Issue 1 October 2020

8
sports
To Play or not to play
THe Dilemma of fall sports
By IZZY THOMPSON ‘23
You’ve heard
both sides of
the argument,
and you must
have an opinion: Should
we have a sports season
this year?
Many argue that close
contact sports would put
a larger number of people
at risk, and therefore, fall
sports should be canceled
altogether.
ents pushed for a safe and
practical sports season, believing
it was necessary for
the students. Many players’
college decisions depended
on this season taking place
in order to obtain their
signatures.
All their efforts paid
off-–– in late September,
the Central League revised
their plan to postpone
sports until January 2021
er, sports teams must
follow as many safety procedures
as they can, and
administrators still have the
power to cancel the season
if COVID-19 cases rise in
the area.
While both sides continue
vigorously to support
their claims, the Central
League has decided to let
their schools- Harriton,
Lower Merion, Upper Merion,
Radnor, etc.- play, but
the Inter-Ac League is still
standing by their decision
not to facilitate any games.
Among most fall sports, tennis is one of the few that can still be played, although special care must be taken
to follow proper safety procedures. Mimi Salgado ‘21 plays Theresa Kay ‘21 at BBT practice.
School administrators,
faculty, students, and parents
on the Main Line are
debating the best way to approach
the 2020 fall sports
season amidst a global pandemic.
Schools on the Main
Line are deciding between
two options: some are going
back to interscholastic
competitions, and others
are holding sports’ practices
but not competing outside
their school.
For schools that aren’t
having games, the main
concern is that most fall
sports are contact sports:
soccer, football, field hockey,
etc. These sports do not
permit athletes to be socially
distanced while playing,
and wearing masks when
running is often difficult.
While the teenage-athletes
themselves are not
highly susceptible to greater
health risks associated
with COVID-19, the main
concern is how far this virus
would be able to spread
with this new mixture of
students from all grades,
ages, and schools. Even
worse, the athletes could
bring the virus home to the
elderly, those with auto-immune
disorders, and those
with underlying health conditions.
The coronavirus
could have a detrimental,
if not catastrophic, health
effect on these individuals.
Prior to the Central
League’s decision to have
a season, there were many
rallies and petitions to have
a fall sports season on the
Main Line. Opinionated
groups of students and par-
scholarships or be recruited
for sports.
Parents and student-athletes
alike argued that it
would be cruel not to let
players at least try to have
a season. They claimed
that all athletes would
wear masks and try to
follow safety procedures,
even though
social distancing
is impossible for
most sports.
Many started
spreading
petitions on
social media,
urging
other student-athletes
to sign and
show their support
for a sports
season, some petitions
amassing more than 2,500
and decided
to let their
schools play
(Daily
Times).
Howev-
With the coronavirus
still spreading across
the U.S., it’s essential for
schools to take safety precautions
while also taking
care of student’s physical
and mental health. Every
student must decide for
themselves whether
or not they will
be practicing this
fall, but hopefully,
this piece can
provide some
more helpful information
about
what people are
debating regarding
this sports
season.
Design by Grace Halak’22
Photography by Izzy Antanavicius ‘22 and Elina Emami ‘21