Let the kids play: No reason to keep high school sports shut down

I moved back to my hometown in Pennsylvania in 2019 in order to get closer to my family and become Managing Editor of the first paper I ever worked for. But in the last two years I have kept up with Maine high school sports, including remaining on the board of the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance.

It truly breaks my heart to think of the athletes in southern Maine that are currently unable to do what they love -- compete.

Now, let me start by saying this: The COVID-19 virus is very real. Some restrictions and rules like mandatory masks were very necessary in the beginning of the pandemic, and during the resurgence in some areas of the country.

However, allowing high school sports to be played is not going to cause some massive uptick in the coronavirus -- not in Maine, not anywhere.

Now, I am not speaking as some kind of medical expert. I am talking as someone who is covering high school basketball and wrestling right now in Pennsylvania. I'm also speaking as someone who has read studies done by people much smarter than myself that says exactly that.

Here in Pennsylvania, the winter sports season was put on hold and moved to after the first of the year. But now athletes are competing on the court, mat and in the pool -- and they are doing it safely.

I covered a basketball game and two wrestling matches this week alone. Masks were worn. Spectators were limited. Adjustments were made -- like extra timeouts to allow athletes to take off those masks and no handshakes after a game or match -- and our student-athletes were able to compete.

Now here in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, we have seen an increase in cases and deaths related to the coronavirus since Septmember. But almost all can be traced back to adults gathering for weddings and other big events and not treating the virus as serious as they should have.

Our school districts here have reported that all the cases they have had in schools have not been from student-to-student transmission, but from kids getting it from their family members who have contracted COVID from somewhere else.

So why are we punishing student-athletes in Maine by not letting them do something they love?

Not only is the shutdown of high school sports unnecessary, it can actually be dangerous.

Most student-athletes love their sport. Some need sports as motivation to keep their grades up. And, for some, sports is an outlet needed in their lives -- whether it's keeping them away from a bad situation at home for just a couple hours or just helping them stay out of trouble.

Here in Pennsylvania there have been some hiccups when it comes to high school sports. Some schools were forced back in the fall to pause team activities when the district had a certain number of COVID cases. However, it has always been about cases in the school district and not some super spreader event among a certain team.

If a state as big as Pennsylvania can safely play high school sports then every county in Maine should be able to LET THE KIDS PLAY!

Pat McDonald is the former Sports Editor of the Journal Tribune and Mainely Media weekly papers. He is a member of the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance board of directors and runs the Rumble at The Ballpark wrestling tournament at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach each summer. He currently works as the Managing Editor of the Morning Times in Sayre, Pennsylvania