Sports leadership needs to overcome the challenges associated with a highly contagious virus. Here’s an example when it did not.
An article has been circulating across the country, published in local newspapers from coast to coast. It’s about an aspect of sports–the handshake. Dr. Karissa Niehoff, executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, writes: “It is hard to imagine high school sports without handshakes. …the handshake has been a way of demonstrating good sportsmanship toward the opponent.”
Courtesy: Yourbasin.com
While Dr. Niehoff is correct, I found her lament to be a trifling matter–given what’s happening in sports today. Contact sports, like football and wrestling, carry significant health risks. Other sports, like basketball, require close contact. Even running isn’t safe; those involved sweat in close proximity to other athletes.
Yes, I too lament the loss of the handshake in sports. But what I fear more is the impact Coronavirus is having on sports and the institutions that sponsor sports. With the economy on hold, public institutions are struggling financially, including high schools where public taxes sustain schools. Some colleges are eliminating sports teams–cross-country, track and field, and wrestling are three examples–because of financial distress.
What’s far less critical–‘trivial’ is the way I’d describe it–is how athletes “continue to exhibit emotions and emphasize sportsmanship, which typically has involved touching between individuals.”
I’m bewildered by Dr. Niehoff’s reasoning because urgent concerns face sports at all levels–from high school to pro. In the face of this virus, sports leadership needs to rise to the occasion. Low-balling just won’t do.
