1:32 PM ET ESPN President Donald Trump said he believes college football would be making a “terrible mistake” if the sport is not played this fall.Appearing Tuesday early morning on Fox Sports Radio, Trump cited the youth and general health of college gamers as factors that will assist them avoid the most serious symptoms of the coronavirus.”These football players are very young, strong
people, and physically, I mean they’re physically in extraordinary shape,” Trump said in the interview.” So they’re not going to have an issue, you’re not visiting people, you understand, could there be? Could it happen? But I doubt it.”So I believe football is making a tragic error,
“Trump later on added.He appeared in favor of the sport being played with fans in the stands, but kept in mind,” I’m uncertain college football can do it, but we’ll have to see. “Trump’s remarks came before the Big 10 and Pac-12 ended up being the very first Power 5 conferences to postpone their fall football seasons.The United States tape-recorded fewer than 50,000 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday and Monday but still has actually been
the hardest-hit nation, with more than 5 million detected cases and at least 163,533 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.Hospitalization rates for individuals between 18 and 29 years of ages are 56 per 100,000, compared with 281 per 100,000 individuals between ages 65 and 74
. Individuals in their 20s are less likely to be hospitalized or pass away from the infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Illness Control and Avoidance. Eight of every 10 coronavirus-related deaths in the United States have actually been among adults 65 and older, according to the CDC.But young people can get the illness. More than 97,000 kids in the U.S. tested favorable for the infection in the last two weeks of July, according to numbers from the American
Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. As of Aug. 6, there were more than 380,000 validated cases in children, according to the report. That’s less than 8%of the cases nationwide.Trump also spoke about his desire to see the NFL season start, however with a caveat that’s not related to the global pandemic.”Well, they desire to open and they want to open terribly, and they’ve been dealing with government. I would say this: If they don’t represent that nationwide anthem, I hope they do not open, “Trump said.” But aside from that, I ‘d love to see them open and we’re doing whatever possible for getting them open. They can oppose in other ways. They should not object our flag or our country.”Trump’s opposition to gamers opposing during the playing of the national anthem led him to criticize the NBA, which restarted its season in a bubble setting.”I think it’s been terrible for basketball,”Trump stated.”Look at the basketball scores. They’re down to very low numbers. Really, really low numbers. People are upset about it. They don’t recognize that, they do not want, they have adequate politics with people like me. They don’t need more as they’re driving down, going up for the shot. They do not need it. And there was a nastiness about the NBA the way it was done too.” So I believe that the NBA is in difficulty– I believe it remains in huge trouble, larger problem than they comprehend. And frankly, ice hockey, which is doing extremely well, they didn’t do that, they respected the mores, they respected what they
‘re supposed to be doing. And they’re actually doing extremely well as I comprehend it.”According to the NBA, its games have assisted ABC, ESPN and TNT win prime-time rankings each night among the key demographic of 18-to 49-year-old males. The NBA’s video game between the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers was the most-viewed sports program considering that the league rebooted on July 30, and eight of the 10 most-viewed prime-time sports programs have been NBA video games during that time.In addition to his domestic concerns with the NBA, Trump likewise voiced his annoyance with the league’s relationship with China.”The method [the NBA] catered to China, the way they acquiesced China, it’s a disgrace, frankly,”Trump stated.”And they make a lot more cash here than they do from China.
We have a system that allows you to disrespect your system. And that’s too bad for them, too bad for them they do not value what they have here.”Trump in the past has drawn strong criticism from NBA players, and he took a shot at them in his Tuesday remarks, calling a few of his detractors “very nasty, very, really nasty and honestly really dumb. “One of the loudest voices versus Trump from within the NBA has actually been that of LeBron James. Though Trump didn’t mention James, he was asked whether he thought the Lakers star was much better than Michael Jordan.” Well, I have actually seen them both. Michael Jordan is [the better gamer], “Trump stated.”Plus, he wasn’t political, so individuals liked him much better.”