With the pandemic putting a halt to most in-person activities and events, sports was one of the extracurriculars that helped students stay motivated and engaged in school. Many students face a lack of motivation or have other problems, such as financial issues, which makes it hard for them to focus on school and perform well. The reason why MUSD has started offering in-person learning is because some students are underperforming at school when they would usually do just fine. Most students need something to keep them focused on school, and without being able to see their friends or do other interactive activities, they don’t see a point in schooling. Until there is evidence of drastic adverse effects from sports coming back, my opinion is that sports returning is one of the best decisions that has been made by our athletics league in the past year.
Sports allow students to bond and interact with other students while having fun. It may be the activity that keeps them going to school and maintaining grades since they need good grades to join a sports team. I’ve participated in sports since they came back: first cross country, then tennis, which I am currently playing. While the seasons are much shorter and have lower stakes than a regular season, the bonding and fun that I have with my teammates is still there. I look forward to going to practice or playing a match every day after school, and while I still would be motivated to do well in school without sports, I know others that would not.
Many steps have been taken to ensure that sports are safe. First off, all sports that can be played outside are played outside, minimizing the risk of air transmission of COVID. Sports that are required to be played indoors, such as badminton and volleyball, test for COVID daily. There was a case where a badminton player tested positive for COVID, but due to the extensive contact tracing only a few students had to self isolate for a bit, and the season is still proceeding as normal. Multiple soccer players from other schools have tested positive for COVID, but the soccer season was still able to continue; all that had to be done was the rescheduling of a few games.
Financially, sports during the pandemic are not much different than during usual years. The only additional cost that MUSD has to pay for is COVID testing, and with the current widespread availability of testing, it is not very costly. The school has received funding from the state of California to help cover in-person learning costs, and that funding is much more than what is needed for sports to return.
Vaccines are also now readily available for most high school students, and in the coming weeks, all high school students will be eligible for a Pfizer vaccine. Students afraid of COVID can get the vaccine, and they will have no problem with participating. I know at least three-fourths of the people on the tennis team have been vaccinated, reducing the odds of a superspreader event.
There is no downside to bringing back sports. People who are apprehensive about COVID do not have to participate in sports. However, the people who do want to play get a chance to still do so. Appropriate measures are being taken to ensure that those who wish to participate in sports are safe, and they seem to be working so far.