On Wednesday’s New Day, CNN co-host John Berman brought on sports analyst Christine Brennan to fear monger about coronavirus. Acting more like a Democratic operative than a sports analyst, Brennan blamed Republicans for several leagues canceling their college football seasons and spread blatant misinformation about coronavirus by claiming “young men or young women” will “die on the field” if colleges decide to play sports this fall.
Brennan began the fear mongering by attacking the NCAA leagues that have not canceled fall sports:
Well, science and sanity won in the Big 10 and the PAC-12 John. There's no doubt about that. These conferences are the behemoths of our country. They want to play football. They want to volleyball, field hockey, and they realize they just couldn't because they listened to the science, they listened to the doctors, they listened to the medicine. That is the fact. And for other conferences, the other big three, as you mentioned, that are still out there, the Big 12, ACC and SEC, the big question for me today is who are their doctors? Who are they listening to? And what are those doctors saying to them?
After Berman and Brennan joined forces to assault those who want the football season to happen, Brennan launched a baseless partisan attack on Republicans:
And what we're hearing from all of these politicians, the temper tantrums basically that were thrown by various people from Jim Jordan to Ben Sasse to Marco Rubio to Ron DeSantis, we want our football. Where were you in April guys? Where were you in May? Where were you in June? This is all interconnected and one wonders if they're more worried about their political careers than having college football. I don't know the answer to that, but what I do know is we're seeing people arrive to this too late when we could see the warning signs, and the Ivy League five weeks ago today, John, Ivy League canceled fall sports. Five weeks ago, they knew exactly what they were doing.
Blaming Republicans for college football being canceled is just pure Democratic propaganda. Eight of the 10 states leading in COVID deaths are run by Democrats. This is due to incompetent Democratic governors such as New York’s Andrew Cuomo, who is responsible for as many as 12,000 deaths due to sending recovering COVID patients to nursing homes. But sure, blame Republicans.
Brennan then engaged in more fear mongering by spreading lies about COVID:
My guess, John, is when all is said and done, as the doctor has said as well, this is such a difficult time that these conferences will not be able to play, unless they completely ignore the advice of doctors. And then you are throwing at -- at risk all of your student athletes. And that's really the issue here. How many deaths, illnesses, hospitalizations are we willing to accept? Is Alabama willing to accept? Is Duke willing to accept? All of these schools to have their beloved football. And with myocarditis, we -- we see there's been reporting that up to ten cases in the Big 10 of myocarditis, that's the heart inflammation issue. How many more? Can we allow sports, these universities allow their young men or young women to die on the field?
“Young men” and “young women” will not “die on the field.” They are more likely to be struck by lightning than to die from COVID. In fact, if Brennan was actually concerned about these people’s lives, she would acknowledge that it is probably better for them to play than to remain isolated at home. More young people have died from drug overdoses and suicides than COVID during the pandemic.
On the Thursday's edition of the show, Berman invited CNN Political Commentator Bakari Sellers to blame "right-wing radio" for spreading misinformation about the safety of college football and to salivate over a poll in which Ohio State fans blamed President Trump for Ohio State's season being canceled:
BERMAN: Hey, Bakari, can I go back to ask you a follow-up on something you brought up before that's a little bit off the subject of Biden/Harris as a ticket. He brought up college football. And the President's really leading into the idea of, let them play, let them play. I want them to go play. But there's an article in "The New York Times" today where they went to Ohio and talked to Ohio State fans and they heard from people right in the middle who are beginning to blame the President for the fact that they're not playing. So, looking forward, how do you think this will play politically? It's a thing. I mean college football fans -- college football's a big deal to a lot of people in swing states. So how do you think this plays?
SELLERS: Well, first of all, I thought you were going to ask me about Taylor Swift, but I digress. So college -- college football is a thing. I mean like -- I'm a huge Gamecock fan. I like to sit in the cabooses on Saturday morning before we go out and watch the game for four hours. You know, 90,000 people in the SEC. But if you go through all of these places -- and people may not understand this, but in some of these states like North Carolina, Georgia, you know, even in -- even in Florida, some of these states, this is going to be a problem because now, for a long period of time, while you're listening to like a Clay -- to -- to Clay Travis or you're listening to whomever it may be on right-wing radio -- radio, it hasn't hit you because you're not getting the news in a -- in a very truthful manner. But now it does when you realize that you cannot go out on Saturday morning and watch. We can't even have Clemson play South Carolina this year. There's no Georgia versus Georgia Tech. There's no Florida versus Florida State. There's no Alabama versus Auburn, or maybe there will be because they're SEC schools. But there's no rivalry games. I mean this is just taking and ripping at the heart and the fabric of -- of many of us who enjoy this sport, especially during fall season.
With the election looming, CNN is exploiting the pandemic to turn the public against the Republicans.
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Read the full August 12th transcript here:
CNN's New Day
08/12/20
7:29 AM ET
JOHN BERMAN: Two of the country's power five college sports conferences have announced they're going to postpone their fall seasons over coronavirus concerns, while ESPN this morning reports that the Big 12 conference will move forward with the fall football season. Joining me now, CNN Sports Analyst and USA Today Columnist Christine Brennan and Dr. Colleen Kraft, she's the Associate Chief Medical Officer at Emory University Hospital and on the NCAA's Coronavirus Advisory Committee. Christine, first, to you. The sports of this -- you have two major conferences putting it off. You have the Big 12 now saying they're going to go forward. The SEC and the AAC are sort of like, we're not sure yet, we're waiting and seeing. But what kind of mixed message does this send? What does this all mean?
CHRISTINE BRENNAN (CNN SPORTS ANALYST): Well, science and sanity won in the Big 10 and the PAC-12 John. There's no doubt about that. These conferences are the behemoths of our country. They want to play football. They want to volleyball, field hockey, and they realize they just couldn't because they listened to the science, they listened to the doctors, they listened to the medicine. That is the fact. And for other conferences, the other big three, as you mentioned, that are still out there, the Big 12, ACC and SEC, the big question for me today is who are their doctors? Who are they listening to? And what are those doctors saying to them because obviously the last thing the Big 10 and Pac-12 wanted to do is what they ended up doing. The money lost -- the catastrophe financial -- the catastrophe for these schools as well as of course just the heartbreak for these student athletes who happen to have the terrible luck to be in college at this particular time during a pandemic.
BERMAN: Well we happen to have a good doctor with us here. So Dr. Kraft, how could -- explain to us, how could a college football team play safely in a city or a state or -- or around a school where there are high incidences of coronavirus?
DR. COLLEEN KRAFT (ASSOCIATE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AT EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, MEMBER OF THE NCAA’S CORONAVIRUS ADVISORY COMMITTEE): Well I think you just said, you know you sort of said the answer to the question. If there is a high incidence, it's very difficult or impossible. I think, you know, this is a small aspect of a greater public health problem that we’re still don't have under control. And so it's concerning that we're going to move forward when -- when we know there are cases that occur on sports teams that -- that can't -- that can’t completely quarantine. They're in a high incidence area.
BERMAN: What can you tell us about one of the specific terms that’s been reported and I’ve not even going to try to say the medical term because I’ll mispronounce it, but it’s basically, inflammation of the heart. That there have been some cases, particularly among football players, who can be large men, of an enflamed heart condition that could last for a while?
KRAFT: Yeah, so one of the things about myocarditis, which is what you're referring to, is that we are learning that this virus is attacking specific cells in the body that are not typical for other coronaviruses or either other respiratory viruses. So one the things that we're seeing is direct attack by the virus to heart cells that can lead to damage. And obviously, in -- in elite athletes, this can be very difficult and very, you know, potentially career ending or at least season ending. And so we want to keep our athletes safe. That’s one of the reasons why we’ve put out some - some parameters to keep them safe.
BERMAN: So Christine Brennan, there is -- been a lot of things said by a lot of people the last 24 hours. People who want to see college sports -- look, I want to see college sports. But I want to see it safely. Lou Holtz, hall of fame coach, used to coach at Notre Dame, this is what he said about this. Listen.
(Cuts to Clip)
LOU HOLTZ (FORMER NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL COACH): You want to play, let's go play. I think that we shut everything down for six months. I'm going crazy about being quarantined. I think other people are tired of it. Let's move on with our life. When they stormed Normandy, they knew that there were going to be casualties, and there were going to be risks.(Cuts to live)
BERMAN: Holy cow! Storming Normandy is his means of comparison here? There are a lot of people who died there. We're talking about a college football game.BRENNAN: Exactly, John. I wonder if Lou Holtz told all of his friends and all of his relatives and went to the governors of certain states and said, would you please tell people to wear masks back in April or May or June? I'm going to guess that Lou Holtz, who I like very much, I'm going to guess that Lou Holtz did not do that. And what we're hearing from all of these politicians, the temper tantrums basically that were thrown by various people from Jim Jordan to Ben Sasse to Marco Rubio to Ron DeSantis, we want our football. Where were you in April guys? Where were you in May? Where were you in June? This is all interconnected and one wonders if they're more worried about their political careers than having college football. I don't know the answer to that, but what I do know is we're seeing people arrive to this too late when we could see the warning signs, and the Ivy League five weeks ago today, John, Ivy League canceled fall sports. Five weeks ago, they knew exactly what they were doing.
BERMAN: Difference with Ivy League schools sports to be fair is there's not any money in it. Of course, no scholarships to begin with and they don't have television rights --
BRENNAN: True.
BERMAN: -- and all the -- all the marketing possibilities. So it's a different decision financially. I’m not sure it should be a financial decision but it is a different decision. Dr. Kraft, is there any way that they could play? I mean seriously, basketball is playing, albeit in a bubble. Hockey is playing professional, albeit in a bubble. Pro football is going to play with severe restrictions. So could there be a way to make this work in college?
KRAFT: So I think Christine nailed it on the head, which is, we should have been preparing for this time all along. Back in April, we should have been focusing on public health and mask wearing in order to get ourselves back to some sort of normalcy. We are now going to be living with COVID for a long time because of the -- of the sluggish response in the United States. And so, I would say that this is a natural consequence of us not wanting to protect ourselves and protect others from this virus.
BERMAN: Who's going to play and how are they going to play, Christine? When these conferences, if they do go, I mean, are they going to be sanctioned games or are there going to be scrimmages? What's going to happen here?
BRENNAN: My guess, John, is when all is said and done, as the doctor has said as well, this is such a difficult time that these conferences will not be able to play, unless they completely ignore the advice of doctors. And then you are throwing at -- at risk all of your student athletes. And that's really the issue here. How many deaths, illnesses, hospitalizations are we willing to accept? Is Alabama willing to accept? Is Duke willing to accept? All of these schools to have their beloved football. And with myocarditis, we -- we see there's been reporting that up to ten cases in the Big 10 of myocarditis, that's the heart inflammation issue. How many more? Can we allow sports, these universities allow their young men or young women to die on the field? That sounds very, very dramatic. But these are the questions that these administrators need to ask and these other three schools and my sense-- or these other three conferences. My sense, John, is that they will come to the same decision of the Ivy League, the Big 10, the PAC-12, et cetera.
08/13/20
6:34 AM ET
JOHN BERMAN: Hey, Bakari, can I go back to ask you a follow-up on something you brought up before that's a little bit off the subject of Biden/Harris as a ticket. He brought up college football. And the President's really leading into the idea of, let them play, let them play. I want them to go play. But there's an article in "The New York Times" today where they went to Ohio and talked to Ohio State fans and they heard from people right in the middle who are beginning to blame the President for the fact that they're not playing. So, looking forward, how do you think this will play politically? It's a thing. I mean college football fans -- college football's a big deal to a lot of people in swing states. So how do you think this plays?
BAKARI SELLERS (CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR): Well, first of all, I thought you were going to ask me about Taylor Swift, but I digress. So college -- college football is a thing. I mean like -- I'm a huge Gamecock fan. I like to sit in the cabooses on Saturday morning before we go out and watch the game for four hours. You know, 90,000 people in the SEC. But if you go through all of these places -- and people may not understand this, but in some of these states like North Carolina, Georgia, you know, even in -- even in Florida, some of these states, this is going to be a problem because now, for a long period of time, while you're listening to like a Clay -- to -- to Clay Travis or you're listening to whomever it may be on right-wing radio -- radio, it hasn't hit you because you're not getting the news in a -- in a very truthful manner. But now it does when you realize that you cannot go out on Saturday morning and watch. We can't even have Clemson play South Carolina this year. There's no Georgia versus Georgia Tech. There's no Florida versus Florida State. There's no Alabama versus Auburn, or maybe there will be because they're SEC schools. But there's no rivalry games. I mean this is just taking and ripping at the heart and the fabric of -- of many of us who enjoy this sport, especially during fall season.
BERMAN: Yeah, it will be interesting to see how it plays out. It will be interesting to see what these other conferences do.
