Worried About Exposure To Covid-19?

If crowds and the possible exposure to any communicable disease are a concern there's one very safe place, Mariucci Arena, the home of the University of Minnesota hockey Gophers during an NCAA D-I hockey game.

 Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, 14 minutes before puck drop in a game between the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the quarter finals of the BigG conference hockey tournament, March 7, 2020.

An arena that holds over 10,000 spectators drew a passionate crowd of 2,182 to watch two of the premier hockey programs in the country battle it out. At the same time a game between conference rivals St. Cloud State and University of Minnesota-Duluth gathered in 6597 fans on Lake Superior, 2167 watched the Soo Lakers play Bemidji State in that wide-spot in the road up north and 3,417 Minnesotans with time on their hands witnessed the pummeling of the Alaska-Anchorage Sea Wolves by the Mankato State hockey Mavericks on the banks of the Minnesota River. 

Chances are that many of the failures of people to gather in crowds will now be blamed on the Wuhan flu. Small crowds at sporting events, trade shows, plays and movies and retailers will be attributed to fear of the disease. While this is likely to be a factor of some size in all of them it's also likely that will be an easy excuse for owners and managers to explain failures with other, contributing causes. The escalation of ticket prices to ball games, plays and movies; bad teams and unexciting play; poor selection of products; inept customer service contribute to sparse crowds as well. Covin-19 will be management's excuse for profit destruction, however. 

Post script: All NCAA winter and spring sports events have been cancelled. No conference or national hockey or basketball tournaments and the baseball season had also ended. Interestingly, the governing body of intercollegiate sports is attempting to figure out a way to indemnify the athletes, perhaps by extending eligibility. Maybe this makes sense in a sordid way for D-I athletes, who are essentially free minor leagues for professional sports. It makes less sense in the case of D-III sports. Very few D-III athletes move on to professional careers at anything but the lowest levels. If they could, they would already be D-I participants. D-III sports are programs designed to attract tuition-paying students that wish to extend their youthful passion for sports as long as possible in a recognized format. While this experience may further their goals in leadership, teamwork, etc., it really doesn't have much to do with their educational experience. College sports at all levels need to examine their priorities and role in society.