(09-13-2017 11:16 AM)otown Wrote: (09-13-2017 09:47 AM)quo vadis Wrote: (09-12-2017 07:48 PM)otown Wrote: (09-12-2017 04:26 PM)quo vadis Wrote: (09-12-2017 01:23 PM)KNIGHTTIME Wrote: Unsure why it has to be at ucf's football stadium. Like someone mentioned the Citrus Bowl just sits empty.
But, can you entertain the possibility that even though you are unsure as to why it had to be the UCF football stadium (and not say the Citrus Bowl), that doesn't mean the governor's office is? That maybe they have information that you don't?
That's what's strange about this thread: Lots of folks who clearly want a football game to be played saying the National Guard staging could have been done some other way, even though they don't know that it could have been done some other way.
then why not play the game at the citrus bowl instead. have the national guard at spectrum, and play the game at the citrus bowl. how hard is that to pull off? the place is sitting empty.
See, that's a good question. But it is a question, meaning the answer is unknown. You might be correct that the game could have been played at the Citrus Bowl, but, there also might be reasons why it couldn't. The problem here is that many angry Knights fans are acting as if they know the game could have been played at the Citrus Bowl, when in fact none of you know that.
So if I were you, I wouldn't go around angry because I assume the game could have been played at the Citrus Bowl. I'd ask a UCF admin why it couldn't.
For as much of a big fat question mark this disaster is leaving on the ucf AD decision making..... his official announcement should have included reasons why they couldnt move the game to the citrus bowl. As far as im concerned, their official statement leaves too many question marks on what their effort was to reschedule. They owe that to their fans, and quite frankly, the players. I dont think they are happy with this decision. This was a nasty storm, but lets not pretend this was a Harvey or Katrina with the destruction and loss of life here in Florida.
I think your AD struck the correct tone. He emphasized the safety of UCF students and the need of the National Guard to use the stadium. Focusing on the concerns of football fans angered about losing a game would have been unseemly and tone-deaf to the situation. As for other options, Aresco addressed that:
"We’re fully supportive of what our schools are doing, including UCF,” Aresco told the Orlando Sentinel Monday evening. “Obviously, they don’t have a stadium to play in. They need it for hurricane relief and that’s far more important.
We looked at other alternatives and nothing else was viable.”
So unless you think Aresco and UCF admins failed to think about something like playing in the Citrus Bowl, then I don't think there's any reason for you to doubt that all options were exhausted before canceling the game.
As for Irma, I think three things happened:
(1) Understandably, as Irma approached Florida, there was great fear it would do immense, unprecedented damage.
(2) As it rolled up the peninsula, it became clear that the worst-case scenarios were thankfully not being realized.
(3) That caused some people to say that Irma was "over-hyped", sensationalized. BUT, that has turned out to be premature. Now that the dust is settling and we are getting the full picture, what's apparent is that with 5 million people without power, and devastated buildings literally from the Keys all the way up to Jacksonville, Irma has been a truly destructive storm.
I personally cannot recall any hurricane that has done damage to so much of the state of Florida. Usually, there is lots of damage, but in a concentrated spot, like Miami, or the panhandle. But this time, just about every part of the state took some kind of hit. Unless you live in Pensacola, you took a lick from it.
And even beyond, e.g., my brother lives in Tampa, and on Saturday he drove 450 miles up to Charleston, SC to escape Irma. He had planned to stay until today, but late Monday, he fled Charleston, as flooding from Irma hit that city and drove him from his hotel.