Thoughts and Observations as the 2020 Season Opens
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Phil Myers | September 7, 2020
To kick things off, everyone knows it has been a bizarre year all around. 2020 is probably the strangest and most unparalleled year in our lifetimes. But, in spite of it all, here we are days before Pennsylvania high school football opens its season. Kids and coaches have worked hard, and they worked hard knowing that there was a distinct possibility that there would be no season. Most people do not know how difficult it is to mentally force yourself to do something physically with the perception it might all be for naught. To some, that anticipated heartache appears to have come true and, to that end, I can say with deepest sincerity every one of us who cover high school football and the other fall sports empathizes with you.
Let’s tackle the issue of leagues, the Philadelphia Archdiocese, and a sprinkling of school districts that have closed the door of, not only opportunity, but fellowship, camaraderie, and maybe even a release from the pressures of school and life in general that sports offer. Competitive sports are outs for kids. It helps with self-confidence, builds lasting friendships, and provides that ‘team’ building block that enable us to function at the work place and in real life relationships among other things. To deprive these young men and women the chance to compete may prove to be detrimental in some cases. It may also drive a wedge deep into communities that may take a few years to overcome.
The top senior athletes will still get their scholarships to college because they have excelled the past couple years and are already known with their HUDL videos and what not. But what about those kids who are what many coaches call ‘program kids.’ They are the ones who have put forth the effort and the work for the past four years. They probably weren’t the fastest or strongest kids as freshmen, but they stayed with the football program because they love the game. Now it’s their senior year and maybe they have earned a starting spot and maybe even they have progressed enough that they might earn a college scholarship. The individuals who run the leagues, the school boards, and the Philly Diocese for whatever the reason, although it cannot be science, have denied these ‘program kids’ that chance.
This article will not delve into the science aspect of the virus because there have been scores of documents and studies that Billy Splain of PFN has poured over and posted on facebook and twitter. Other states have begun their seasons and there have even been a few contests between teams from different states. There was an all-star football game played in District 9 in August. The only one played in Pennsylvania to my knowledge. We are not aware of any detrimental effects from kids playing in those aforementioned games or from participating in sporting events all summer long, nor from the states who are playing fall sports right now. But if something happens, that is when to take action. The object, in this case, is not to punt by anticipating something bad might happen, shut the season down, and then wish you could take it back if nothing happens. The object here is to allow football and other sports to proceed by letting the people who know what is best for student-athletes to make those decisions, the parents. Have a contingency plan in place and if something goes wrong, then enact the plan.
There is another area to be seriously considered that probably has not been given the credence it should. It’s the area of mental health. Depression is a momentous consequence of that sudden feeling you don’t have a purpose and you aren’t given a chance to chase a dream. Depression leads to drug and alcohol use, and crime. Depression, especially in teenagers, even more ominously leads to suicide. Recent studies have shown that suicides among those 18 years or younger are up in 2020. We humans are social creatures by nature and being around each other including playing sports is a remedy to loneliness and possible suicidal tendencies. Since suicides are increasing and the number of deaths among teenagers from the Covid virus is extremely miniscule, maybe the powers that be should reconsider if they’ve shut down sports for the fall. Thankfully, some have reversed an earlier decision and others are reconsidering.
There are those who want to call a time out on fall sports and wait until late winter or early spring before ‘possibly’ playing. Isn’t the flu and cold season still prevalent then? So, the possibility of those sicknesses being spread is far more likely than in the fall. It’s also not fair to the participants of winter and especially spring sports as they already lost a whole year. Football players heading off to college will doubtfully play in the spring because they won’t want to risk injury that close to starting college practice. Some players will even graduate and leave early to enroll in college for the spring semester. Schools, leagues, or whomever else is deciding the kids can maybe play football in the spring does these early graduating seniors no good at all.
To those who have the privilege to play this year, embrace it. You have been given a chance. The PIAA supports this, your parents support this, and your school boards and league reps support this. Now it’s up to you. Prove everyone correct by being true to yourself, your coaches and teammates, and be true to your school. Every game you play is a gift. So, don’t take it for granted. This will be a memorable year for sure. Make it a good memory, not a regrettable one.
Some leagues have really had to scramble to come up with amended schedules. Every media outlet is working overtime to adjust schedules due to the late start and due to districts, leagues, or schools opting to start later than September 11 or opting to play only within a certain distance. For example, Districts 9 and 10 have completely revamped schedules where every team is playing at least some of their opponents twice. District 10 even went so far as to rework its regions or leagues. Remember that regular season competition is what kids desire, not necessarily playing teams in the same classification and certainly not playing someone twice unless the second time is in the playoffs. District 6 used more logic in just simply dropping each team’s first two games and leaving the rest of the schedules untouched.
The parents of athletes are in a real bind and may not get to see their children play this year. Governor Wolf’s limit on outdoor events of 250 people including participants has initiated the state legislature to alleviate that by introducing a bill that lets schools decide. The bill appears it may be veto proof, which will be a win for parents and possibly fans too. There was the Carlisle car show that was attended by over 20,000. There have been baseball and softball tournaments all summer across the state that had hundreds of people in stands, no social distancing, no masks, and things apparently are fine. In other words, the virus did not have a breakout game so to speak. Governor Wolf recently said fans can go to sporting events, backtracking from statements a few weeks ago, but he is still limiting the total number of people to 250. It’s a head scratcher but things are constantly changing, so we’ll just have to wait for even more positive news.
Finally, looking ahead, let’s hope there will be state playoffs, but that will depend on what happens with the virus. Actually, maybe more will be known after November 3rd. Our understanding right now is that a district or two may opt out of playoffs. That may give districts such as District 9 or District 5 a chance to advance farther into the playoffs than they normally do. We’ll see how this all transpires, but having the season go smoothly and safe will be huge and thereby an encouragement to have state playoffs and championships in all high school fall sports. Here’s to having the season go well for all sports, coaches, and athletes. We wish you the best. @Protime_PFN
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