Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Question of the day

Posted in:

Illinois

* From comments today (links added)…

When asked by a reporter what positivity level he needed to see to reinstate fall sports (football) the Governor said that positivity rate was not a factor. But yet, when he was asked why other states can participate in sports he constantly brings up the positivity rates of other states in relation to our own. If positivity rate is not a factor, then what is the deciding factor of when such activities will be deemed safe?

* So, I posed the question to the governor’s office…

The governor has always said his decisions are guided by science and experts, as this will be no different.

Dr. Michael Lin addressed this issue at length in today’s update.

Dr. Lin is an infectious disease specialist at Rush University Medical Center who studies how diseases spread.

* From Dr. Lin’s comments today…

I’ve seen firsthand the suffering such diseases can bring and I take care of patients who have had the misfortune of developing life threatening COVID-19 illness. I’m also a lucky father of two kids, ages eight and 11 who love to play sports. This topic is deeply personal to me.

The governor has asked me to comment about the science behind why high school football and other youth contact sports should be postponed this fall. Here’s what the science tells us.

COVID-19 is a deadly illness that spreads from person to person through close contact. Contact team sports such as football and hockey can become super spreading events very easily. Just one youth athlete showing up with the virus can start a chain reaction of spread that can quickly threaten an entire team. While the virus continues to circulate widely in our communities, there’s no practical way to prevent outbreaks from happening in sports such as football, with all the contact that’s inherent in the sport. This is not just theoretical. We’ve seen COVID-19 outbreaks in college and professional sports teams that have much more prevention resources at their disposal.

While contact sport itself provides an easy way on the field for the virus to spread, it is also incredibly important to remember that there are many off the field activities that are associated with contact sports, such as athletes using locker rooms, working out in gyms, and traveling together that provide a perfect storm of conditions to enable the virus to spread quickly. We’re all in this fight to help the spread of the virus and prevention steps such as postponing contact sports, as hard as it may be seeming on our children, will reduce infections and save lives. With every youth athlete, there’s a parent, or maybe a sibling, or a grandparent who may be at risk for terrible outcomes from COVID-19 disease. Youth sports do not operate in a vacuum and if COVID-19 spreads among our young athletes, it becomes a risk for our entire community. […]

I’ll close by saying what I told my son, who was really looking forward to playing contact sports this school year. Each of the things that we do to prevent COVID-19 and others, some small like putting on a face mask, others more significant like changing how we play and how we work, is an act of love and sacrifice to our fellow human beings. And this pandemic will not last forever. At some point with better medical advances, particularly with our hope for effective vaccines, this pandemic will end. But the time to relax is not now, especially as we head into the fall and winter season with so many lives at risk.

* The first question for the governor today was about what Dr. Lin had just said…

Reporter: With no disrespect to Dr. Lin, I understand his point. But you could also have a different position, just like any trial would have an expert who would disagree with him. If these other states and perhaps Minnesota on Monday, all are saying it’s okay to play high school sports, what did they know that you don’t know?

Pritzker: Thank you for asking the question. And I would I would start out by saying is that you could probably find an expert to take a position any which direction that you want. That is true. But I also would say that Dr. Lin is not alone. Indeed, he is among the vast majority of infectious disease experts, epidemiologists, scientists, etc. who are deeply concerned particularly about contact sports, where there is an exchange of sweat, saliva, other things that are going on on the field on a regular basis, not to mention that there’s very little protection once they’re in the locker room. In a typical locker room there’s not that much social distancing as you know. There are concerns about that in addition to the field play. There are obviously other sports that have locker rooms, but I’m just suggesting to you that all of the precautions that are being taken by professional sports, and now by college sports are not available to people who play high school or junior high school sports. And I think the doctors have essentially said, ‘Look, we want to get there as fast as we can. But now is not the time, especially as we’re entering the flu season, especially as we’re entering a season where I think everybody is deeply concerned about a second wave hitting the United States.’

* Here’s more from Pritzker a bit later after WIND’s Amy Jacobson told the governor “You’re hurting our children”…

I know that there are many, many parents and kids who would like to be out on the field. And I want them to be out on the field. And as you’ve seen, sports have been categorized not by me by experts about whether they’re high risk, medium risk or low risk. And I’m simply following the science that’s been provided.

Now, I understand there are other states that have made different decisions. That’s one of the tragedies of not having a national strategy here, or being led by a president or CDC that you could trust, that’s providing some direction for everybody. But what I can tell you is that one of the reasons that Illinois has the lowest positivity rate among all of our neighboring states is because we’ve been very careful, because we’ve listened to the scientists. We have some of the best scientists and doctors in the entire country in the state of Illinois. I have been relying upon that, not to mention Dr. Fauci and others. And these are very difficult decisions, and they are emotional decisions even for me. And all I can say to you is that as the information reveals itself, as the scientists come forward with new information - I just want to remind you all that at the very beginning, the CDC said, ‘Well, if you can’t wear an N95 mask, don’t bother wearing a mask.’ That was something they said at the very beginning. We obviously have all discovered that sciences change. We have studies now that show that even the cloth mask that you have on now is a benefit to everybody if we would all wear one, or a surgical mask as you’re wearing, Craig.

So this is evolving, there’s no doubt about it. And there have been changes. And there was not an understanding over the summer, that when we would allow people to go to sports camps, or join their leagues of the summer, there was not an understanding at the beginning of what the transmission might be that occurs. But the fact is that all over the world, youth sports have proven to be very problematic. And that I think, is why, and I’m not making a political judgment about that. I’m just reading, as I think all of you can about what other countries what other states what other. I understand everybody can make a choice here. There’s no doubt about it. And I and Illinois is making a choice here. We’re making a choice based upon the science, that there are some sports that are less risky than others, and we’re allowing those.

* Pritzker was then asked if he understood “the mixed message of today” with the Big 10 announcement that football will soon return…

When you’re talking about Big 10, and you’re talking about professional sports, much different than high school sports. It just is, because of the amount of testing because, of the amount of the doctors that are available, because of the focus on testing for myocarditis. That’s something that the Big 10 has said that they will do in kids who contract coronavirus. That’s not something that’s happening at the high school level. And so we really need to just pay attention here to the different levels. It’s not football here is same as football over there. If you could put a bubble around each one of these teams, for example, at high schools, and you could provide athe same kinds of services. Perhaps high schools could do that. But look, I’m making decisions for an entire state. We have 855 school districts in the state of Illinois and we have individual schools within those school districts. More than 4000 total schools and, you know, these decisions are they’re difficult to make. But it’s important that I keep in mind anyway how we can best keep our are kids safe and healthy.

Please excuse all transcription errors.

* The Question: Should Illinois allow high school football teams to play this fall? And if so, under what restrictions? And if not, why?

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:17 pm

Comments

No, I played high school football and have very fond memories of playing and the lessons it taught me. Later I watched my sons play so I understand the desire to see football played. I would be at a game every Friday night this fall if this was a normal year, but it isn’t a normal year. I don’t want the kids (and they are kids) memories of football being their classmate, family member or friends dying or suffering long term complications because some adults didn’t put the best interest of the child first, even if that makes the child unhappy.

Comment by Tom Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:28 pm
I’m in the shut it all down camp. I’m skeptical of pro sports, highly skeptical of having college sports and think it’s ridiculous that any k-graduate school kids are having in-person instruction. Get both R-naught AND the positive rate below 1 and we can talk.

Reminder: New York has done a fantastically better job managing the pandemic - they’ve had positive rates below 1% for more than a month now. And they just cancelled high school football for the fall

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:28 pm
No. But I do note that Dr. Lin didn’t give a % number, other than an implied zero.

Comment by Fav Human Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:30 pm
If private schools want to play, I might consider supporting that. But I don’t want to subsidize the spread of this disease, so I support banning fall close contact sports by public schools. The governor is taking a very tough and unpopular stance and I support him 100%.

Also, did Amy Jacobson really say “you are hurting our children?” Was she saying it like a sarcastic Maude Flanders way, or was she trying to be serious?

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:30 pm
No, hope for a vaccine and play it in the Spring.

Comment by pool boy Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:30 pm
No. what Tom said

Comment by very old soil Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:31 pm
No. Way too easy to spread in close contact.

Most press in the past 7-10 days has focused on pressure from parents to resume based on that coveted scholarship, missed scouting opportunities, etc.

That screams money, not public healthy safety.

Comment by mrp Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:34 pm
At this time no.

The different states are doing it under different rules and conditions, with the risks involved it makes sense at a minimum to give that ‘experiment’ more time to play out. There is no ‘win’ to be at the bleeding edge on this.

Too many unknowns and too much risk. You screw this up, you create a much bigger problem. Worse case you try in March, not ideal but it is something.

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:35 pm
I can see erring on side of caution. Do it in spring as they said
However, I do not understand how college football is allowed then in this state. And if it is then why are not all college sports treated the same. Can you only test football players for some reason?

Comment by DuPage Saint Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:36 pm
WIND’s Amy Jacobson told the governor “You’re hurting our children”……did not realize 2 Piece had athletes to care for

Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:37 pm
Rich: FYI. The “You’re hurting our children” link in the post goes to SextShanAnything.

Comment by SouthSide Markie Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:39 pm
No, the commitment to not play this fall was made based on the best data available at the time. Since then new studies are showing other health issues related to COVID. Spring will provide more data. Life will go on.

Comment by zatoichi Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:40 pm
No, the risk outweighs any possible benefit multiple times. HS Fall sports are not necessary. Recruitment for college teams will work around this. Parental hysteria over postponing the season is far more damaging to the moral health
of these kids. Risking the lives and health of students and their families is repulsive.

Comment by Froganon Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:40 pm
I don’t get this huge focus on starting up high school football now, when it hasn’t currently been canceled, it’s been moved to later in the school year. Even if Covid was magically eradicated today, it would be logistically impossible to spin up a season at this point, and the delay under IHSA acclimation rules would push the start of games into October at the earliest. So my answer is “no” regardless of my opinion of the safety (for the record I don’t think it’s safe right now).

Also the governor did the exact same thing again, mentioning positivity rates.

Comment by harp5339 Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:41 pm
Nope. The risk is too high of transmitting the virus for something that’s an extracurricular. Until the state and country (and world) have COVID-19 better under control, nonessentials like kids’ sports have to be put on hold.

Comment by Benjamin Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:42 pm
“athletes using locker rooms, working out in gyms, and traveling together”

Can’t athletes wear a mask in all of these situations? The gyms are open if you were a mask, air/bus/rail travel is open if you wear a mask….. close the locker rooms if needed. Not a good answer from Dr. Lin.

I don’t think fall sports should be played if kids can’t go to school. They are student-athletes. Student comes first.

Comment by 1st Ward Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:42 pm
Let me know when schools, other than those on the north shore can test twice a week. Let know when you don’t load up 100 kids on 2-3 buses. Let me know when you can give these kids more than two gym locker rooms. Let me know when we can get our numbers down to NY State levels. Then I can consider this.

Comment by Someone you Should Know Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:48 pm
Of all sports football is the most difficult. The ultimate contact sport. I remember watching a college game years ago where a player on one team had a stomach virus. By the second half you had players on both teams vomiting on the sidelines. I’m okay with the position Pritzker has taken on this.

Comment by SSL Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:51 pm
The positivity rate in some suburban athletic conference communities is well below 1%. Let em play.

Comment by Make It A Double Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:51 pm
No. HS sports cannot be played in a bubble, and are frankly unnecessary. They can wait for a vaccine. Any other answer is selfish.

Comment by Simple Simon Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:52 pm
If football resumes, the schools should agree to cover any and all medical costs should a student athlete or his or her family be infected.

Otherwise the first thing those schools are going to do is ask every family for a waiver, which tells you exactly what priority the students are.

Comment by Leigh John-Ella Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:54 pm
NO. Heck No. For all the reasons the good Doctor gave us, and more. Every step we take to rush “normal” just moves the State backwards. We’re in the second quarter, and Covid is winning by the score of 8,564 deaths (John Hopkins 10/16). Mask up, don’t congregate, stay home!

Comment by revvedup Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:54 pm
All it takes is one infected, asymptomatic kid, so … no.

Comment by Northsider Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:56 pm
If schools are operating in person, yes. If they are remote, no.

Comment by Chicagonk Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:57 pm
== Otherwise the first thing those schools are going to do is ask every family for a waiver ==

Our high school is doing workouts and “contact days” (contact with coaches, not contact sports activities) and have already made parents sign a COVID-19 waiver.

Comment by harp5339 Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 3:57 pm
=Can’t athletes wear a mask in all of these situations? The gyms are open if you were a mask, air/bus/rail travel is open if you wear a mask….. close the locker rooms if needed. Not a good answer from Dr. Lin.=

And yet the coach of the LSU football team believes that almost every player contracted the virus. So what an athlete (or coach for that matter) can do and will do are two different things. Did you see the coaches on NFL sidelines this weekend? They all could have correctly worn masks but many chose not to. And if they can’t do it with cameras on them what possible reason do we have to believe that college or high school students will be compliant behind closed doors? And keep in mind the NFL is investing heavily in regular testing.

We can’t afford to put our communities and health care workers at risk because a few parents can’t fathom the thought of a fall without high school football. Ten years from now no one will remember that we had to go without football. But there will be lots of talk about how we could have managed the virus better and avoided a lot of needless deaths.

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:00 pm
In the fall?

No.

=== And if not, why?===

The IHSA has made the decision for the spring.

No compelling reason to change that.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:04 pm
I’m still not understanding this push to start things up now. At best you get a shortened season. In the spring you’d get a full season.

And if having an off season of practice only and no games “hurts our children” why don’t we see that problem every year ?

Comment by tea_and_honey Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:06 pm
No. There is no harm in potentially playing football in the spring. Also, you can bet that if you were to allow football to be played that the parents would also want to be in the stands cheering for their kids. That’s just as much of an issue was the kids playing the game itself. I dare anyone to say: “ok, we’ll play football but the parents can’t come to watch.”

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:07 pm
No, for the reasons said by Dr. Lin and the Governor.

Comment by Keyrock Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:07 pm
No. My real answer is because it makes Trump supporters unhappy, which makes me happy.
But then I would say normal things like the high schools do not have the money or testing of colleges.

Comment by R A T Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:07 pm
Tea and honey and others - I totally agree. The football has not been canceled - just moved. I get it - not much beats seeing HS FB in chilly fall weather. Other than that, not sure why it has to be played now when we are so unsure of testing, etc. Go Hilltoppers.

Comment by Paddyrollingstone Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:09 pm
I agree with OW. What is so awful about delaying it until spring? Let’s get through this fall/winter and we can have HS football in the spring. It’s just a few months.

Comment by FDB Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:14 pm
I thought these were extracurriculars? Why isn’t this energy put into curriculum and actual academic learning?

Comment by Hit the books Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:15 pm
“Can’t athletes wear a mask in all of these situations?” Remember it’s masks AND social distancing.

Comment by Skeptic Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:16 pm
“And yet the coach of the LSU football team believes that almost every player contracted the virus.”

We assume its from football. They are also living in close quarters separate from football and may be going to parties on the weekend.

Again, I don’t support high school sports being played if the school cannot have in-person classes.

“Did you see the coaches on NFL sidelines this weekend?”

See basketball coaches on the sideline which is all indoors.

“what possible reason do we have to believe that college or high school students will be compliant behind closed doors”

someone tests positive games/season are canceled.

“few parents can’t fathom the thought of a fall without high school football.”

Comment by 1st Ward Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:16 pm
No. loved HS sports. Football paid for college. The risk of permanent damage is too high.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:16 pm
Some reporter should ask the governor when he is going to delegate all state spending control to financial experts and scientists.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:17 pm
=== See basketball coaches on the sideline which is all indoors.===

The NBA is in a bubble

Keep up, please.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:21 pm
“Remember it’s masks AND social distancing.”

High School Football is played outdoor. See Gotlieb’s twitter on study showing only 2 people contracted the virus outdoors out of 1,245 cases from 318 outbreaks.

https://twitter.com/scottgottliebmd/status/1253321483402674178

https://twitter.com/scottgottliebmd/status/1253321483402674178

Comment by 1st Ward Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:21 pm
===Of all sports football is the most difficult===

Wrestling.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:22 pm
Not no, but hell no. too dangerous to subject children to risks that are not currently understood. See the Wired story about exercising with COVID.

Comment by Groundhog Day Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:23 pm
Yes. I don’t see anything in the Governor’s response of Dr. Lin’s comments that lead me to believe there is a plan to return to play. What will change in the Spring that will alter the decision. Contact in football is not going to change. I’m not sure how the virus will be any more in check in March than it is now.

My son played football. He has graduated and moved on. If he were still in high school I would have no problems with him playing. I know numerous other families in other states whose boys are on their third week of football without incident. It can be done. I would rather see an attempt on how it could be done safely rather than just…..NO.

Comment by Eastside Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:23 pm
No to contact and other close sports.

With respect to all, the issue here isn’t starting up sports. It is starting up football and other close quarters or contact sports.

Golf is going. Cross country as well. I have no problem with either of those. We could have moved baseball and softball and track (we do not offer as many sports as big districts)to the fall but the IHSA didn’t begin the process fast enough to do that.

I look at this issue from the same perspective I use for closing school on snow days and other extreme weather days: I am happy to listen to input from whomever, but at the end of the day whatever happens the outcome it falls on my shoulders and is my responsibility as the district superintendent.

So I listen to people, I don’t argue with them. But I have a clearly defined process for these decisions and will do what I think is best supported, in the case of COVID, by science. That means I don’t worry too much about the opinions of folks who are not accountable for the decision, including individual parents who are only responsible for their children and not the children of the other 600 or so families.

We are running a hybrid schedule with a remote only option. We have implemented good mitigation and have no school spread of COVID to date.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:25 pm
I also think it is odd that Dr. Lin designated working out in gyms as a dangerous activity because that is currently allowed under the IHSA plan and the Governor’s current guidance.

Comment by Eastside Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:27 pm
===Of all sports football is the most difficult===
How about wrestling and basketball, which has become a full contact sport?

Comment by Anna Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:27 pm
I played high school and college football and it served as the flagship in my journey to develop hard work and accountability.

The answer is no. We need to show the youth that sometimes, the right course of action is the more difficult one.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:31 pm
People, the question is about football. Stick to football.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:33 pm
“Should Illinois allow high school football teams to play fall?”

No.

“And if not, why?”

High schoolers are children and there’s a deadly, debilitating and highly contagious global pandemic.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:35 pm
Sorry Rich, I saw hockey mentioned in the Dr.’s statement. Now I see ur question was only about football.
No. Stick to the plan.

Comment by Augie Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:41 pm
NO. My guess is that there are a lot of Dads who are for football. Many of them want it not for the kids but for themselves. Years ago my school and another almost merged which would have allowed for more advanced classes. Never happened because of the sports rivalry between the 2 towns. The students suffered as the “real men” yelled from the sidelines at games.

Comment by jimbo26 Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:49 pm
Yes, they should play, but with empty stands (see how many parents like that), and only if players get tested weekly. The IHSA has some deep pockets so, if they can find a way to pay for testing, then they should be able play.

Comment by BluegrassBoy Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 4:55 pm
No, there’s no way you could put a plan in place for all HS football teams in IL that the Big Ten has put in place. They at least have a decent chance of having a successful season. But there are too many variables at play for HS football. All it takes is 1 untested COVID positive player to potentially infect 2 teams and it just spreads from there. There’s not the ability to adequately test all players, or ensure that all players and coaching staffs adhere to all protocols.

Comment by MyTwoCents Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 5:00 pm
No, our community is a hot spot and we’re in full remote learning.

Comment by Wensicia Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 5:18 pm
No, not even in the spring at this rate.

And there should be no sports of any kind unless students are back to full in-person learning. Not even during remote or hybrid.

Comment by Chatham Resident Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 5:43 pm
I stick by my position day 1. These are hypocritical mitigation efforts.

Comment by Blue Dog Dem Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 7:07 pm
I don’t think I’ve ever seen your commenters so unified. No. Moved to spring. Unlikely then imho - but decide then

Comment by WH Mess Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 8:13 pm
Yes. Players and families can choose to play or not.

Masks for coaches, only family in stands, cheer teams in masks, refs in masks. 7 weeks and 4 week playoff.

Play now. What is the scientific reasoning to waiting? The positivity rate won’t be zero on March 7th so why does science say wait?

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 8:54 pm
Players and families can choose to play or not.===

The people they later expose have not been given a choice. Science says wait because the spread does not stop with the players. It extends to their families, their friends, waiters, nurses, and cashiers.

===The positivity rate won’t be zero on March 7th===

I think you’re right. Sports are not a critical activity. Life goes on if football is canceled. Better than people dying.

Comment by Ogres are like onions Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 9:40 pm
The decision on whether or not to play has to be based on the community as a whole not just the high school football community. And on that basis the answer on playing is no.

Comment by Pundent Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 10:04 pm
Ogres - I agree and understand. But this from the CDC “People who tested positive for COVID-19 were twice as likely to have recently eaten at a restaurant: CDC” shows what real risky behavior looks like. And since I have no control over who eats out or goes to a bar and later infects me, I say play.

Sports aren’t essential/critcal and neither is allowing dine in eating or drinking. We are way past the essential discussion from an honest public health assessment.

But months ago I preferred the motto close the bars open the schools.

Comment by Cool Papa Bell Wednesday, Sep 16, 20 @ 10:14 pm
Yes. Because Donald Trump and Amy Jacobson said so. And the My Pillow guy, I think.

Comment by filmmaker prof Thursday, Sep 17, 20 @ 2:40 am
=== Sports aren’t essential/critcal and neither is allowing dine in eating or drinking. We are way past the essential discussion from an honest public health assessment.===

Yeah. About that.

If Timmy’s football season is in the spring, no big whoop.

If a restaurant/bar closes, or temporarily closes, those are jobs, tax revenues, and a vacant space.

Timmy waiting on football isn’t the same as the concern for businesses.

It’s an extra curricular activity, not a family’s income.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Sep 17, 20 @ 8:39 am
No. I’m not particularly interested in trading higher risk of infection for football games I’m not attending or wish to attend.

I also reject the premise that others states “know something” that we don’t. They know what we know and they made a poor choice.

Just because someone jumped off a bridge doesn’t mean you should too.

Comment by MG85 Thursday, Sep 17, 20 @ 9:14 am
To those that state it’s just an extra curricular activity, or shouldn’t be allowed until school is fully in session, I found this quote this summer from a 1927 court case that I still find true: “It can no longer be denied that extracurricular activities constitute an integral component of public education. Such activities are generally recognized as a fundamental ingredient of the educational process. They are no less fitted for the ultimate purpose of our public schools, to wit, the making of good citizens physically, mentally, and morally, than the study of algebra and Latin…” Students and families have a choice to play sports or participate in other extra-curricular activities. They do not have a choice if their district is in person full days. This should be considered on it’s own merit.

Additionally, the mental health effects on teens are real and long-lasting. As a parent of a senior football player who may have played his last game before he was ready to be done, it’s a struggle every single day for him. And I do not project my feelings on to him.

For those concerned about the spread, it’s important to still be concerned and take this seriously. Since my kids are in school on a hybrid schedule, when they visit their elderly grand parents, it’s with masks, socially distanced, and outside if possible. It’s possible to do both - be concerned and take COVID-19 seriously, while allowing high school sports, in this case, football.

Comment by Nicole Thursday, Sep 17, 20 @ 9:32 am
Why isn’t spring football acceptable?

That’s what’s at play too, the IHSA has stated, spring for football.

The question Rich posed was;

=== Should Illinois allow high school football teams to play this fall?===

What is the rush?

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Sep 17, 20 @ 9:36 am