A Northwestern football dad wonders: Why is it deemed safe to play high school football in Ohio — but not in the Big Ten?
Doug Ramsey is both a head coach and Big Ten football dad.
His Elder High School team in Cincinnati is on track to start the season one week from Friday. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, scheduled to make his final ruling about fall contact sports Tuesday, offered a preview when he said: “This is a decision made by parents. This is a decision that’s going to be made by schools.”
Ramsey said that in a survey of 1,300 school superintendents, principals and athletic directors, only 166 asked that no sports be played.
The Ohio High School Athletic Association’s plan for football calls for a modified schedule — six games with every team making the playoffs. Every player has his own water bottle and they can spread out on the sidelines by watching from the 15-yard line. Practices have less physical contact. And games essentially have eight quarters because there’s a two-minute mini-break built in, the idea being linemen should not breathe on each other for such extended periods.
