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(Disc Orgs & COVID - An Ongoing Thread!)
(DISCLAIMER - These perspectives are my own and don’t reflect the official position of WAFC, its staff, or directors.)
(DISCLAIMER - These perspectives are my own and don’t reflect the official position of WAFC, its staff, or directors.)
This June I submitted this opinion to Ultiworld. The US had 28,000 new COVID cases on June 18th when the piece was published. https://ultiworld.com/2020/06/18/pandemic-ethics-the-challenge-facing-disc-organizations/
Yesterday we had 146,000 new cases. Vaccines offer long-term hope, but the short-term challenges for disc orgs are getting MORE complicated, not easier. And yet as the reality on-the-ground worsens, you see the narrative shifting to WHEN - not IF - we will return to ultimate.
I wrote that disc orgs are now “forced to arbitrate...an ethical dispute with the potential to cause lasting fissures in our communities.” Sadly we’re starting to see this play out, as in Indy re: the AlleyCats tryout & the unsanctioned indoor league. https://www.reddit.com/r/ultimate/comments/kgfipb/open_letter_from_travis_carpenter_regarding/
Unlike Mr. Carpenter, who publicly admitted “he did not consider the position...where others are now holding me responsible,” I can attest that staff & leaders from local disc orgs (at least the folks I know best) are ABUNDANTLY AWARE of their responsibility for their own orgs.
Let’s not forget why we’re slogging through such a disastrous quagmire - the absolute nonexistence of anything close to proactive effectual pandemic response from national leadership. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, they get to host national tournaments. https://www.ultimate.org.nz/p/nz-mixed-season-culminates-in-2020-division-1-nzmuc
Disc orgs face responsibility for the health & safety of their community. To their credit, most orgs are embracing that responsibility re: return-to-play decisions. Orgs are wrestling with big picture questions of community stewardship while their communities begin to fracture.
COVID isn’t happening in a vacuum. Disc orgs are reckoning with their responsibilities toward equity and racial justice for local ultimate. Finances are strained. Some orgs have destaffed or implemented furloughs. Disc org leaders are burned out, yet the pandemic rages on.
But the impulse toward RESPONSIBILITY is surviving, for now. So where do we go from here?
Soon I’ll dive into some specifics on the “CAN WE?” & “SHOULD WE?” return-to-play questions to explain why - in my humble local organizer perspective - there are simply no easy choices.
Soon I’ll dive into some specifics on the “CAN WE?” & “SHOULD WE?” return-to-play questions to explain why - in my humble local organizer perspective - there are simply no easy choices.
Many of my opinions will be direct responses to opinions on a recent @DeepLookPod episode (linked below), which effectively captures many return-to-play arguments that I’m hoping to dissect from my local organizer perspective. Stay tuned for more! https://ultiworld.com/2020/11/11/deep-look-when-can-ultimate-return/
(Disc Orgs & COVID - The Data or Lack Thereof)
IMAGINE IF YOU WILL you're the president of your local disc org. Your Board has made a firm commitment to prioritize the health & safety of your local community. You're being cautious and thoughtful about return-to-play options.
IMAGINE IF YOU WILL you're the president of your local disc org. Your Board has made a firm commitment to prioritize the health & safety of your local community. You're being cautious and thoughtful about return-to-play options.
You're feeling financial pressure to maintain operations. Local authorities have issued guidance where outdoor competitive ultimate seems permissible. But because you're trying to make the MOST RESPONSIBLE decision, you're searching for any consensus data to inform your choice.
The problem = THIS CONSENSUS DATA DOES NOT EXIST.
"As the pressure to play mounts, parents, coaches and league officials are seeking good information to make smart decisions. Problem is, there isn’t enough." https://www.jsonline.com/in-depth/news/2020/11/13/so-many-unknowns-covid-19-youth-sports-safe-winter/6216097002/
"As the pressure to play mounts, parents, coaches and league officials are seeking good information to make smart decisions. Problem is, there isn’t enough." https://www.jsonline.com/in-depth/news/2020/11/13/so-many-unknowns-covid-19-youth-sports-safe-winter/6216097002/
"'We have to be honest and transparent that there’s not a ton of data to say for or against,' said Alison Brooks, a University of Wisconsin pediatrician and sports medicine expert."
But this hasn't stopped the business of amateur sports from clinging onto whatever data it can.
But this hasn't stopped the business of amateur sports from clinging onto whatever data it can.
Many folks have pointed to a Univ of Wisconsin study which suggested no extra transmission risk from playing in sports. That study has since been widely disputed. https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/coronavirus-and-youth-sports/reports/2020/10/27/experts-dismiss-survey-claiming-no-extra-risk-of-virus-through-sports
“'Although I would like for (UW’s) conclusions to be true, it is not consistent with many reports nationwide, including here in Atlanta, of clusters of COVID-19 cases in student-athletes,' said Dr. Neel Gandhi, a professor of infectious diseases."
"Infectious disease experts say it’s hard to draw any useful conclusions from the University of Wisconsin research, which has not been peer-reviewed and was based on self-reported data."
And so YOU - the responsible disc organizer - appreciate the lack of consensus data over COVID transmission risk with outdoor sports. You recognize that ANY return to ultimate COULD pose increased risk of transmission, because the data simply doesn't rule out that possibility.
For my part, I disagree with the opinion "we have enough data to show that (outdoor frisbee leagues) would be responsible" in the referenced Deep Look pod (50'40"). I'd strongly suggest we do NOT have sufficient data regarding transmission risk for outdoor sports.
As it stands, disc orgs cannot ELIMINATE risk of transmission in outdoor ultimate. At best, orgs can consider options for mitigating risks (the "Can We?" question). Meanwhile, orgs face ethical questions over assuming ANY risk for their communities (the "Should We?" questions).
