“College sports are back, but is it too soon?”
Oct 24, 2020; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields (1) leads the team onto the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
December 4, 2020
College sports are officially back on track with the official start of NCAA basketball and football. All areas in which college athletic competitions are being held have taken serious precautions and planned out schedules to keep games and practices active while keeping players, coaches, and staff members safe from the COVID-19 virus. But the question remains: is it too soon?
The reality of sports like football and basketball is that it is very hard to contain the spread of germs or a virus, especially at a professional level. Many football and basketball games have already been canceled due to rising COVID-19 cases in areas of certain universities.
I personally believe that college sports are extremely important for thousands of young athletes across the country. After all, many people rely on college athletic scholarships as ways of making a living. The cancellation of such events will make life extremely stressful for high school or college athletes across America to make a living or pay for college.
That being said, it’s no secret that the COVID-19 virus is still spreading more rapidly than it has all year this fall. While several vaccines are being planned to be distributed and available for a certain group of Americans by early 2021, the virus still must be contained for months leading up to that, and the participation of college sporting events just may lead to thousands of more deaths if not approached carefully.
Many universities are even allowing partial or full capacity at stadiums, some being the University of Alabama, several universities in California, and Arkansas State. While it is not an impossible task to keep a stadium sanitary and maintain social distancing with partial capacity, with the rising COVID cases, it just might not be a good idea yet.
I personally believe that certain areas of the country that have a mid-to-high COVID infection rate should temporarily shut down their athletic competition, so the eventual return for college sports can be safe for all states and areas of the country. Safety is the number one priority, and I think if everyone in the country works together, sports at all levels will make a comeback in 2021…