SAN DIEGO _ Say the NFL plays its games this year while the coronavirus pandemic persists, and in some cities fans are allowed to attend.
You won't see infectious disease expert Richard Garfein in the crowd.
"You wouldn't catch me dead in a football stadium this year _ or next year, probably," said Garfein, a professor in UC San Diego's Division of Global Public Health.
As Garfein told it, wearing a mask would be appropriate, but not his idea of a great way to spend three hours of fun time.
Nor is the local epidemiologist wild about the NFL's chances of staging the 2020 season, calling it "really difficult to do that safely."
But he didn't dismiss it happening.
And despite his skepticism, the scientist saw the NFL having a chance to achieve a large victory.
If the NFL can nail the details _ admittedly, a big if _ then a lot of good could come from America's most popular sports league preparing for and then playing its games during a pandemic.
"They could actually have a major impact on changing the attitudes of the country," Garfein said.
Outlining how the league could advance the fight against the pandemic, the scientist suggested universal messaging as follows:
"Look, we really want to get back to playing, and the only way we're going to do it is if we all follow good clinical practices. We wear masks. We avoid going out to bars in between games, and our families are committed to keeping us healthy. And, we all work together.
"If the NFL sets an example for the rest of the country that would be awesome," Garfein added, while noting positive tests for the virus lately have surged in several states including California and neighboring Arizona. "They have a major influence," he said of the league's players, coaches and team owners, "and if they can use that influence to do some good, I'm all for it."
