By: Kylon Haley, '21
The year 2020 will go down as one of the worst and memorable years in the modern era due to the global pandemic. But, as shown in the past, sports are one thing that bring people together, but it is a real question if we should even play sports at this moment, especially high school sports. In Louisiana, it has been an real mystery of whether we are going to have a football season or not. When asked if we should have a season, Arizona commit Kolbe Cage said with no hesitation, “Yes!” Like many young athletes and college-hopefuls, Cage has such a passion for the game and depend on it for scholarships and potential career paths. When asking Coach White, HC Dean of Men, his thoughts, he responded, “I think having a football season would be great for the overall morale of the school. Every member of the Holy Cross community is looking for some sense of normalcy, and I feel like a football season would give everyone the opportunity to ‘return to normal’, at least for a little while. If there were no football season, it would certainly have a negative impact on players who are on the cusp of receiving an athletic scholarship; however, I am just as concerned for all of the seniors on the team.” HC’s Offensive Line Coach, Coach AJ believes, “The simple answer is yes [we should have a football season]. Considering what we know about the conditions of the virus, who it attacks, and how it affects people, I believe we have proper protocols in place to successfully have athletic seasons this fall of 2020. We understand what we’re up against and we’re doing everything we can as an institution and football team to mitigate the risks for the players to successfully have a season.”
It seems as though a return to normalcy is what everyone wants, and most importantly, what everyone needs. For plenty of young men, football is what keeps them alive, what keeps them on the right track, and if they do not have that, an argument can be made that the mental health and behavior of young athletes could be negatively affected. This school year is very important to senior athletes, as some athletes are a few big plays away from getting their scholarship offer that they worked their whole life for. This season means everything to a lot of players and even a small return to a normal life is wanted by everyone, but this virus has affected the world in a way we have not seen before. So, should we have a football season? It appears the majority say yes, but patience and understanding are needed while we anticipate a possible season.