To those who write and ask if it’s responsible to put sports before safety in the face of the current spike…and claim it’s irresponsible to question science and the government’s efforts. How do you face the inevitable question of which science you believe, and how long do you put your life on hold?
I want to gently tread on a concern brought to our attention this week by Larry Hottle, who wrote to ask: “Isn’t it poor taste to mock the president of Notre Dame University for addressing the very serious breach of protocol on the part of students who demonstrated a fundamental disregard for public safety and taking Covid 19 seriously.”
He added: “With respect to your efforts to pursue your daily interests, there are a lot of people with more serious priorities. Maybe it would be in the best interest of the country if we double our focus on science to bring the crisis to an end.”
Larry, your passion in writing was so impressive that it deserves the light of public consideration, and we’re happy to share your concern. But along with some others who remind us that we place too much emphasis on sports, and tournaments while pooh-poohing the governor, science and the DOH…how else would you have us cover it? Like it’s a thing of the past?
In addressing Bruce Hooley’s Tuesday column this week on living with Covid, he wasn’t mocking the issue of Covid, or its seriousness…or the president of Notre Dame. Just the reality of life outside the normal routine of things BECAUSE of Covid.
And no one’s questioning the importance of science while writing about sports. But should we give up all sports for science? And if you say yes, consider which science?
Do you bow to the science of the virus being an airborne disease with serious consequences for some? Or do you acknowledge that there’s also a science that concedes that 98% of the people who test positive recover from it with mild or no symptoms and have no lasting consequences, except immunity?
If you’re one who truly believes that we should put sports in the closet to slow down the spread, remember…there are other Covid viruses (such as the flu, or common cold) that we literally disregard and play through…because the human body has built up an immunity to those symptoms over the course of time.
And if you’re one who really believes that we should shut down sports, and bars, and restaurants, and weddings, funerals, and birthday dinners…remember that the cure that comes (if it comes) with the loss of jobs, incomes, and standard of life might prove to be worse than Covid itself.
If, like Mike DeWine, you believe we should abandon Thanksgiving football with family for the threat of infection and an untimely death, why do we trouble to baptize and believe that this life is imperfect and only temporary in the first place? That there’s something better! We’re charged by the Scriptures to at least show faith the size of a mustard seed, but I don’t hear any mention of it.
Finally, if you believe in displaced priorities, how long are you willing to hover and hunker down? When DeWine asks you to do all these things until there’s a vaccine, do you question…for how long? When Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel say “until we beat this thing”…how long is that? And why should we believe them, anyway, because they’re not from the science community.
No, I think it’s a better idea that we give people something to read and obsess over besides the daily numbers and press briefings.
In the meantime, turn to yourself. Trust in the reality of seeing young people being fit to play, attend school, and families being able to act like families. Remember that testing positive doesn’t mean you’re sick…and that a lot of science is still just theory.
And if you DON’T trust in the science of 98%…then you SHOULD stay out of harm’s way, but trust in the time-proven fact that the body does form its own immunities.
If you can bring yourself to do that playing the volleyball and football tournaments isn’t such a bad idea. And you’ll realize that a lot of other people have these same interests.
So we’ll cover them…just like we always do.