There’s nothing like high school football. Most of us know it is a great sport played by student amateurs. It’s at a level where mistakes are expected and the learning experiences are mostly what it’s all about. Glory is gained, of course, but that is secondary to the overall experience of playing in front of your family and friends and gaining memories that last a lifetime. It’s still a sport that is nearly as innocent as it was more than 100 years ago. Indeed, it’s still quite a thrill for fans to go out on a Friday night, get a couple of teri burgers here in Hawaii and witness their neighbors and friends go to — shall we say — war to defend school pride.
I do not want to be a naysayer about what is an important part of the fabric of our lives, but it’s looking a lot like Hawaii high school football won’t be played this fall unless a series of fortunate events occur. Signs are good that the COVID-19 health crisis and the spread of the deadly flu is slowing down. But will it have slowed enough by fall to where athletes can safely contact each other as much as they do in a football game?
The Hawaii High School Athletic Association and its member leagues are meeting weekly to plan for a 2020-21 sports season, and well they should. There could possibly be a real breakthrough in containing the threat and there has to be a plan in place for that eventuality. But tackling someone and butting heads on the line of scrimmage? Over and over again for a few months? If that type of thing is not safe now, then it is hard to imagine it becoming safe in a few months.
The National Federation of State High School Associations has guidelines that organizations like the HHSAA typically, but not always, follow.
Here are a few “points of emphasis” in an NFHS document from April that was sent to the nation’s athletic associations. It’s obvious that there will be many hurdles to climb before sports such as football can return.
>> “Testing regimens, specific guidelines regarding mass gatherings, and response to a student or team member testing positive for COVID-19 (including contact tracing) are all currently under review, and guidance will come from CDC and state and local health departments. Limited testing availability, lack of resources for contact tracing, and expanding knowledge of the characteristics of COVID-19 transmission could all result in significant changes to (recommendations that follow in the NFHS document).”
>> “Due to the near certainty of recurrent outbreaks this coming fall and winter in some locales, state associations must be prepared for periodic school closures and the possibility of some teams having to isolate for two to three weeks while in-season. Development of policies is recommended regarding practice and/or competition during temporary school closures, the cancellation of contests during the regular season, and parameters for the cancellation or premature ending to postseason events/competitions.”
>> Until a cure, vaccine or very effective treatment is readily available, or so-called “herd immunity” is confidently reached, social distancing and other preventive measures such as face covering will be a ‘new normal’ if workouts, practices and contests are to continue.
The NFHS COVID-19 guidelines include a return to sports in four phases. Even in the fourth phase — when actual games resume — there is still a kind of warning against starting sports like football. In part, the document’s Phase 4 reads: “Higher risk: Sports that involve close, sustained contact between participants, lack of significant barriers, and high probability that respiratory particles will be transmitted between participants.” It then mentions football, competition cheerleading and wrestling as high risk. Basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball and soccer, among many others, are listed under moderate risk. Cross country and golf are examples of lower risk.
This month, the Center for Disease control published some COVID-19 sports guidelines that also would make running a football season extremely difficult. Here are two excerpts from that: >> “Traveling outside of the local community may increase the chances of exposing players, coaches, and fans to COVID-19, or unknowingly spreading it to others. This is the case particularly if a team from an area with high levels of COVID-19 competes with a team from an area with low levels of the virus. Youth sports teams should consider competing only against teams in their local area.” >> “Coaches can also modify practices so players work on individual skills, rather than on competition. Coaches may also put players into small groups (cohorts) that remain together and work-through stations, rather than switching groups or mixing groups.”
>> “It is also possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it, and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes. Minimize equipment sharing, and clean and disinfect shared equipment between use by different people to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.” In that last example, for instance, footballs are passed around everywhere during practice. When it is touched by one, two or three players, are they going to stop practice and disinfect the ball? What about when helmets contact another player? Time to disinfect?
In national news this week, the National Hockey League announced a plan for a 24-team playoff, but so far there is no green light for that. There are too many unknowns. But even that plan, if it happens, would include more than 30,000 COVID-19 tests and limited general contact at two hub cities. That kind of controlling of the environment would be impossible (or close to it) for Hawaii sports.
And while the headline of this story is geared to Hawaii high school football, it could apply to other sports and other parts of the country, including the NFL. There are a lot of hurdles to overcome for football to happen at any level in the fall. For now, we can wait and see what happens in the hockey world. If the NHL can get it done and runs its playoffs, it will give hope for the other sports. And if football doesn’t happen in the fall, spring is always a possibility.
