When Theo Epstein made the decision to step down as President of Baseball Operations for the Chicago Cubs earlier this off-season, it was clear that the future was bright for Epstein. Epstein was the man that broke the curses of both the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. What more could Epstein do? On Thursday, […]
The ChicagoBears have many adjustments to make. They could start by watching what playoff teams ahead of them have done. The Chicago Bears season came crashing to a halt in New Orleans this past Sunday, when in reality, it wasn’t doing much more than getting passed by playoff teams on the highway. The 8-8 […]
To many outside observers, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish didn’t belong on the same field with the Alabama Crimson Tide during the college football playoff. To them, Notre Dame football isn’t on the same level. I disagree with that – Notre Dame football earned its spot. They were the fourth-best team during the regular season […]
Marcus chain cancels its plan to reopen in those suburbs, citing “updated metrics” from the state about coronavirus cases.
Two suburban movie theaters that had announced plans to reopen Friday, during a state ban on theater operations, ended up keeping the doors closed.
The Marcus theaters in Addison and Elgin had been selling tickets for Friday screenings, and a spokeswoman for the Milwaukee-based chain told the Sun-Times Friday morning that the company believed the region where they are located “has met all criteria to have Marcus Elgin and Addison Cinemas reopen.”
But by early afternoon, the two theaters were offering refunds for tickets and prepaid concessions. “Please be advised due to updated metrics provided by the Illinois Department of Health we will not be opening as scheduled today,” said a notice on their Facebook pages.
Movie theaters in Illinois have been shuttered since November, when Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered them closed as part of the state’s effort to slow a resurgence of coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, theaters across the border in Wisconsin and Indiana are open for business.
Brian Loevner thinks arts organizations should consider new ways to survive—and close.
This is the first of two columns that will examine the ideas of “cultural triage.” We’re heading toward the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 shutdown, and for most Chicago cultural organizations, reopening remains a semi-distant hope, dependent on how quickly vaccines can be delivered, and on how soon the companies can ramp back up to full production.…Read More
In the end, there were no surprises from the ChicagoBears. The band is back together again for at least one more season. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace will return for year four and seven respectively. Team President Ted Phillips heads into year 23. While this excites exactly no one, it has always felt like […]
Joliet West’s Trent Howland (4) shoots the ball over Curie’s defense. | Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times
Based on the documents released today and a quote from IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson, there won’t be a basketball season.
Today was confusing. Documents were emailed to media. Websites that allegedly outline the state’s entire sports policy during coronavirus weren’t updated (and then they were). The Illinois High School Association had a last-minute meeting with Deputy Gov. Jesse Ruiz.
We’re still waiting on the full news from that meeting. So far the only thing that is certain is that low-risk sports will be allowed in the regions of the state that moved to Tier 2 today (Rockford, Peoria, southern Illinois).
But if you look closely at one of the documents sent to the media from Pritzker’s office it becomes very clear the outlook for any high school basketball or football this school year is very bleak.
Basketball and football are both high risk sports. According to the chart Pritzker’s office released today (see below), high risk sports will not be allowed to play games in Tier 2 or when things move to Tier 1.
The next rollback step after Tier 1 is called Phase 4. In order for regions to rollback to Phase 4 three things are required:
-Test positivity rate below 6.5% for 3 consecutive days (7-day average).
-Staffed hospital and ICU beds availability greater than 20% for 3 consecutive days (3-day average).
-No sustained increase in COVID patients in hospital (7-day average over 7 of 10 days).
Illinois moved to Phase 4 on June 26, 2020. The state remained there until Pritzker moved the entire state all the way back to Tier 3 on Nov. 20 as COVID-19 spiraled.
Is it possible the state could be back in Phase 4 by March or April? Sure, things are trending well now. But football and basketball were not allowed during Phase 4 in 2020. That means Pritzker would have to change his mind on the Phase 4 rules. If we even get to Phase 4.
“Deputy Governor Ruiz was not clear today about what getting to Phase 4 would mean for the high-risk sports,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said. “He indicated that there could be a potential differentiation for football versus basketball because football is outdoors. The new All Sports Policy permitting an adjustment in playing levels going from Tier 2 to Tier 1 makes me think that a move to Phase 4 could create another adjustment, but IDPH or the Governor’s office would need to confirm that.”
Anderson’s quote makes it clear that basketball isn’t happening this school year. Football seems to have a slight chance.
The governor’s office has not responded to a request to confirm what Phase 4 would mean for high-risk sports.
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