As some states and communities return to youth sports during the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are trying to navigate this new experience on their own. Project Play is here to help. While some questions are best answered by public health experts based on local conditions, there are guidelines and best practices that are very useful. We will periodically answer youth sports parents’ questions in this Project Play Parent Mailbag. Got a question? Submit it in the space on the right side of this page or email jon.solomon@aspeninstitute.org.
How safe are face shields for sports like hockey, lacrosse and football? Do they actually mitigate the risk?
Ken Tucker
Face shields – also known now as splash shields – have become a popular product that sports manufacturers are producing and marketing during the pandemic. The idea is the shield, situated on helmets, can block any direct path of droplets while also promoting air flow, communication and soundwaves.
For instance, Schutt Sports created a vinyl shield ($25 for three upper and lower shields), though the company acknowledges it’s not a cure-all. The NFL has purchased face shields. “Just like any face shield or facemask for that matter, you’re thinking about the aerosolization of droplets and the spread of it via that mechanism, which is starting to be recognized as the more important mode of transmission,” NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills told the Associated Press.
But how effective are they? “I think face shields can play a role in terms of adding a layer of protection,” said Susan Coffin, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. “They will block respiratory particles from leaving an athlete’s mouth or nose. They’re not perfect, but I think they fall into the ‘better than nothing’ category. I would definitely love to see, in the appropriate sports, athletes try to accustom themselves to using them.”
Face shields in general “appear to significantly reduce the amount of inhalation exposure to influenza virus, another droplet-spread respiratory virus,” Dr. Eli Perencevich, a professor of internal medicine and epidemiology at the University of Iowa, wrote in an opinion piece for JAMA. A simulation study found that face shields reduced immediate viral exposure by 96% when worn by a simulated health care worker within 18 inches of a cough. Studies have not been done on the effectiveness of the shields in sports.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) approved the splash shield for use in high school games. “It’s just marketing at this point,” said Michael Koester, chair of the NFHS medical advisory committee. “Obviously, respiratory droplets can get anywhere. My concern with shields is equity. If it helps a little, every parent and school that can afford it will use it and everybody else won’t have it. From a rules standpoint, it complies with what’s needed for an upper face shield so we can’t say no.”
Some college football teams ordered splash shields without even testing or using the incoming product, according to The Athletic. A few LSU football players weren’t happy with the shields when they arrived. “It’s like breathing in a Ziploc bag,” offensive lineman Austin Deculus said.
My community still hasn’t put basketball rims back up after taking them down. It’s frustrating for kids. They can’t even shoot hoops on their own. Shouldn’t we find ways for kids to play sports in safe ways, even if it’s not the same as usual?
Kevin Cash
It’s a tough dilemma for municipalities. In a best-case scenario, the rims should still be up so kids can individually or in small groups shoot baskets, depending on local public health guidelines are in place. On the other hand, baskets can draw large crowds.
In Pennsylvania, the cities of Allentown and Bethlehem have not brought back basketball rims. Allentown Mayor Ray O’Connell told The Morning Call it “breaks his heart” not seeing basketball games going on but noted there’s been a rise in COVID-19 cases in the city, especially among young people. “My job as the mayor is to do everything I can to protect our residents from contracting COVID-19,” he said. “I feel playing basketball on our courts is putting residents at risk of contracting the virus.”
Increasingly, public officials in several states have linked youth sports games and practices to COVID-19 outbreaks. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently unveiled smart, new guidelines that apply to school sports, travel teams, private and recreational leagues and clubs, and park district programs beginning Aug. 15.
The Illinois guidelines put sports in three risk levels – low, medium and high – that’s based on how much contact and proximity participants have during play. There are four levels of play:
Level 1: Only practices and training without contact are permitted.
Level 2: Team scrimmages are allowed with parental consent for minors.
Level 3: Interleague play is allowed and sports that are categorized as low risk can hold state or league championship games.
Level 4: Tournaments, championship games, out-of-conference or league play and out-of-state play are permitted.
Based on where the state COVID-19 metrics stand, lower-risk sports can be played at the first three levels, medium-risk sports can be played at the first two levels, and higher-risk sports can be played at the first level. As conditions change, higher-risk sports could return.
Speaking generally about youth sports, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia PolicyLab Director David Rubin cautioned that kids need a way to play sports or adults will create unregulated and unsafe opportunities.
“There are going to be shadow organizations and pickup games that are even less regulated,” Rubin said. “We’ve seen this anecdotally with school closures. Places are set up with childcare that are completely unregulated. People get creative when barriers are placed in front of them. Should we be trying harder to keep these leagues open even during high positivity rates as a way to at least have some measured and structured way to ensure safety?”
Said Christina Master, sports medicine pediatrician and co-director of Minds Matter Concussion Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: “We must find creative ways for kids to stay active in sports for fun and skill development and health reasons. We need sports from that perspective. Do we need to be traveling for games and tournaments? The answer is likely no. It is not worth it until we get levels down. That is the bottom line – sports and the economy cannot restart until the virus is controlled.”
What role do you think college football’s decisions on playing during the pandemic will impact high school football?
James Eubanks
In theory, it seems like if a university – with many resources at its disposal – decides it can’t play football, then the local high school in the same community with far fewer resources shouldn’t play either. Whether that happens is another question, especially in the South.
The SEC – the most prominent college football conference in the country – has delayed the start of its season until Sept. 26, at least for now. (Some college conferences, such as the Ivy League, have cancelled football games entirely for the fall.) COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are high in many Southern states, all of which have a positivity rate above the somewhat acceptable 5% cutoff rate. According to MaxPreps, here is how state high school associations from SEC states are currently handling football (some schools may make different decisions):
Alabama (21.5% COVID-19 positivity rate): Practices started July 27 and games start on time Aug. 20-21.
Arkansas (12.2% COVID-19 positivity rate): The season is scheduled to start on time contingent upon compliance with all directives from the state.
Florida (18.9% COVID-19 positivity rate): After initially voting to start on schedule in late July, the beginning of practice was pushed back to Aug. 24.
Georgia (12.9% COVID-19 positivity rate): The season is postponed from late August to Sept. 4. The state will keep its 10-game schedule and a full playoff schedule.
Kentucky (7.4% COVID-19 positivity rate): Football practices are delayed until Aug. 24. The first game is Sept. 11.
Louisiana (8.3% COVID-19 positivity rate): The season won’t be played until the state enters Phase 4 of the reopening. Practice can begin when the state moves into Phase 3.
Mississippi (21.1% COVID-19 positivity rate): Practices may begin Aug. 17. Games start Sept. 4.
Missouri (13.1% COVID-19 positivity rate): If a majority of schools are open for in-person learning, the plan is to play the regular season and playoffs as scheduled. Schools with virtual-only learning can’t play.
South Carolina (14.2% COVID-19 positivity rate): The start of practice was delayed to Aug. 17. There will only be a seven-game season, starting Sept. 11.
Tennessee (8.7% COVID-19 positivity rate): A full regular season and postseason is expected to start Aug. 21. Crowd sizes will be reduced, and temperatures of fans and facial coverings will be required.
Texas (12.4% COVID-19 positivity rate): Activities for the two largest classifications will be pushed back five weeks, with practices starting Sept. 7 and games beginning Sept. 24-26. The four lower classifications began practice Aug. 3 and games start Aug. 27-29.
We will periodically answer youth sports parents’ questions in this Project Play Parent Mailbag. Got a question? Submit it in the form in this page’s sidebar or email jon.solomon@aspeninstitute.org.
