COVID-19 is a disease that has spread throughout the world, causing many countries and cities to go on lockdown. When it first began to spread throughout North America, major sports organizations, such as the NHL, MLB, NBA, Nascar, and the PGA Tour all postponed their seasons. Many people gather to watch these events live, so shutting their doors was a way of promoting social distancing.
Since then, many community centres, college sports leagues, and youth sports associations have put their seasons on hold for the foreseeable future. Baseball B.C. issued a statement on March 17, suspending all play province-wide. For the health and safety of everyone, measures like this are the right move; however, the suspension of many youth sports seasons, and possible cancellations, could have a lasting repercussion for some young athletes.
While the effects on younger youth athletes are minimal when it pertains to their sports careers, as the age increases, the athletes are more and more affected by the outbreak. If we look at a five-year-old child playing T-ball when their season gets cancelled, not much will change when it is time for them to start ball next year. This is because children are still in the early development stages of their time with the sport. For someone in their senior year of high school, however, this season could be the difference between getting a scholarship in the NCAA for baseball or playing community slo-pitch next spring.
Most universities in the NCAA are in the U.S. The cost of going to university in the U.S., however, averages $99,417 USD for a degree. On top of that, many students take out loans, which means they will be paying interest on top of that cost when they finish their studies. While the season for B.C. baseball has been put on suspension, this could lead to a cancellation if the current situation does not get better. One more season means one last attempt for talented players to get recognized by the university scouts. With COVID-19’s spread throughout the continent, many players that could have gotten their tuition paid for, or at least partly paid for, are now being told that they will not be given the opportunity to show their worth as a player.
With the coronavirus now sweeping through the continent, all our focus as a collective should be on how we can “flatten the curve” so that our healthcare and economy do not collapse. Although I am focusing on the repercussions of shutting down youth sports, I am by no means telling anyone youth sports should still be going on; in fact, I am at home now, instead of getting ready for my slo-pitch season. I believe Canada has begun making the decisions they need to keep their people alive. It is just unfortunate that this may mean a negative outcome for certain individuals that have spent thousands of hours chasing their dreams.
Image: Chronicle Herald
