In March of 2020, the sports world stopped and it has still not fully assimilated back. This is especially true for the pre-professional, amateur levels, as they have been either cancelled or significantly changed.
Most states, including New York State, have limited what activities have been allowed to participate and which must be played at a later date. On a state-wide basis, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association postponed sports dedicated as high-risk to a modified season starting in March. Some sports included in this are Football, Volleyball and Competitive Cheer.
While those sports were delayed, sports like soccer and cross country were dedicated low risk, and were allowed to have some form of a season.
This ruling applied to the state as a whole, but allowed for individual conferences to determine their own fates for the fall season and beyond. In the case of the Southern Tier Athletic Conference, which is home to Ithaca High School, all athletic competitions were postponed until 2021.
In addition to all of this, sports like wrestling, ice hockey, basketball and competitive cheerleading are in doubt to start on time during the winter season and indoor track and field may never get a chance this season. All of this is happening and in the background the pandemic is reaching a second wave and rumors of another shutdown are looming.
So, what is going to happen to sport and recreation? Here are some options
A Strange, Inconsistent Attempt to Allow to Play:
This seems like maybe the most likely option, especially for high schools. There is a noted desire to allow students to participate in the extracurricular activities they love so much. This, combined with parental pressure, will cause some sports to begin, and most likely lead to sports ending as well. School districts will take every precaution to keep their kids safe, and currently, some sports may be counterproductive to this issue. This may cause some sports to be given the green light and some stopped at the final outcome, or also one sport too have an issue and wreck it for every other participating sport. This would be considered a disaster, and may become a true reality.
A Focus on the Spring
This may be the best option. In the 2019-20 school year, fall sports participated in full, many winter sports finished or almost finished their seasons, and spring sports got screwed. This year, fall has been severely diminished, winter seems to be teetering on the edge of chaos, and spring sports haven’t been in focus yet. In the eyes of fairness, taking all measures to give spring athletes the best shot at a season seems like a good option. Focusing on this would allow time to pass, vaccines to be potentially developed, but perhaps most importantly, an effort can be made to thwart this disease without the added pressure of maintaining other sports, many of which taking place indoors.
End Athletics for 2020-21 School Year
This is the least appetizing option, but many may consider it the only option. If the second wave sends students back to fully remote learning, athletics will not occur. This could last through the full year, and therefore would eradicate athletics for the school year. Current seniors would miss their upperclassman years of athletics, while participants will grow weary of these activities and perhaps put efforts toward more sustainable ventures. This is a sad but very real option.
The pandemic stinks and has taken so much from many people, but the best way to bring high school athletics back is to social distance and wear a mask. Don’t do it for yourself, do it for a high school athlete, or any high schooler who loves an extracurricular activity. Do it for them.