Why we are probably not witnessing a repeat of March 2020 for high school sports

By Nick Stevens, HighSchoolOT managing editor

If you're like me, the last few days have brought back some not-so-great memories of March 2020.

We've heard many reports of COVID-19 issues in college and professional sports in recent days. High profile players and coaches have tested positive for COVID-19, the number of cases in those leagues has grown quickly, and some games have even been canceled or postponed.

It may remind you of the early days of the pandemic in the United States when college basketball conference tournaments were abruptly ended and professional leagues suspended play. That preceded the eventual suspension of high school athletics in North Carolina for months.

Based on what scientists tell us, it sounds like we're headed for another wave of COVID-19 infections in the United States thanks to the winter season, holiday gatherings, and the omicron variant. While that's not good news, based on what we know today, it doesn't seem likely to cause a repeat of March 2020 when it comes to high school sports.

I reached out to the N.C. High School Athletic Association on Friday afternoon to ask if they were considering changes to the statewide protocols based on the new variant and increasing cases. Here's their response:

“The NCHSAA continues to monitor COVID-19 across the state. If the need arises to make changes at a statewide level, we will make any changes to current protocols in consultation with our Board of Directors, DHHS, and our Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.”

In the coming weeks, we are probably going to see more teams going into quarantine and games being rescheduled. It would not surprise me to see some precautions go back into place, if not on a statewide basis, in some individual school districts. But I would be shocked to see a statewide shutdown of high school sports again.

Why?

Look at what is happening at the college and professional level. They suspended their activities before high schools did in March 2020. They resumed quicker than high schools did. What happens in the college and professional level has had a way of trickling down to the high school level. You are not seeing entire leagues suspend play, at least not right now. I don't think you will see that at the high school level either.

While there are lots of news reports out there that raise concern about the omicron variant and the new wave of infections, it's important to remember some things. First and foremost, in March 2020, testing was not widespread at all and vaccines were nowhere close to being ready for public use. Testing is now available widespread, results are available within minutes, and you can even test at home. Vaccines are available seemingly everywhere, and importantly, many millions of people have been vaccinated. Testing and vaccines alone are a huge difference when it comes to COVID-19 in March 2020 versus December 2021.

But there are other differences. We have treatments and therapeutics now, and scientists and doctors know more about the virus. Schools, coaches, policymakers, and the general public also have a better grasp on precautions that can be taken as necessary to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Perhaps we will see some of those precautions come back in some school districts, maybe even statewide if things really worsen, but at this point, I think it would take some really dire circumstances to put a total suspension in place for athletics.

All that being said though, if we learned anything from the pandemic, we learned to take it day-to-day, appreciate the opportunity you have to play today, because no one knows what is coming next. Just don't lose sleep worrying about deja vu just yet.