Kinda OT: How the flu may help decide the national championship
Damn – H1N1 may be the national champion this year.
I've been reading 70%-80% of college campuses are experiencing flu like symptoms and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says nearly all the flu virus now circulating is H1N1 virus strain. Unlike the earlier versions from the spring, the effects of the virus (fever, cough, fatigue) have been known to last 2-3 weeks versus 2-3 days.
Now reports are circulating that players on Alabama and Ole Miss are experiencing flulike symptoms, whereas Wisconsin has 10 or more playerss with the flu. At some point, the virus is going to hit one of the teams contending for a national championship at the wrong time, which may have a direct impact on their season and possibly eliminating a chance at a national championship.
Question for our history buffs. Have their ever been widespread fottball game cancellations due to a virus? I know some individual teams have postponed or cancelled games, but has Michigan ever had to?
September 10th, 2009 at 10:58 AM ^
No one on Florida will from H1N1 since Tebow heals all. Even more of a lock for the title now.
September 10th, 2009 at 12:03 PM ^
Actually, Florida may be hardest-hit of all, since Tebow doesn't believe in medicine.*
*at least, medicine that doesn't involve circumcision.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:13 AM ^
In 1918, Michigan cancelled games with Camp Custer, Northwestern, Cornell and Minnesota as a result of the influenza epidemic.
Much of the 1918 season was cancelled nationwide, between flu and World War I travel restrictions and player departures. Michigan went 5-0 and won the national championship that year.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:27 AM ^
Yeah, the Spanish Flu ravaged a lot of sports. The Stanley Cup Finals were canceled when Montreal's team came down with it.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:30 AM ^
FTR, that was a strain of the H1N1 as well.
September 10th, 2009 at 3:12 PM ^
Yeah, but despite the name, the current strain of H1N1 appears to be genetically closer to the recent avian flu than the 1918 virus.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:11 AM ^
I wouldn't worry about it. This flu SEEMS worse cause people are freaking out about it and reporting it. In most years, TONS of people get a two week flu and don't go to the doctor.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:38 AM ^
While I agree with you that it is overhyped as of right now, the reason they are freaking out is that most of the time, the flu kills older people or children because of their weaker immune systems. The H1N1 has been killing people in their 20s and 30s with perfect health at the same rate as the the other demographics, which is what is particularly scary to them.
In its current form, it is nothing to create hysteria over, but if it mutates, which they predict it to this fall, it COULD become the next epidemic and, thus, needs to be taken seriously.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:50 AM ^
if it mutates, which they predict it to this fall, it COULD become the next epidemicvery true. this applies to mike martin, as well.
September 10th, 2009 at 1:05 PM ^
Wolverine as we all know has been able to beat the mutant virus, so Woodley's tatoo should be able to beat the N1H1 into submission.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:12 AM ^
Yeah, there's been a lot of issues with "flu-like symptoms." Teams aren't even letting some players travel.
Also, this is about college football, so it is indeed on topic. We gotta cut down on all the OTs when they're actually on topic according to Brian's post about it.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:32 AM ^
I agree, but people are afraid of getting negbanged bouje-style if they don't post OT in front of it.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:32 AM ^
Hopefully people on campuses are smart and follow protocols to avoid infection(handwashing, etc).
September 10th, 2009 at 11:42 AM ^
Thanks dad!
Anyway, if one person on the team gets it, it is very likely to spread. There are these things called contact drills that are to blame.
September 10th, 2009 at 11:36 AM ^
Alabama RB Mark Ingram has it along with supernamed backup QB Star Jackson.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/ncaa/09/09/alabama-flu.a…
September 10th, 2009 at 12:34 PM ^
This H1N1 thing is like the anti-placebo. Everyone who seems to be getting the flu freaks out which causes the next person to do the same. H1N1 isn't particularly dangerous except to the young, old, and immunocompromised. Sure, it can knock you on your ass for a few days, and will likely cause some football players to miss games, but the effect on our entire population isn't as devastating as the media makes it seem (wow, wouldn't have expected THAT right?).
September 10th, 2009 at 12:46 PM ^
The problem with some H1N1 strains, like the Spanish Flu, is that it causes your immune system to go haywire. This makes it particularly dangerous to people with good immune systems, rather than those with poor immune systems like most other viral diseases.
Luckily, the CDC has so far rejected the notion that this current H1N1 strain causes the same effect.
September 10th, 2009 at 1:07 PM ^
Wait, you mean I'm NOT going to get eaten by a shark, we're NOT going to be innundated with a series of superhurricanes every year that will flood our coasts and destroy everything, and I'm NOT going to die of SARS/bird flu/swine flu/*insert next disease panic of the year here*?
Until this thing actually mutates to one like the 1918 flu, I'm not going to worry. The government is supposed to worry about it so that they're prepared in case it does mutate. But until then it's no worse than the other garden-variety flus -- you feel like ass for a week or two and then you're fine. The only thing with this one is that it seems to be more contagious, which sucks.
September 10th, 2009 at 1:11 PM ^
i know for a fact uhs is freaking out right now do too the number of kids already going to them with the flu-like stuff ... this weekend there were massive lines (I have been lucky enough not to visit yet but my roommates and other friends havent) and well lets face it, it is really easy for it too spread through campus