The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Swapping fall, spring sports problematic
Switching seasons would create more challenges than would be solved
Swapping the 202021 fall and spring high school sports seasons is an idea that’s been circulating for a while now. And with the ousting of former OHSAA director Jerry Snodgrass a week ago, the idea once again came to the forefront. But it didn’t last long.
It was quickly put to bed as the OHSAA is now making it clear that barring anything unforeseen with the coronavirus, It is moving forward with Aug. 1 as the start date for fall sports.
But for argument’s sake, let’s say the OHSAA did attempt to make the switch, swapping traditional fall sports — football, volleyball, cross country, golf, tennis and soccer with the traditional spring lineup of baseball, softball, track and field, tennis and lacrosse.
The whole point in switching the seasons is to save the football season. But in reality it would harm football programs more than it would help.
Hypothetically, the spring football season would end at some point in late May or early June after a shortened regular season. Finding a way to shorten the regular season isn’t the hard part, as schools could play conference opponents.
But that brings a new set of problems.
“Just in a conversation with other (GCC) ADs, just talking football weeks 1,2 and 3, for us at least, are nonconference games and for a lot of teams in our conference those are good points for when it comes to determining the playoffs,” Elyria Athletic Director Heather Beck said. “So if you take those weeks out and play a sevenweek schedule in your conference that can make or break you when it comes to making the playoffs.”
The biggest issue would be returning the seasons to normal in 2021.
Instead of having nearly an entire calendar year in between football seasons, players would have to return to play in 2 ½ months.
To say it would be taxing on the body of a high school student would be an understatement.
Football players who play other sports, specifically wrestling, would be impacted even more. After the grind of a wrestling season, players would be forced to immediately head right back into the meat grinder that is football.
It wouldn’t be safe. On the other hand, football is essentially the only traditional fall sport that would take any hit from any kind of switch. Volleyball and cross country, for example, could realistically make the switch to spring without any kind of problem. And many baseball and softball coaches would gladly take the opportunity to play in the fall, avoiding the hit-or-miss weather that comes with playing in early spring.
Not to mention that many players would be coming into the season already in shape with travel season in full swing.
But the biggest kicker here is that spring sports athletes would once again be in danger of losing a full season. In many states, coronavirus numbers are spiking, with several counties in Ohio now requiring face masks in public.
There’s a fear that the state could be forced into a lockdown again, and if that were to happen, spring athletes would lose two seasons in a row. Which would be a disaster for athletes of every grade level.