ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” article. It is an editorial by the editorial.
I’ve been called out by a persistent reader to present my opinion about having high school football and other sports while area schools have been reporting cases of Covid-19. I was taken aback, having become accustomed to people telling me, “We don’t care what you think.”
I confess I have avoided commenting on the issue because I am terribly conflicted in a classic battle between the head and the heart so aptly outlined by great authors such as Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Hesse and Shakespeare.
In a nutshell, my heart really enjoys having sports back in the fold, particularly football. I’ve been a Detroit Lions fan for more than a half century, so you can call me a diehard. I’ve grown fond of cross country because my son competed and now coaches the sport.
However, my head insists this is not good for the overall health of our society. Football is not just a contact sport, it’s collision sport that can physically harm young men and now can cause them to fall ill with a potentially deadly disease. I love the game, and my heart is pleased the boys are playing again, but I can’t help but worry somebody may pay for this with his life.
I’ve watched a lot of parents act gleeful over the resumption of sports for their children. It’s not as if they don’t care about their kids’ health. It’s more that they want them to grow up with the same experiences as those who came before them.
I submit many parents are acting more emotionally than rationally in supporting their kids playing this fall, though cross country, tennis and golf have very low risks.
I worry about volleyball even more than football because it’s indoors and the girls at the net too often get a little too close for comfort.
My fears about football are shown by the fact I have not attended a game in person this season. I’ve taken to watching the contests live streamed over the wonder we know as the Internet, and the results aren’t as good as I would like. Notice I gave the wrong name this weekend of a Hopkins player who scored two touchdowns because my ancient ears can’t pick up the golden voice of Bob Beck properly.
So, my concluding message to a persistent reader is that my head opposes resumption of high school sports for safety reasons, but my heart enjoys their presence.
Thank you for sharing your honest opinion on the subject of high school sports. I certainly understand your struggle. My feelings somewhat echo your own, although my head is winning in this struggle. I cannot understand how our schools say being all together at school is unsafe but sports are ok. I am dumbfounded by this logic. The “cohorts” are mixed on teams. There is no A team and B team. The students share common areas such as locker rooms and we invite other schools to use ours. The student athletes share equipment with their own team and the opposing team. Yet, class sizes must be reduced and 6 foot spacing must be maintained while wearing masks. I feel the schools are willingly putting students at risk for sports. Whether or not you “believe” in this virus, you have to admit this situation is a head scratcher for sure. Sitting alone at a desk with a mask on in a full classroom is unsafe. Close contact, tackling, spitting, yelling, sharing locker rooms (with others not in your “cohort”) is safe though. Hmmm….