FORT WORTH, Texas — We are almost in 2022, and yet 2020 is somehow still here.
COVID-19 and its never-ending list of protocols and consequences continues, and every minute sports sees a new round of postponements, delays, cancellations and frustrations.
UCLA pulled out of the Holiday Bowl. Texas A&M, Virginia, Boston College, Miami and the list goes on and on of teams that are unable to participate in the bowl game they were scheduled to play.
The NHL took a week hiatus around Christmas, and now their players will not be participating in the Winter Olympics. Several NFL players are out because of COVID, and the same goes for the NBA. The Dallas Stars announced three players and a staffer are under COVID protocols.
TCU has had to postpone its first two Big 12 men's basketball games and had to cancel another. The Frogs are supposed to host national champion and No. 1-ranked Baylor on Jan. 8. The women's program has also canceled three games, and now Sunday's home game against Kansas could also be in jeopardy.
On behalf of everyone, we are all sick of this.
Meanwhile, the BCS Plus 2 Football Tournament's first national semifinal game, the Cotton Bowl with Cincinnati and Alabama at JerryWorld on Friday, proceeds as planned.
The only thing anyone involved with this game can do is just pray nothing happens between right now and kickoff.
"I know for me I won't feel [relief] until the ball is kicked off at 2:40 p.m. on Friday," Cotton Bowl president and CEO Rick Baker said in a phone interview. "That's the moment I will be the happiest person in the stadium."
Everyone in sports is stuck, which put Baker back in the unbelievable position he was in last year when both the Cotton Bowl and the Rose Bowl were played at AT&T Stadium to limited capacity.
The novelty of a Rose Bowl played outside of Pasadena, Calif., for only the second time in its history has long since faded.
Baker, like everyone, thought we would have "all of this" behind us back in the spring.
Both Cincinnati and Alabama are essentially stuck in their hotels, and going to practice. That's it.
"We gave the teams the option of participating in certain things," Baker said.
That included the chance to attend the Cowboys' game on Dec. 26 against Washington in Arlington. Cincinnati elected to attend the game, while Alabama declined.
Crazy times; Nick Saban passing on the chance to have fun.
"We have the same controls in place as we did last year. Everyone involved has to be vaccinated, and wear masks," Baker said. "We have limited the contact. There are no team hosts. No greeters.
"We didn't sell standing room only tickets. We want to keep the concession lines down. This won't be as packed as it will be for a Cowboys game."
There will still be more than 70,000 fans at AT&T Stadium on Friday, but we're supposed to follow these protocols sitting 12 inches apart.
As of right now, the Cotton Bowl between Alabama and Cincinnati is scheduled to proceed as planned with every player and coach available.
You know how this goes, so plan accordingly.
If you think all of this is a bit ridiculous, you're right.
Baker, nor anyone in his position, can say that publicly. He didn't specify in either direction during this interview.
"People are responsible. They all have their own sense of what risks they are willing to take," he said. "At some point you've got to believe everyone will do what they think is the right thing for their own families. We will encourage mask wearing, and I think you can see at Cowboys games and college games there wasn't much of that."
Don't blame the messenger. Don't blame the event organizers.
They're just trying to abide by these constantly evolving, and often times silly and contradictory guidelines, in order to play the game.
None of the two plus two math during COVID equals four.
And, in the case of sporting events going on in the time of COVID, Delta, Omicron, two plus two only equals WTF.
This story was originally published December 29, 2021 3:57 PM.
