Is this the right time for high school sports?
Today’s “Pro versus Con” asks the question: “Is this the right time for the return of high school sports?” Tom Neill takes the “pro” side and Jesica Giannola has the “con.”
Pro: Tom Neil
In preface, I double majored in Recreation and Physical Education and Sociology/ Psychology; coached high school sports for four years; and officiated at the high school, community college, major university and professional levels for 14 years.
For over a year, the COVID-19 virus has created havoc all over our planet in many ways. The harm to education has the potential to have the longest-lasting detrimental consequences for our society. This is particularly troublesome for our kids and grandkids during their high school years. It is well established that one’s “teen years” are when the body and mind are most challenged and changing as one progresses through puberty into adulthood.
High school sports, more than any other curriculum, provides the student with life-long benefits not achieved through exposure to any other single subject or discipline. The list of benefits is long. So please bear with me. I’ve done my best to condense it for “word count” sake. Also, please allow me to include among “sports” activities such as “drill team” and “marching band” as they share many commonalities of sports such as football, baseball, swimming, basketball, tennis, track, etc. (Sorry, team X-box or Play Station are excluded.)
Sports teaches accountability and responsibility. Things like arriving at practices and competitions on time; preparing for competition physically and mentally; learning your position or role; striving to improve and do your best.
Sports promotes teamwork through socialization. One learns that working together and helping one another will increase chances for success.
Sports demands that one learns how to manage time, a skill fundamental to living a less stressful and more successful life after high school. The student athlete must learn how to budget the hours in a day or week, prioritizing the most important tasks.
For healthy teenagers, participation should not present a problem. In the absence of so- called “underlying” health issues (such as diabetes, obesity, asthma), I am confident that most sports can be resumed in high schools with minimal consequences suffered by the participants. Why? Because when one analyzes statistics provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it is apparent that teens are not nearly as likely to spread the virus as those in the 20-50 age group. Further, teens’ infection, hospitalization, and death rates are nearly absent when compared to those for us in our 40s through 80s.
It’s time to “Play Ball!”
Con: Jesica Giannola
It’s been over a year since COVID-19 changed the world as we knew it. With concerns of mass spreading of COVID-19 throughout our populations, entire communities experienced complete shutdowns. Entertainment venues closed up, most elective in-person services ceased, work and education relocated off-site to take place at home behind computer screens, and sporting activities came to a complete halt.
We all sacrificed for each other. The initial two-week shut- down of everything except ‘essential services’ quickly turned into months of stay-at-home orders and now as we have reached the 12-month mark and new strains emerging social distancing may extend into the future indefinitely.
Depression and anxiety rates, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s), reports of abuse, thoughts and attempts of suicide among teens and adults have remained a concern over the last year. There is no denying that our mental health has suffered during this very difficult time.
Understandably, adults and children would like to get back to some form of normality as soon as possible. They miss their peers, teammates, coaches, trusted teachers, and the sense of teamwork that school sports can bring.
For many, the sacrifices of traditional school experiences have become too costly to them. They are now drawing a line in the sand, and want their lives back. Many feel that they are failing the children in their lives by not fighting harder for their missed opportunities. It hurts to see the disappointment on their face, and our natural reaction is to put an end to what’s causing their pain to make them happy again.
Advocates of “Let Them Play” feel that kids can play sports safely. While some sports (with adequate distancing) may be played successfully without COVID outbreaks, the majority have too many risks associated. Some feel the risks of contracting COVID-19 are worth it, while others may not consider COVID-19 to be a realistic concern at all. High emotions and misinformation have diminished the serious impact that COVID-19 has on families that lose weeks of wages and endure illness side- effects once infected.
It is essential that we explore coping skills for all children. Many of us know that now is not the time to bring back sports. Kids naturally want to socialize and be close to one another. All it takes is a few minutes of exposure to start a new outbreak, and we must consider the safety of the community beyond the playing field.