Spring athletes petition to play
Tennis’ Egna brothers make plea before March 1 decision
Union College hasn’t held an athletic event since the coronavirus pandemic shut down competition across the country last spring.
Over the summer came the news that no Dutchmen would compete in fall sports, followed by another announcement in November canceling winter sports.
The school is set to announce a decision regarding spring sports on March 1. But before administrators make a final choice, brothers Max and Austin Egna are doing everything they can to persuade them to go forward with spring sports.
The seniors, who both play tennis, started a petition on Change.org, asking Union and the Liberty League to “#Letthemplay College Spring Sports.”
The Letthemplay hashtag has been used across the country to call for the resumption of sports canceled due to COVID -19.
“Student-athletes feel a sense of helplessness by not competing in the sport that they have dedicated a large portion of their lives to — and it is fundamentally wrong for Union to not exhaust every option possible to make Spring sports a reality,” the petition reads.
“The Union College Student Handbook makes clear that the College will always aim to act in the best interest of its students — it is expected that this commitment to students won’t be violated.”
More than 1,000 people have signed the petition since the brothers started it two weeks ago.
“We are just trying to do whatever we can to salvage our last season,” said Max Egna.
He and his brother have been disseminating their petition through social media, particularly student groups on Facebook, and word of mouth via family and friends.
They hope the support the petition has received demonstrates to Union administrators that the desire to play is strong among athletes, even if compromises have to be made.
“I know that a lot of athletes, if there’s an option between not playing at all and playing and wearing a mask, we’re all choosing playing and wearing a mask,” Austin Egna said.
Union athletic director Jim Mclaughlin said he recognizes their passion, but that the petition ultimately won’t affect the school’s decision. If the school proceeds with spring sports, it will be because the data support their decision — something no number of signatures can change.
“We all want them to get back to activities,” he said. But the school also wants to make sure that sports are safe and won’t compromise the broader campus community, possibly jeopardizing Union’s ability to have students on-campus.
For the Liberty League’s part, commissioner Tracy King said the final decision to compete or not is up to the schools. If
the league cancels competition, schools can still proceed with games. College of Saint Rose basketball teams, for example, have been playing against nonleague competition.
“Obviously, we’d like to try to play if it’s safe to do so,” King said.
Mclaughlin said Union is working with other Liberty League members to come up with shared standards for testing protocols and considering a shortened season, limiting competition to conference opponents only, and starting the season later, possibly March 27.
Max and Austin Egna are fully aware of the downsides facing Union.
“We know that the unfortunate reality is that the easiest option for the school is to cancel sports. It’s the easiest, it’s the cheapest, and it’s the option that offers them the least liability,” said Austin Egna. “But we think that’s the incorrect decision.”
Max Egna argued that choosing to play spring sports would demonstrate Union’s commitment to the student body, particularly studentathletes. Student-athletes like him and his brother come to
Union because it’s a great school, he said, but also to pursue sports.
The petition is a way for them to ensure that “we did everything that we possibly could to play,” he said.