Why Haven't Sporting Events Been Cancelled???

Ok, so on one end of the spectrum, we have the MSM, W.H.O, and CDC along with our beloved government telling us that we have a mass spreading of the H1N1 Flu spreading at a concerning rate...so much so, that there have been mass closings of schools particularly in confirmed infected areas. We are at a pandemic level 5,

But...

Here is a list of professional sporting venues that were played last night. Specifically, these venues were played in areas of confirmed virus contamination areas.

LA Angels VS. New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium (100 suspected cases, 49 cases confirmed)

Oakland As at Texas Rangers at Arlington Stadium (28 cases confirmed, 1 death)

San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium (13 cases confirmed)


Now this is just Major League Baseball, there were also events in the NBA playoffs and NHL playoffs where contests were played in Houston, TX and Vancouver, Canada.

In addition, The Kentucky Derby where 100,000 people will assemble on Saturday has been confirmed by the Kentucky Governor to still be taking place.

So what gives? Is this not a contradiction at the highest level?

1. Why would sporting events in Mexico be shut off from the public but not us?

2. Why are all high school sporting events in Texas canceled till May 11 but professional Texas teams still play (Rangers and Rockets)?

3. Why is my Vice President telling me to not ride subways or planes and to try and stay home...but what it's ok for me to go to Yankee Stadium where 60,000 people will be in attendance.

Now I'm know scientist, but with an incubation period of 2-9 days for this virus, even I know that these events could be disastrous for future spreading of the virus.

Seems to me, this only confirms that this is a ruse being played out by our government.

Thoughts?

Just a week ago my kids held a soccer tourney..


those kids were caughing and puking their guts out but still had a great game... then we all got the news about this flu thing....

talk about a bunch of worried kids,,,

Long time reader, first time poster...you know the drill.

Received an email yesterday afternoon that the Texas Health Commission recommended canceling all CYO sponsored t-ball (I coach my son's team, hence the email), little league and senior league statewide in Texas. Here in San Antonio, everything was canceled until May 11.

As an aside, the banner at the top of CNN is reporting 141 confirmed cases of swine flu in the US, per the CDC.

Personally, I believe this is far from over, and we're going to see the numbers rise in the next week or so, at least here in S. Central Texas, given our annual "Fiesta" celebration 10 days ago - 200,000 people jammed into downtown San Antonio, a sizable portion of which were Mexican nationals.

Oh, and my 1 year old daughter has the flu, which started yesterday.

Texas has cancelled high school sporting events until May 11th.

I read and confirmed through this site.
Thank You ATS

It doesn't make sense to me either....I wish I had an answer, brother.

This whole situation smells like a sack full of butt holes.

There are several reasons that the US is not canceling all events.

First, the flu seems to be relatively mild.
Second, this time of year, the flu will kind of fizzle out.


My concern is that the flu will be back towards the end of 2009.

Flu back later this year

Best of luck to you all.

It just doesn't make any sense. It's mild, nothing to worry about, and all that. But why are we at level 5 and why is there so much involvement if it's no biggie.
My local news channels in Louisville, KY are a bit like this.
One segment, we get: Run for your lives, the flu is gonna get ya --And the very next segment, we get: Please, folks, do NOT cancel any of your Derby plans. The Ky Derby will go on-Bring your wallets

Originally posted by Wildbob77
There are several reasons that the US is not canceling all events.

First, the flu seems to be relatively mild.
Second, this time of year, the flu will kind of fizzle out.


My concern is that the flu will be back towards the end of 2009.

Flu back later this year

Best of luck to you all.

This is exactly my point. There are actions being taken that are contradictory to what the real situation. However, the fact is that we really don't know for sure how serious this is. All I'm asking for is some consistency, you're canceling every other sport venue in Texas (little league, high school), but not professional. Also consider this, these professional sports could easily be rescheduled, so no real economic loss. Besides, if I were a team owner, I would push for it as well, since you will most likely lose attendance due to people being concerned about being around lots of people. I for one will not be going to the Boston Tampa series this weekend just as a precaution.

Still scratching my head...

you know the old saying: they have to have their bread and circuses. If sporting events were canceled you'd have a legion of die hard sports fans charging the white house, tail gating outside the pentagon, and streaking through the Lincoln Memorial.

I'd like to see that.

reply to post by TeeJay


Exactly! Let's just say for arguments sake that this is a more serious situation then some of us speculate...So now, 100,000 people will be gathering for the Kentucky Derby, this is absolute BS.

If I was a parent who was forced to keep his child home, so now I'm paying more money for someone to watch them, because I still have to go to work to pay the bills, I would be absolutely furious to see thousands of spectators be allowed to assemble together for a sporting event in the very same area that is supposed to be infected. An oxymoron at its finest

Because it's a simple flu at this point, not the plague. Heck, it's probably better to catch it now, than later.

The warnings are ridiculous really. 5 simply means this is spreading. Like I dunno.. a normal flu. It's a bureocratic tool to let governments know they should implement whatever measures they think are necessary based on the way it spreads.

I think WHO is just covering their hineys is all, just in case.

Originally posted by OnTheFelt
reply to post by TeeJay

 

Exactly! Let's just say for arguments sake that this is a more serious situation then some of us speculate...So now, 100,000 people will be gathering for the Kentucky Derby, this is absolute BS.

If I was a parent who was forced to keep his child home, so now I'm paying more money for someone to watch them, because I still have to go to work to pay the bills, I would be absolutely furious to see thousands of spectators be allowed to assemble together for a sporting event in the very same area that is supposed to be infected. An oxymoron at its finest

Many will be going to these sports events by airplane. What about the subways and public bus systems. If you work in a large office building, you have to ride up and down in the elevator, maybe eat at the the cafeteria.

What about public amusement parks and theme parks.

I've been wondering the same thing. I live in Louisville, KY, and the Kentucky Derby will be bringing around 150,000 visitors, both national and international, to our city.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent, is answering basic questions about the swine flu, including how it can be transmitted:

6. How close do you have to be to a sick person to get swine flu? "You can acquire this infection if you're within the 'breathing zone' of a sick person, which is about three to six feet," Schaffner said. "And we usually mean being this close to someone in a confined space. We're not talking about fleeting contact. We're not talking about walking past someone in the street. You need sustained contact." If you think you might have sustained contact with someone who's ill, read this guidance from the CDC's Web site. 7. Yikes! Every day I'm that close to countless people -- at work, on the bus, at church, in a movie theater. Could I get swine flu from them? Yes. "If you're standing next to someone on a bus, or sitting next to someone or in front of someone in a theater, you could acquire the infection in that fashion," Schaffner said. That's why people with the symptoms of any kind of flu -- fever, diarrhea, body aches, vomiting, etc. -- are urged to stay home and away from groups of people.

The link where I found this information is here.

So many people will be flying into town, being in the "breathing zone" of other possibly infected people. Then they'll be gathering in hotels and restaurants before and after the event. They'll be indoors standing in lines to place their bets and then later to collect their winnings. Later they'll board planes to go home.

What I wonder is how many people will be attending this event who don't realize they may have the flu? How many people might have a few symptoms but think the symptoms are just allergy-related since many of the symptoms are similar?

Symptoms of allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, frequently include nasal congestion, a clear runny nose, sneezing, nose and eye itching, and excess tear production in the eyes. Postnasal dripping of clear mucus frequently causes a cough. Loss of the sense of smell is common, and loss of taste sense occurs occasionally. Nose bleeding may occur if the condition is severe. Eye itching, redness, and excess tears in the eyes frequently accompany the nasal symptoms.

Source is here.

"What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people? The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu."

Source is here.

Headaches and fatigue were not listed as allergy symptoms, but I know many people, including myself, suffer from fatigue and sinus headaches as a result of allergies. Post nasal drip from allergies also makes my throat sore. So if early symptoms of the swine flu are fatigue, headaches, sore throat, and cough, how are people allergy sufferers supposed to know if their symptoms are from seasonal allergies or swine flu? How many people with early symptoms of swine flu think their symptoms are just allergies and will board a plane, go to work, or go to major sporting events?

Given the WHO's obvious concern over this flu, I'm really surprised these major events aren't being canceled, but I suspect it's because of the immediate revenue produced from these events, as well as how stimulating these events are to local economies. If these large gatherings result in more and more people being inflected and transmitting the swine flu, it's also going to severely hurt the economy in the long run.

reply to post by cornblossom


Good info Cornblossom! If they allow this event to commence and people in attendance soon after contract the virus, it will be the biggest faux pas concerning this situation, yet!

Originally posted by fleabit
Because it's a simple flu at this point, not the plague. Heck, it's probably better to catch it now, than later.

The warnings are ridiculous really. 5 simply means this is spreading. Like I dunno.. a normal flu. It's a bureocratic tool to let governments know they should implement whatever measures they think are necessary based on the way it spreads.

I think WHO is just covering their hineys is all, just in case.

all this is due to the failure of crisis intervention by the last administration. better safe then sorry, and to me that means the government is under orders to pre-position assets so as to avoid as much POSSIBLE problems that might occur IF it gets worse.... i think this is our government actually doing its job, and i'm not going to fault them for it.

Same reason the borders aren't closed and the planes are still flying. $$$

reply to post by OnTheFelt


I figure by the time everyone returns to work & school next week. We're all gonna be infected. My question is, is it just a simple bug that will go away, or something to worry about. Perhaps the worry isn't even the flu. There is a part of me that's thinkin' there is a bigger picture here. Either trying to divert attention--or--make it easier to create some more laws to take away our freedoms. abovetopsecret.. I'm just rambling. I look for hidden agenda's in everything.