COVID-19 has ruined many, many plans for 2020.
Although there have been bigger issues than athletic cancellations caused by COVID-19, it is still worth mentioning that many athletes have lost a year of play.
Think about working for something for seven months, only to have it canceled. That’s what happened to all spring athletes this year.
After seven months of running, lifting weights and practicing five to six days a week, spring athletes have nothing to show for it. All of this practice and they won’t see any 2020 rivalry games, no playoff games, no trophies and no senior recognition.
Thankfully, all spring collegiate athletes will get an additional year of eligibility if they choose to use it. This is great and all, but unfortunately, many athletes will not be able to use this additional year. See, most college seniors have already planned what they will do after graduation by the time they reach their final semester, and they can’t change their plans to accommodate another year of play. So, many college athletes will not get to complete their four years of athletics, and for softball players specifically, this means their careers are over. There is no softball after college, so many seniors played their last game and didn’t even know it.
Another group of athletes this pandemic has a huge impact on is high school seniors. Some people don’t have a school to continue their athletic career at until the end of their senior year of high school. Not to mention, schools will have less scholarship money to hand out, since they will have five years of classes to provide for, instead of the normal four. The cancellation could cause prospective college athletes that have worked so hard to get to this moment in their lives, to have to give up their career four years too soon.
In addition to this, the freshman athletes who do have the chance to further their athletic career, will now have to fight not only the standard upperclassmen, seniors, juniors and sophomores for a position, but also the fifth year seniors who have chosen to return. Earning a spot on a college team just became much more competitive, especially as a freshman.
Although this situation is unfortunate, there is nothing we, as athletes, can do. Every athlete will have a decision to make eventually. Whether that be for high school seniors, who have to decide whether to keep trying to get recruited to a college, or give up their dream; incoming freshman who have to decide whether to redshirt and take a year to practice and grow as an athlete, without using eligibility; or college seniors who have to decide whether to put their post-graduation plans on hold to finish their final year of their sport, or end their career and not get to finish what they worked for their whole life.
Next time you see an athlete whose season was taken away, give them some encouragement to keep following their dreams, even though it’s hard right now. Don’t tell them that there are bigger problems with COVID-19. For athletes who have spent their whole life training for their sport, this is a big problem.
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