Column: Hope springs eternal, but realizing it may take quite a long time
Today was supposed to be opening day for spring sports in the state of Ohio.
As fields and tracks sit empty, the last Saturday of March has been reduced to more of the same.
It looks like another day of binge watching Netflix, excessively refreshing our social media accounts, watching sports broadcasts of yesteryear or more of personal favorite, Law & Order SVU re-runs. I guess some folks may get real excited and make a run to the grocery store.
Such is life for the valley, state and entire nation these days as we are in the middle of fighting of a faceless enemy known as the coronavirus pandemic.
As repetitive days stack up higher and higher, some are left trying to figure out what exactly day of the week it is at times.
But, hope springs eternal, right?
I believe so, but it’s getting to the point where we realize that for 2020 could be a long way down the road.
That’s especially true as it pertains to all levels of the sports world. The list of major sporting events that have been postponed or canceled is far too long to list, but realize when the NCAA Tournaments are canceled, Olympics postponed, Major League Baseball opening significantly delayed and Masters re-scheduled, this pandemic is real.
If those aren’t enough, there are some out there who believe the NFL and college football seasons could be impacted, too. We shall cross that bridge when we get there, though.
Locally, countless baseball and softball games as well as track meets have been wiped off the docket and more remain in doubt.
Let’s focus, however, on the bright side where hope springs eternal.
Both Ohio and West Virginia’s prep sports officials have established a tentative plan for spring, but both states hinge on the schools re-opening at the dates the governors have established. Those are April 6 in Ohio and April 20 in West Virginia.
Each day, I listen to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s press briefing and I become more and more skeptical that schools will re-open not only on that announced date, but at all this school year.
Though hope springs eternal, and I am not trying to be all doom and gloom, the reality of the matter is the cases of COVID-19 are only growing and we’ve yet to hit the peak. So, how can the governor justify re-opening the schools at this point?
In turn, OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass, who has been transparent with everything his organization is doing since he and his staff elected to postpone (and eventually cancel) the winter sports tournaments earlier this month, will have another decision to make.
This one, however, won’t be tough. It’s fairly cut and dry. If the governor closes the schools until August, there will be no sports this spring and we’ll have to point toward football, volleyball, golf, soccer and cross country seasons.
If DeWine pushes the school resumption date back even farther, then the OHSAA’s next move becomes a little tougher because it could keep the door open and reserve the right to play into the summer months should it choose.
I don’t think extending the spring sports season into July is a move the OHSAA wants to make. But, we shall see.
Obviously, these decisions — whenever they may be made — affect a lot of people and they’re not taken lightly or made on a whim.
Whether it’s the student-athletes, coaches, administrators, officials and obviously the parents and fans, having schools closed and no sports are tough.
After all, we’re all creatures of habit and for many of us sports are what we know, enjoy, talk about and watch. They’re what we do!
One thing we should all keep in mind, in the coming days, as we listen to DeWine and Snodgrass’ decisions about the schools and sports, respectively, is these gentlemen, and their staffs, are making these decisions with the masses in mind.
They’re not out to negatively impact on a personal level or take an experience away from any kid, school or community. They’re totally on the public’s side in this fight.
Actually, we’re all on the same team, wanting the same things. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. First and foremost, we want the world and country to be safe for everyone to enjoy the luxuries we have like sports.
And until that’s totally the case, and this virus is under some kind of better control, it’s going to be a while.
But, again, ‘hope springs eternal,’ so we shall wait and see.
We’re all getting pretty good and waiting and seeing because other than grocery shopping and watching Netflix, there’s not a whole lot to do otherwise.
Staskey can be reached via email at sstaskey@timesleaderonline.com or at twitter.com/TLSportsSeth