Shortly after the cancellation of college and professional sports seasons due to COVID-19 concerns, many high school and lower age sports have been canceled as well.
This is devastating, not only for the high schoolers who have recently learned their seasons are canceled but for every athlete at any level. Sports are a way for people to get out of their houses and learn to socialize with other people.
They can also be an incredible escape from the hardships of life, both for the athlete and for the spectator.
Just like college seniors, high school seniors will not be able to have their last season. Many high school athletes don’t want to go to college or continue their athletic career, meaning that this was their last chance to play a sport they love.
Ask any athlete to describe why they love the sport. Most, if not all, athletes have an incredible passion for the game for a variety of reasons.
When the announcement of the cancellation of college and professional sports was made, many people reacted by saying these athletes should “just get over it,” because “it’s just a sport.” But what they don’t realize is that it’s not just a sport.
An athlete puts thousands of hours over the course of years of work that went into improving their ability. An athlete creates lifelong friendships with those on their teams because of the sheer amount of time they spend together.
It’s not just disappointing for those who would have had their last season this year, but it’s disappointing for all athletes. They are losing time to improve their skills as well as losing time to play the game they love.
Imagine your favorite thing in the world, something you’ve worked tirelessly for or something you do every day. You would most likely be upset if you lost that.
These athletes have a right to be sad about their seasons being cut short. I understand the tendency to overhype sports and put athletes on a pedestal in our society. Sometimes this makes people think athletes are entitled or spoiled.
That doesn’t mean they don’t have the right to be sad that their athletic career or favorite thing to do was put on hold. The rest of us are sad about that, so why shouldn’t they be?
Don’t bully or put athletes down for being sad that their season is over. You don’t have to support them if you don’t want to, but don’t be mean just to be mean.
Nicole Hindberg can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter@HindbergNicole