Entire Sports World Now On The Sidelines

In covering high school athletics since 1988 I was reasonably sure I had about seen it all.

Controversies on and off the field, upsets, the hiring and firing of coaches, teams exceeding expectations, teams not meeting goals and players making a lasting impact on their respective sport.

The events of this past week and the days leading into it have proved me wrong, however.

High schools in the state of Georgia, both in the GHSA and GISA, have followed the examples set by teams in the professional and collegiate realm and called off all games for at least several days. The GHSA closed things down for two weeks while the GISA has put a halt to all activities until mid- April.

For the first time since I have been doing this, there will be nothing to cover. I can only hope play will begin again soon.

At one time this was somewhat of a common occurrence during the summer months in struggling to find things to write about. When I graduated college and began a professional career as a sports writer the only sports during the summer months seemed to be at the recreation level. I guess you could also include fishing although most people pick up a rod and reel for fun although there are professionals at it.

There was also golf but I never found it very interesting to talk with people who thought they were bound to be the next Masters champion. Had they truly been bound for the pros it would have been another thing.

Decades ago only a few high schools would see their athletic teams do much in the summer. Typically that did not start until preseason practice.

That changed as the years went by. High school baseball teams, at least the successful ones, often play a full month of games once the regular season ends.

Basketball teams go to camps and also compete in various summer leagues and have scrimmages against other schools in their proximity.

Football players move into full gear once the school year ends. There is weight lifting, conditioning, 7-on-7 leagues, on-the-field work and even overnight camps. All of this takes place before official preseason practice begins approximately a month before the new season. You have to do it in order to be successful.

As high school sports in our state evolved it made it much easier for local sports writers to have things to cover during the “down months” of June and July. The Georgia High School Association does have a self-imposed “dead week” where no workouts or practices or scrimmages are allowed. That week is usually tied in with July 4. The GISA does as well.

What we are experiencing now is something completely different, however. Even during the weeks following 9-11 high school activities were not quiet for this amount of time. The GHSA called off one week of Friday night football (waiting until a Friday afternoon to do so) while the GISA actually played on. I was working in Walton County at the time and vividly recall covering the George Walton Academy football game the Friday following 9-11.

Some view the decisions to cancel activities for this amount of time as the right decision. Many feel that you can’t take enough precaution in a circumstance of this nature.

Others feel it is robbing student-athletes, especially seniors, of the opportunity to play the final games of their athletic careers. Most will not continue competing at the collegiate level. For the members of the Class of 2020 these games will be lost with no chance of getting them back.

While many area school systems are closing for a couple of weeks, not every school in our state has made this decision. I know my high school alma mater notified students and parents that it would remain open and that athletic teams would be able to continue practicing, although not competing in games, as long as school was in session. Practices would be called off if and when the school did decide to close.

In speaking with some sports writer colleagues in the area there is concern about what can be done to fill the sports pages for the next two weeks. One told me that he has enough material to last for about a week and a half.

A discussion with his editor had already taken place about perhaps not having a sports section after that. When school resumes and games begin again then it would be back to normal of course.

What makes it more difficult is having all college sports out of commission. One idea would be to have features on local players now in college but they aren’t playing right now either.

The cancellation of major sports event like March Madness is something none of us thought would ever happen. Major League Baseball has delayed the start of its new season. The NBA has closed down for now.

As a fan, surviving without sports to watch is something I can do. I just feel bad for all amateur athletes who may have had their careers end prematurely. It surely wasn’t supposed to end like this. Let’s hope the games are on again sooner rather than later.

Monticello native Chris Bridges has been a community newspaper journalist for three decades. He welcomes feedback about this column at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.