Latest how parents health experts navigating youth sports coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic sidelined more than 36 million athletes between the ages of 6 to 17 across America this spring.

According to the Aspen Institute Sport & Society Program, parents reported their child’s time spent on sports fell by nearly 50% after the pandemic started.

By summer, many kids returned to action, such as at this soccer club in Connecticut. Now, as debate rages about reopening schools, parents and health experts are wrestling with how youth sports can safely continue.

“It seems a little naive to me to think that kids aren’t just as vulnerable ... as adults.” -- Dr. Raj Deu, Johns Hopkins University

The summer spikes in COVID-19 made some parents more skittish. A survey by the Aspen Institute indicated about half expect their kids to resume sports at pre-pandemic levels when restrictions allow.

Kweisi Ehoize runs the Baltimore Terrapins lacrosse program. Baltimore’s protocols for reopening are more strict than the state of Maryland’s, so players trained on their own this summer.

In areas where young athletes were sidelined, the absence of sports took an emotional toll. Seattle-area resident Mira Schneeweis-LaRene can’t wait for Ultimate Frisbee to start again.

In Philadelphia, 70 outdoor public pools remained closed this summer ...

... and outdoor facilities only started reopening in July.

But closed gyms across Philly left nearly 900 youth league basketball players to their own devices this summer.

About 40 miles north, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the Warrington Township A’s returned to the field in mid-June.

COVID-19 insurance waivers and hand sanitizer were among the first things families saw.

Other safeguards included temperature checks and safe distancing. A’s coach Jon Biedermann said he has been strict about enforcing safety measures among players and coaches.

Safety protocols, issued by national sports organizations in accordance with federal recommendations, have dramatically changed the way kids practice and compete.

At the Tampa Bay United Soccer Club, coaches take frequent breaks to sanitize equipment and young hands, but the coronavirus still managed to interrupt the summer.

The club also spent $2,400 on a thermal scanning device that monitors anyone entering facilities for fevers.

But no matter how many safety precautions are taken, such as spraying a dugout with disinfectant at this baseball tournament in Maryland, a bigger problem can be getting kids to follow distancing protocols.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends avoiding high-fives, handshakes, fist bumps and hugs.

Dr. Andrew Beck, a Cincinnati pediatrician who helps coach his kids’ baseball and soccer teams, says keeping players safe requires a whole-team effort.

Along with cases overall, child coronavirus cases have increased as the country has reopened. Kids now account for 9% of all cases, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Youth sports have been identified as the source of outbreaks in at least a few areas. Some parents, including Amy Estes of Augusta, Georgia, are holding their kids back for now.

As virus waves rise and fall, communities can see activities open one week and shut down the next, frustrating coaches like Platini Soaf, who says his club in Orange County, California, has kept children safe.

The tension is likely to continue as school sports forge ahead in some parts of the country this fall.

Playing It Safe

By John Barr, Arty Berko

and Tracy J. Wholf

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ESPN

Playing It Safe

By John Barr, Arty Berko

and Tracy J. Wholf

Related Stories

More Stories