning will be the norm as pandemics become more common.

 

I'd like to know how severe a case of the virus the Big 10 conference players had that caused the myocarditis.
Also, what are all the other things that could cause the myocarditis to occur in a young athlete? And
did they rule them out before thinking it was the virus that caused it?

 

Gee Doc, that's not a smart thing to say when the whole damn sport is effing dangerous. Unless Doc Robbins is advocating for the sport to be abolished entirely then he really needs to shut his trap.

 

Recall Buckeyes wanted players to sign waivers. Parents should advise their kids no .

 

The vast majority of the players are over 18 years old and therefore legally adults. While I agree that most parents might be understandably reluctant to have their sons sign a waiver allowing them to possibly (or quite probably) be exposed to the virus, the players themselves are legally adults and should be allowed to make their own choice in the matter.

 

Its time to just get rid of college sports. Universities should focus on education. Other countries compete in Olympic sports without college competition and "our" big three sports wouldn't be hurt in the slightest by replacing college sports with "minor league" sports. Basketball is pretty much there already, baseball is there, football is the only one left and it would be great to have minor league football. It would be the best minor league sport to watch and could start in summer and finish early.
College football is basically the minor leagues, except the students don't get paid. Getting rid of college sports wouldn't mean that you couldn't play professionally, you could still go to school, you would just have to pay for school yourself. Scholarships would be given out for academic achievement, as they should be, and the corrupt NCAA would be abolished and those worthless fools would be out of jobs.
College sports need to go, we need to let athletes be athletes and students be students. Times have changed.

 

That's might be the future

I was on a trip to Europe and visited my cousin's engineering college campus in Amsterdam. It was just a building. No frills. No sports. Just school.

He just paid $500 a year in material to attend. No tuition.

They have sports clubs outside school for those interested in sports. No semi pro sports at Universities. They also don't cost a home mortgage to attend.

 

As much as I love CFB I hate to admit you're on to something here. I almost wish I could find something haywire in your reasoning, but I can't. The system as it stands has become unwieldy and complicated. Good post...darn it.

 

As much as I love CFB I hate to admit you're on to something here. I almost wish I could find something haywire in your reasoning, but I can't. The system as it stands has become unwieldy and complicated. Good post...darn it.

 

It was the liability. The lawyers have the final say. But no university President wants to admit that.

 

There is no elaboration required by the good doctor. These decisions were made by health care attorneys and risk managers, not physicians. Cloaking this as a medical decision is intellectually dishonest.

 

You know what else is linked to myocarditis? Chlamydia and a bunch of other stuff common around a college campus. That risk was not too high.

 

You nailed it. This poster is trolling under the guise of being informative. He has an agenda as do the bureaucrats and politicians making these decisions.

 

SI ran an article quoting a Minnesota cardiologist commenting on the report used by Pac-12 to cancel season:
"He explained to the Big 12′s leaders that a new myocarditis study in the Journal of American Medical Association that sparked panic across college sports didn’t have the “bandwidth” to be transferable in a useful way. The study, conducted in Germany and composed of middle-aged adults, found that 78 percent of the 100 participants had some cardiac abnormality. Ackerman said it’d be a “scientific foul” to infer that those findings are relevant for 18 to 24-year old athletes."
This decision to cancel is obviously more political and legal than medical.