Pennsylvania High School Sports Remain in a Frustrating Limbo
Pennsylvania high school sports remain in limbo after an unexpected recommendation from Gov. Tom Wolf prompted legislative pushback and shut down the phone system of the state athletic association.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association voted Friday to delay the start of high school sports practices for two weeks to gather more information about Wolf's recommendation that sports not be conducted until Jan. 1, 2021. Pennsylvania teams originally were eligible to begin fall sports practices Monday. The PIAA's vote delayed them until Aug. 24.
Wolf's statement Thursday caught the state off guard, sending the PIAA into two days of emergency meetings that produced the decision to pause. Lombardi said that, during the next two weeks, the PIAA would work its "darndest" to meet with state lawmakers and the governor's office about asking Wolf to "reconsider his position."
At the end of a press conference Thursday, Wolf responded to a question about allowing parents to attend sporting events by saying that he didn't think the state should conduct sports at all until Jan. 1, 2021. Last month, the PIAA released a series of recommended COVID-19 guidelines for schools as they prepared to resume sports this fall.
The guidelines included a statement from the PIAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee that strict adherence would produce a "reasonably safe environment for student-athletes" to participate in sports.
Wolf changed that direction Thursday.
"The guidance is that we ought to avoid any congregate settings,” Wolf said. “And that means anything that brings people together is going to help that virus get us, and we ought to do everything we can to defeat that virus. So any time we get together for any reason, that’s a problem because it makes it easier for that virus to spread.”
The Wolf Administration later released a joint statement from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Department of Education affirming the position. The statement called the position a "strong recommendation and not an order or a mandate." The recommendation does not apply to colleges like Penn State or professional teams in Pennsylvania.
"We were as surprised as anyone," Lombardi said, later adding, "if it was an order, we probably wouldn't be having the discussion we're having here."
Three state lawmakers responded with statements calling the Democrat governor's recommendation "intimidating" and "ill-considered." Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-34) said the "tongue-in-cheek comment by the governor has once again caused confusion within our school system." Corman and Wayne Langerholc Jr. (R-35), chair of the Senate Education Committee, wrote a letter to the PIAA asking it not to cancel the fall seasons.
House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-171) called Wolf's recommendation "unilateral" and said it caught "everyone off guard."
"Like you, I was tremendously disappointed in Gov. Wolf’s intimidating ‘recommendation’ to cancel all recreational and interscholastic athletics until January of 2021," Benninghoff said in a letter to the PIAA. "I am writing to remind you that this is not a mandate, and I am asking you to stand firm on your previous decision to continue with PIAA-sanctioned events during the fall athletic season."
According to Lombardi, the PIAA received about 7,500 emails concerning Wolf's recommendation and enough calls to shutter its phone system. The feedback came from "moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas, coaches and student-athletes themselves," Lombardi said.
Part of the confusion, Lombardi said, is that sporting events already are being conducted in Pennsylvania. The executive director pointed to basketball tournaments, tennis and golf events and a recent wrestling tournament that drew 1,400 participants.
"I believe we need the same opportunities as recreational sports to be successful," Lombardi said.
Under the PIAA's pause, athletes can continue voluntary workouts until a decision is rendered. Asked whether that delay is productive, Lombardi said it could help soothe some of the "angst or heartburn" officials have, particularly about football, which is considered a high-risk contact sport.
"I don’t think the board is kicking the can down the road at all," Lombardi said. "They're trying to get as much information as possible. As you know, this announcement was [Thursday]. So just a little bit more than 24 hours, you're asking a board of directors to make a decision that could negatively impact hundreds and thousands of athletes.
"The board takes that very seriously. By buying a couple weeks time, to possibly get as much current information from those groups, I think is very, very wise."
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