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The virus and the manner in which it affects the return of sports are resistant to our modern obsession with certainty and absolutes. Example: You can cite low death rates, but players have legitimate, significant concerns besides the possibility of their own death.
Players are concerned, as one example, about the possibility of reduced lung capacity as a result of the virus. Reduced lung capacity could be the difference between elite athletic performance and sub-professional athletic performance. Not to mention the long-term effects.
Obviously, there remains the concern that a football environment is fertile ground for virus spread, and that a player could bring it home to a vulnerable family member without knowing he has it. These are just a few of the issues that sit outside the idea of "low death rates."
All of that said, it seems clear the players want to play, but that they want as many questions answered about their safety and that of their families before they return. This is reasonable, and somewhat nuanced, and nuance in 2020 is, sadly, not fashionable.
So saying "Cancel the season!" or "No way they play!" or "Just suck it up and play, millionaires!" is really missing the point. There is a middle ground where risk exists but is mitigated to an acceptable point. That's what the NFL and NFLPA are working on.
