Returning to sports after the shock of COVID-19 has been a tall order for many sports organizations around the world. High schools and colleges alike have taken to tackling the challenge head on, and the results are looking good.COVID-19 has taken its toll on everyone since it came about last March, but one of the industries that took the brunt of the hit was the sports world. 

Major sports organizations such as the NFL, NBA, and MLB were faced with a harsh reality. They could either shut down their seasons indefinitely or play out their respective seasons with the risk of the players contracting the virus. Faced with the inevitable, all the major orgs postponed their seasons in order to come up with a strategy on how to move forward while having to deal with the growing pandemic taking hold of the world. Despite pro athletes and the major organizations behind them taking up most of the headlines for the sports world, the pandemic had far more outreaching effects on local communities as well. 

NCAA’s New Covid-19 Strategy

College and high school sports also took a massive hit. So many questions that no one was prepared for suddenly plagued high schools and colleges everywhere. The NCAA has released their “standards for practice and competition” for colleges to adhere to in the 2020-2021 season. It goes into great detail what exactly coaches and players should be looking out for, as well as the procedure for COVID-19 testing and proper social distancing protocol. 

Some of the key points from the standards for practice and competition are:

• Testing and results should be obtained within 72 hours of competition in high contact risk sports.
• Universal masking should be observed on all sidelines, including when an athlete moves from the playing field to the sideline to confer with a coach.
• Training should occur outdoors.  When not feasible, indoor training with good ventilation is preferable to indoor training with poor ventilation.
• All individuals with high-risk exposure must be quarantined for 14 days.

Obviously, this is not the whole list nor does it come close to covering all of the NCAA’s policies covering COVID-19, but it does give insight into the new policies that have been put in play and just how seriously the NCAA is taking the issue. 

Sanitary Risks and Team Cleanliness 

High school sports have taken a similar blow as college sports, and their procedures for going about sports during the pandemic are often times more strict than the college guidelines or NCAA’s standards. The CIF (California Interscholastic Foundation) has a set of guidelines on their website that outline what exactly is happening to make sports as safe as possible for athletes there. 

The Physical Activity and Athletic Equipment category of the document in particular is very detailed, as well as the Weight Room Category. Both go into numerous ways for players and coaches alike to stop the spread of COVID before it starts. 

For example, “Physical contact such as high-fives, fist/chest bumps, and hugs should not be allowed,” as well as avoiding weight exercises that would require a spotter in order to conform with social distancing rules. On a similar note, during Phase 1 locker rooms should not be used at all. COVID-19 is more easily transmitted in tight enclosed spaces like inside buildings, so outdoor practice has become practically mandatory for every sport now. Weight room etiquette has advocated cleaning your station after using it for as long as they have been around, but this has become even more stressed due to the pandemic. On top of this, hand sanitizer stations have become more frequent in schools and colleges alike. They provide easy and quick protection against germs, which is something indispensable considering how much everyone uses their hands throughout the day.

Interestingly enough, CIF also goes into detail about what both Phase 1 and Phase 2 are for all it’s sports, and the necessary precautions being taken to ensure the players are socially distanced enough while participating. While many sports are following policies and continuing their seasons via Covid-19 rules, it should be noted that sports with more physical aspects are higher risk. The full list of what sports specific risk levels are under can be viewed on the National Federation of State High Schools COVID guidelines statement.

Covid-19 Testing Methods

Different testing methods have been brought up as scientists rapidly research how to counteract Covid-19. Through this research, 3 different tests have been developed to help pinpoint who exactly has or may have had the virus. 

	Molecular Test	Antigen Test	Antibody Test
Also known as	Diagnostic test, viral test, molecular test, nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), RT-PCR test, LAMP test	Rapid diagnostic test (Some molecular tests are also rapid tests.)	Serological test, serology, blood test, serology tests
How the Sample is Taken	Nasal or throat swab (most tests) Saliva (a few tests)	Nasal or throat swab	Finger stick or blood draw
How Long Results Take	Same day (some locations) or up to a week	One hour or less	Same day (many locations) or 1-3 days
Test Accuracy	This test is typically highly accurate and usually does not need to be repeated.	Positive results are usually highly accurate but negative results may need to be confirmed with a molecular test.	Sometimes a second antibody test is needed for accurate results.
What does it do	Diagnoses active coronavirus infection	Diagnoses active coronavirus infection	Shows if you’ve been infected by coronavirus in the past
Who In Sports Uses Them	The most accurate method. Given that most sports use the Antigen method, if a player tests positive they are required to take a molecular test to be sure the results are conclusive.	The most popular method. Due to how fast it is to get results, it’s often used in sports. The NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL all use this. The con is it has a higher chance of putting out false negatives.	Used for research purposes. Athletes who have already had the virus or are unsure if they had it in the past use this method as it shows whether or not the player has antibodies. Still experimental as not everything is known about Covid-19 still.

Costs of these tests seem to range from $50 to $200 dollars on average. Thinking of it as a bell curve, this price range would be considered the average. There have been cases of very expensive tests between the $1000 and $2000 range, undoubtedly a result of labs trying to take advantage of insurance coverage by inflating the costs. Always be aware of what the costs of a Covid-19 test will be, and whether or not one’s insurance can pay for it. 

Deconditioning and Infected Players

Something that does not seem to be mentioned a lot in any guidelines is the “deconditioning” of athletes because of the current pandemic situation. Children’s Mercy in Kansas City goes over this in their protocol page by outlining what is being called a “phased approach.” It’s not a term that should seem unfamiliar, and is very similar to other schools across the world. Since schools are limited in practice, training, and game settings, athletes are not getting the same level of exercise/workout time that they are used to for their respective sports. This results in a higher chance of athletes getting injured, and is something that cannot be fixed by catching up. Overtraining can be just as detrimental to athletes, as it puts way too much stress on the body and will hinder performance and recovery time. 

Schools are doing a great job of adapting to allow for athletes to get the most out of this unordinary year, but what if an athlete does catch COVID-19? How will they return to their respective sport if positive for what the school is trying to prevent? Children’s Mercy also outlines this in their guidelines, and it is part of their phased approach. An athlete starts at Phase 1, which is “two sessions of light aerobic activity.” This means no lifting weights, no pull ups or pushups, or anything that pushes your body too much. The phases continue until you get to Phase 6, but Phase 5 is more important. Phase 5 states that the athlete may return for “one full session” of their sport. This is important because if an athlete can complete one or more full training/practice sessions, then there is no reason they cannot come back to the sport. This is why Phase 5 is more important than Phase 6, because this is the step where it shows whether or not one’s body is ready to endure the training and practice of the sport again.

Conclusion

COVID-19 has affected so many high schools and colleges not only in the United States, but all over the world. Sports may seem very low on the totem pole for a lot of people out there when it comes to what the world should be worried about during the pandemic, but sports have a profound positive impact on people’s mental and physical states. This statement especially applies to children and adolescents. Aside from the health benefits of sports like fitness level and cardio, sports also help children through “experiencing benefits from the increased socialization with friends and coaches as well as from the return to a more structured routine.” It is a social interaction with others that cannot be easily replaced, and the advantage children get from participating in sports with others will impact their entire lives.