OPINION: What the Suspension of Spring Sports Means for College Athletes
The COVID-19 virus has been all over the news, and has dominated our lives over the past week. COVID-19, more commonly known as coronavirus, has brought the sports world to it's knees over the past 24 hours as administration leans towards caution.
Every Power-5 conference has cancelled their basketball tournaments and Hockey East announced yesterday that it will no longer hold it's conference hockey tournament. We've already seen the Ivy League and the Atlantic Coast Conference suspend it's spring season. And shortly after that, the NCAA cancelled all winter and spring championships. So just like that, for the seniors in these leagues, thousands of college careers ended in an instant.
Many athletes have played their final collegiate game without knowing it and that must be an awful feeling. Some have rehabbed injuries for months and for what? Nothing. Boston College sophomore pitcher Samrath Singh became the first Sikh player to ever play at the division one collegiate level. After rehabbing for nearly a year after Tommy John surgery, his spring along with the rest of the BC baseball team, appears to be over for the foreseeable future.
On top of that there are seniors who had moments taken away from. Look at Emma Guy and the other seniors on the Women's Basketball team. They were on the verge of a possible tournament run, one that they had worked so hard to earn. That will never happen now. And the men's hockey team. After three years of struggling, they could have brought BC their first Hockey East title since 2012, and a run in the NCAAs.
Is the cancellation of these events an overreaction? Maybe a little bit. It is a necessary one? Probably. And on the academic side of things, Boston College has told students that the remainder of the spring semester will be completed online joining the likes of Harvard and Northeastern and many others in this decision.
But Now What?
While we are certainly in uncharted waters with these unprecedented actions, this is no time for sadness. Although sports have always been a great distraction from the sadness in the world, we have to understand that this is temporary. Life will go on and sports will undoubtedly return soon to help us move on from all of this.
However; we can feel only sadness for the college athletes that had their careers ended short because of this horrible virus. Sports have always lifted us when we needed it, now it's our time to lift sports.
Oregon outfielder Haley Cruse I think said it best:
Don't take anything for granted. We wish you all to stay safe and please, if you do not feel well, don't go out, and consult with medical professionals. Let's end this thing.