While COVID-19 has not entirely changed sports, it has drawn attention to circumstances athletes face during an international health crisis. That’s a good thing. Greater awareness of others’ circumstances always is.
While most of us, outside of first responders and service industry workers, were on lockdown and working from home, athletes were still expected to perform and continue playing. As a result, confirmed diagnoses and experiences were minimized for a variety of reasons, including our insatiable appetite for sports and because of athletes’ presumed fitness status.
While professional athletes have top-of-the-line access to resources, including various sports medicine professionals and medicines, they also face adversity and pressure for others’ gain, and that has a dehumanizing effect. That’s why I believe the sports industry needs to review the physical and psychological pressures associated with the athletic environment and do more to address the safety and priority of their athletes, who ultimately are their money-makers.
While I am not a professional athlete, I am a fitness enthusiast who often feels post-workout fatigue. Still, I neither publicly complain nor express my recovery needs because working out is my choice. Unfortunately, that means I lose my voice, and I imagine athletes feel similarly. I feel compassion for anyone who goes through the physical and psychological trauma of professional competition. Why? Your body no longer belongs to you; it belongs to the sport, and it’s one reason why the impact of COVID-19 on sports is a complex topic to address.
I want to emphasize that when we preach for access, we should preach for equity. Where do athletes come into play here? It’s a discussion where we tippy-toe around the equity at stake. Vouching for someone of high status almost feels taboo. We can easily say we all deserve rest and recovery, but not you (the athlete) because you’re already strong and are expected to compete.
Courtesy Huntsville Business Journal
It’s imperative to mention that many professional athletes are Black, Indigenous, and members of the People of Color community (BIPOC). In the U.S., 73% of NBA players are African American, and 58% are African American in the NFL. People of Color are disproportionately at risk for COVID-19 and other health disparities. For example, African Americans have the highest COVID-19 death rate by race.
In just two weeks during the pandemic (December 26, 2021-January 8, 2022), the NFL tested 2,398 players and team personnel, finding 627 new, confirmed positives (26%). Despite the high rate and CDC’s guidance published on December 27, 2021, regardless of vaccination status, players and personnel were allowed to return to the club facilities and interact with other players/personnel just one day after their fever ended. This occurred during the Omicron variant’s height, and many questioned this decision. But athletes and support personnel had jobs to do, AKA revenue to generate, media appearances to make, and fans to please. The athlete’s well-being was not the priority.
In the early stages of the post-COVID-19 era, professional athletes face many short- and long-term side effects. Health experts recommended a tiered approach to returning to play, and inflammatory heart disease was at the center of discussion with challenges around results interpretation. While the data shows fewer than 1% of professional athletes infected with COVID-19 developed inflammatory heart disease, there were other side effects, including poor mental health outcomes.”
How can a billion-dollar professional sports industry, with million-dollar wages and million-dollar resources, still fail to meet the benchmark for essential human consideration? Upon researching how COVID-19 has changed the sports industry, I found that most articles reflect on the viewer experience, not the athletes. For example, during the pandemic, professional athletes were often expected to apply their star power for social good, including promoting causes through public appearances.
I believe strongly that we need to give athletes a break. While COVID-19 has not entirely changed sports, it has drawn attention to circumstances athletes face during an international health crisis. That’s a good thing. Greater awareness of others’ circumstances always is.
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Hasson R, Sallis JF, Coleman N, Kaushal N, Nocera VG, Keith N. COVID-19: Implications for Physical Activity, Health Disparities, and Health Equity. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2022;16(4):420-433. doi:10.1177/15598276211029222
Gough, Christina. “Black Players in Pro Sports Leagues in North America 2022.” Statista, May 24, 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1168461/african-american-sport-leagues/.
Vasquez Reyes, Maritza. “The Disproportional Impact of COVID-19 on African Americans.” Health and Human Rights vol. 22,2 (2020): 299-307.
NFL. “NFL Covid-19 Testing Results and Vaccination Rates: December 26, 2021- January 8, 2022.” NFL.com, NFL, January 13, 2022, https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/resources/press-releases/nfl-covid-19-testing-results-and-vaccination-rates-dec-26-2021-jan-8-2022.
Udelson JE, Rowin EJ, Maron BJ. Return to Play for Athletes After COVID-19 Infection: The Fog Begins to Clear. JAMA Cardiol. 2021;6(9):997–999. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2021.2079
Seifert, Kevin. “Study Shows Less than 1% of Pro Athletes Infected by COVID-19 Also Developed Inflammatory Heart Disease.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, March 4, 2021, https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/31003626/study-shows-less-1-pro-athletes-infected-covid-19-developed-inflammatory-heart-disease.
