`...there is enough evidence to suggest that putting teenagers back on the field can be done safely, provided everyone is following CDC guidelines and, frankly, not being stupid.
It does require cooperation from every high school athlete, coach and staff member to ensure he health and safety of everyone involved. That includes high school athletes being extra mindful of one's family, friends and community.(I hesitate to say this, but I suspect part of what motivates the writer is his own livelihood. If high schools do not play sports, what will he have to write about it?)
At any rate, I wrote a letter to the editor in response and I post it here. I have redacted the columnist's name for use here.
To the editor:
Regarding his column on Wednesday, September 16, is [the columnist] Matt Smith completely unaware of what has happened on college campuses across the country in the past month? Has he not read of the surges in corona virus cases caused by young people ignoring the rules set down by their administrations and local authorities? What makes him think that 15-to-18-year-olds will be any more careful than their older brothers, sisters, and cousins?
Is he also unaware of the virus cases that have arisen in the professional sports that have returned to play? If baseball players whose livelihood depends on being able to continue to operate in a safe, healthy environment cannot remain infection-free, what makes him believe high schoolers will be any different?
What's more, any infection that occurs within a high school football, soccer, or whatever team will not remain isolated to that team. Those student athletes attend classes with non-athletes, return home to their parents, grandparents and siblings, and, of course, will pass on the infections to the teams they compete against.
[The columnist] is living in a fool's paradise if he believes high school sports can be played safely in the current environment.I'm very interested in anyone else's thoughts.
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