Kids can’t physically go back to school yet—should they be playing youth sports? Sure, parents have conflicting thoughts about sending their children back to school in the midst of a pandemic, but some are comfortable going forward with athletics. According to a survey from The Aspen Institute’s Project Play in June, 44% of parents felt comfortable sending kids back to elite travel and club teams, while 51% felt better about school sports, and 69% felt better about individual sports. Parents are feeling the “peer pressure” to let their kids go to practice because it means “sacrificing years of hard work and long weekends” as well as the “thousands” of dollars previously spent. And while young athletes have the choice to play or not without any consequences, a majority have opted to play. Teams and sporting venues have been working to follow safety protocol guidelines, but experts are still worried about the “pooling of people” from all over the state for “an extended amount of time.” (WSJ)
