TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY Panorama debates the return of high school sports this fall illustration by | JOANNE SUNG
DOMENIC FENOGLIO associate editor
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ports drive athletes to succeed in both the present and future. The environment that competition creates leads to friendships found nowhere else. For their mental health and futures, student-athletes need the return of sports. COVID-19 has been tracked in the U.S. since the beginning of February. In that time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 315 deaths due to the virus in adolescents aged 15-24. While these deaths are tragic and extremely important, it is important to note that over 11 times as many adolescents of this same age range die from suicide each year. The mental health of athletes rests heavily on the friendships and communities created through sports. Removing this support from athletes’ lives will take
ATHLETES NEED THE RETURN OF SPORTS a greater toll on their mental health than their physical health. Additionally, for many athletes, success in school is motivated by a desire to play sports; this is the reality for students who feel that their talents lie on the field rather than the classroom. According to MSHSAA guidelines, students must pass three credits (or six classes per semester) in order to compete in a sport. In addition, school attendance during the day of a sporting event is required. Without the motivation to play, student athletes will not be held accountable for their academic performance, and their education will be negatively impacted. Most importantly, more than 460,000 high school athletes go on to compete in an NCAA-sanctioned sport. Many of these athletes would
not have the option of attending college without this opportunity. On average, college graduates earn over $30,000 more than those with only a high school diploma. Taking away the competition of high school sports takes away the possibility of recruitment for thousands of potential collegiate athletes. With the cancellation of sports, these athletes are missing out on more than a season of high school competition. They are ultimately losing their futures. The benefits sports have on its participants’ lives cannot accurately be measured, as they continue to help athletes long after they stop playing. However, high school athletes across the country are being denied these valuable experiences. This fall, high schools sports should return. p
SAFETY TAKES PRECEDENT OVER SPORTS
CARLY WOODHILL
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he return of high school sports in the the midst of a pandemic would be an absolute disaster, contributing more problems to a year already historically chaotic. To prove this statement, one needs to look no further than the professional sports teams that have tried to return to competition unnecessarily and suffered severe outbreaks of COVID-19 as a result. Back in August, the St. Louis Cardinals had nine players and seven staff members test positive for COVID-19. Consequently, one of the Cardinals’ staff members passed away. While professional organizations have millions of dollars to tackle whatever problems may arise, high school sports programs lack the re-
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OPNIONS | A & E
sources to ensure testing on a regular basis or effective anti-infection measures. High school competitive sports are based around the cooperation of a team, where the players are working closely together. These close quarters could spell disaster in the middle of a pandemic; in an environment where large teams are all running, breathing and coming in contact with one another throughout every match, the spread of COVID-19 would be rapid and unforgiving, between both players and their families. Aside from the public health risks, juggling the rigid schedule of sports with the challenges of distance learning and careful quarantine is a lot for any student to face. The detriment to mental health that could come about
opinions editor
because of this would outweigh the benefits of returning to sports. Additionally, not all students in these sports could return even if athletics were to come back. Some students have family members that are at higher risk for COVID-19 and need to be more careful than their peers to keep their loved ones safe. These students would have to refrain from playing sports, meaning the return of athletics unfairly prevents these students from participating. Before anything else, public safety and the wellbeing of students must be preserved. COVID-19 needs to be stopped, and opening up high school sports would be a mistake that we can’t afford — especially when the cost is human lives. p
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