CIAC cancels winter high school sports — a gutsy call
The students taking time off from school to protest the CIAC’s decision to cancel the remainder of the winter high school sports season would do well to go back to class and study the history of pandemics.
Faced with a tough decision, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference called off the winter sports season just as a number of state championships tournaments were getting underway. The conference could have taken a more measured approach and held the games without spectators, but officials decided to err on the side of caution and bring the season to an early end.
Either response would have been understandable, given the state of uncertainty as to how far the coronavirus has spread in Connecticut. The handful of confirmed cases, public health officials have made clear, is the tip of an iceberg, and the state is bracing for far more extensive contamination as testing increases.
What defies logic, however, is the anger and vitriol that high school students, along with some parents and coaches, are directing at the CIAC. Hundreds of teenagers showed up Wednesday at the CIAC headquarters with colorful signs, chanting and yelling as they protested the decision. At least one person threw an egg at the building.
Their disappointment is understandable. There is an energy and excitement around high school teams that feeds not only the athletes but the entire academic community. For seniors on the teams, playing in the tournament was likely to be their farewell to their sport. It can be devastating to say goodbye to something when you were so sure you had more time. But their anger is misplaced.
There is growing recognition that the key to slowing the spread of the virus lies beyond the medical community, with decisions we make every day about how we live our lives. There’s a simple math equation at work here. If we step away from some of the activities we see as being critical threads of our lives, we can slow this thing down simply by reducing the number of people with whom we interact. Sports may feel like an integral part of school, but there is a reason they’re called extra-curricular. In a public health crisis, it’s vital to reassess what is truly critical.
A playoff game in high school isn’t critical, despite how it might feel in the moment to those who were looking forward to the next few weeks. The history of other pandemics shows that acting more decisively, sooner, can save lives. That is what is critical right now. It may feel like overkill, but history and science is on the side of the CIAC and others taking firm steps. Connecticut, after what appeared to be a slow start, is taking decisive action to slow the spread of COVID-19. Others are starting to as well — just Wednesday evening, the NBA canceled the rest of its season.
This nightmare will come to an end — but not without making good decisions, sooner rather than later. Gyms will eventually reopen. Games will once again be played.
It’s time for the protesters to put down their signs.