Two-thirds of high school students expressed concern they could catch or transmit COVID-19 through sports participation, but the vast majority said their interest to play sports has remained the same or grown over the past year, according to a new Aspen Institute survey.
High school sports have returned in some form around the country, though the rules and enforcement can vary by state and local communities. What remains to be seen is how COVID-19 will impact high school sports participation, both now and post-pandemic, based at least in part on student interest in sports and whether they feel safe due to COVID-19.
The youth survey data came from more than 5,000 students in grades 9-12 collected between September 2020 and March 2021. This included a sample representing students from public, charter and private schools across the country. The survey was conducted via an online platform and results were analyzed by Resonant Education. Among the respondents, 42% indicated they had played a full season of at least one sport while in high school, during or before the pandemic.
The survey results suggest that where students live and the type of school that they attend can impact their perceptions of sports during the pandemic. Students from rural communities were less likely to say they are “very concerned” or “a little concerned” with catching or transmitting the virus through sports (57%), compared to urban (74%) and suburban (68%) students. Overall, 66% expressed such concerns.
66%
High school students who expressed concern about catching COVID-19
Among all students, 58% said their school could help reduce concerns by providing protective equipment, such as masks and hand sanitizer. Rural students (54%) were less likely to agree with that statement than urban (62%) and suburban (58%).
Other options cited by students on ways to address COVID-19 concerns: modify practices to reduce close contact (43%), hold practice with small groups (37%), reduce the number of practices (22%), and don’t compete against other schools (14%). Almost one out of four students (24%) said there are no ways to reduce their concerns.
Charter school students expressed the most worries about sports during COVID-19, with 31% answering that they were “very concerned.” This fear was lower for students in public schools (22%) and private schools (16%).
58%
Students who thought their school could reduce concerns by providing protective equipment
Many health officials recommend masks for sports participants, coaches and fans, and active screening for participants, including weekly testing of athletes and coaches if possible. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), 21 states have mandated masks during competition and 14 states require masks except during competition.
To date, accounts of COVID-19 transmission through sports settings have been linked more to off-the-field activity than to competitions. Health officials caution that outbreaks can happen from gatherings before or after games and practices, such as team dinners, parties, transportation, locker rooms and sleepovers.
In Michigan, where COVID-19 case rates, test positivity rates and hospitalizations are rising, the state health department recently connected many cases to youth and high school sports, especially basketball. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has mandated weekly testing for athletes ages 13-19 to participate in sports, beginning April 2.
State health officials in Minnesota also recently tied at least 68 cases involving a more contagious form of the virus to participants in school and club sports. The health department said some parents across Minnesota are not testing their children if they show symptoms or were in close contact with someone who is positive, so the child can play high school sports.
According to the new Aspen Institute survey, 54% of students said their interest in playing sports has stayed the same since shutdowns began in March 2020. Almost one out of three students (30%) said they now have more interest and 16% indicated diminished interest. Private school students expressed the most growing interest in sports (37%), compared to students in public (29%) and charter (26%) schools.
Prior to the pandemic, the overall high school student participation rate in interscholastic sports was 39%, according to a 2017 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Rates were the lowest in urban (32%), high-poverty (27%) and charter (19%) schools.
One unanswered, long-term question from the pandemic is whether budget cuts will reduce the quantity and quality of high school sports offerings. In some communities across the country, the pandemic has devastated sports revenue. Canceled games or crowd-size restrictions resulted in far less money from ticket, concession and merchandise sales.
"While everyone on a team may not be able to play in a game due to the nature of the sport, creative measures should be utilized to retain all students who are interested – if at all possible."
— Karissa Niehoff, National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Executive Director
Karissa Niehoff, NFHS executive director, wrote in a recent column that finances are causing some schools to reduce the sizes of teams by holding tryouts in sports that previously embraced no-cut, unlimited participation. She cited track and field as a sport that now has squad-size limits at some schools due to fewer available coaches or COVID-19 protocols that make handling larger groups more challenging. Track and field tryouts are also happening for the first time in some middle school programs, meaning students in the seventh or eighth grade who get cut may never return to sports again.
“Undoubtedly, many schools have been affected from a financial standpoint by the pandemic,” Niehoff wrote. “When budgets are reduced, cuts have to be made in some areas; however, those cuts should not come at the expense of high school students who are interested in competing in a sport or activity. While everyone on a team may not be able to play in a game due to the nature of the sport, creative measures should be utilized to retain all students who are interested – if at all possible.”
59%
Students who said what they most missed from sports is having fun
In the Aspen Institute survey, 59% of students said what they most miss from sports is having fun. Students were allowed to provide multiple answers. Other benefits that students said they miss without sports: playing with and making new friends (53%), getting exercise (51%), learning and improving skills (42%), and competing against others to test themself (41%).
Private school students miss friendships (72%), exercise (65%), competing (56%), winning games (48%) and emotional well-being (42%) through sports at considerably higher rates than public and charter school students. Among all students, winning (38%) was the sixth-highest response to what’s missed without sports. Ranked even lower was the ability to use sports to earn college scholarships (21%) and improve college admissions (20%).
Eight high schools will each be awarded $20,000 based on their strategies to make healthy opportunities available to students. Applications can be submitted here and remain open for urban, suburban and rural small schools and all private schools.
The Aspen Institute will release eight reports in 2021 with findings and recommendations specifically tied to school type, beginning in April with charter schools. In 2022, the Aspen Institute will produce an in-depth report about ways to reimagine high school sports more broadly.