The College Football Championship Games Seems Unaffected By Omicron


It appears not too many health safeguards are in place.

In the college football championship game universe there seemingly is no such thing as Omicron. There doesn’t appear to be any Omicron-related problems in the Alabama or Georgia programs. The college football championship playoffs semi-final games were played without any reported problems and so far, all it is business in Indianapolis. City officials are banking on $150 million worth of economic impact from packed hotels and spending in town because of the game. Of course, no one ever does a study on the real economic impact of a big event because the numbers may not come back anywhere near the economic estimates. Neither Indianapolis nor Indiana elected officials seem to care about advice from health experts as there won’t be any Omicron-related changes to the original plan and safety precautions for the College Football National Championship game. The more than 60,000 college football championship in-venue customers are not required to wear masks but they will be encouraged to wear them to protect themselves and others. Indiana reported 15,277 COVID-19 cases two days ago. Indiana health experts are saying that people in the area also need to wear better masks. All of the Indiana championship host committee volunteers who will run the game related activities during the three days leading up to the event will be masked.

Everyone makes money here, the college football teams, the college football industry, the coaches, some players with marketing deals but not all the players, Disney-ESPN, the cable TV rights holder, the performers in the events leading up to the game. If the game is so lucrative, why did the host committee need 2,000 volunteers for game related activities. It seems that being a volunteer for a big event is a bragging issue for someone. If the event is so lucrative, everyone should be paid employees, not volunteers.

Georgia wide receiver Jermaine Burton celebrates after scoring with wide receiver George Pickens against Michigan during the first half of the Orange Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff semifinal game, Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)