As of February 2021, Covid-19 has been affecting the United States for 10 months. Since the pandemic has hit the U.S. major facilities have been shut down or have many restrictions. The most important being schools. Schools were shut down for months, but as of now, many schools are beginning to incorporate in-person learning by restricting capacity. With schools starting to open back up, comes the possible return of high school sports.

High School sports are a very important aspect of many students’ lives. Many students do it for the experience, their love for the game, meeting other people, and potential scholarships. In order for high school sports to occur this year in California, sports may start when a county reaches 14 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people. As of February 26, 2021, the only sports allowed to begin playing are outdoor sports such as football, field hockey, and water polo. As for indoor sports such as basketball and wrestling, the starting dates are still to be determined and as of the looks of how COVID-19 cases are going, it is very unlikely that these sports will even have a season this year. The cancellation of sports this year may lead to many missed opportunities and scholarships that could have happened if only the students were allowed to play.

The possibility of not being able to play in their senior season can be very tough for high school seniors. Christian Martinez, a varsity basketball player at Orange Glen High School, explains his feelings towards potentially not having a senior season, “I feel like it makes all the other years pointless in the end because I won’t be able to experience my senior season, which is what everyone looks forward to.” 

“Not being able to play has made me lose feelings towards playing the game” explains Martinez. Many would agree with Martinez’s statement. Not being able to play means no playing with or against friends, not seeing coaches, and not being able to exercise. It is easy to see why many seniors are becoming depressed or angry due to the fact that they will not get the full senior sports experience.

Covid-19 has taken away a lot from students, from people losing their loved ones, to jobs, and now potentially sports, we can only hope and work together to slow the spread. With cases slowly decreasing in the United States, we can only hope that we will be able to experience sports once again before the end of the school year.