As many states and communities return to youth sports during the COVID-19 pandemic, 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.
What are the latest opinions on whether kids should wear masks when playing sports?
Rebecca Foreman
It’s a tricky question. The latest sports guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dated Aug. 7, advise to wear a mask when it is difficult to stay less than six apart from people or when indoors, such as in close-contact sports like basketball.
The CDC recommends adults wear masks and practice social distancing for lower-intensity sports. For higher intensity sports and activities, like running, the CDC notes that an adult may not be able to wear a mask because it causes difficulty breathing. For all youth athletes, the CDC says parents, coaches and sports administrators should decide if the kids need to wear a mask. That’s not exactly a helpful conclusion.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that all athletes should wear a cloth face mask when on the sidelines and when arriving to or departing from an athletic facility. But the AAP notes that the World Health Organization does not recommend using a face covering vigorous exercise. “When nonvigorous exercise is being performed and physical distancing is not possible, a cloth face mask should be worn,” except for water activities, wrote the AAP.
On the other hand, Dr. Claire McCarthy, a senior faculty editor for Harvard Health Publishing, advocates for kids wearing a mask during sports. “I know it can be hard to wear one during vigorous exercise, but it can literally save lives,” McCarthy wrote in late July. “Do some experimenting to find the mask that works best and remember that it needs to cover both the nose and mouth. Masks are most important when social distancing isn’t possible; if players need to take theirs off briefly, they should get more than six feet away from anyone.”
SFGate.com, a local news outlet in San Francisco, recently highlighted the best breathable masks for playing sports and exercising. Mark Cameron, an infectious disease expert at Case Western Reserve University, suggests experimenting “with light fabrics and various styles to find one they can exercise comfortably with, from bandanas, to neck gaiters, to home-made or commercial ear-loop masks, or those that are purpose built for various forms of exercise.” The costs for these face coverings promoted by SFGate range from $12 to $30.
Anecdotally, the reality is that most kids who have returned to sports are probably not wearing masks during physical exertion. One exception is Montgomery County, Maryland, which requires youth to wear masks while participating in sports (there’s no football in the county this fall). The county is using guidance from the state of Maryland in requiring masks, though Baltimore City is the only other jurisdiction in the state with this mandate, said Montgomery County Councilman Gabe Albornoz.
“At the elite level, there’s been a tremendous amount of frustration and a lot of anger pointed at the county, particularly because the rule is not consistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction,” Albornoz said. “You have soccer teams from other clubs refusing to play in the county, and the Maryland SoccerPlex is dying right now because so many leagues and teams are refusing to adhere to the county’s restrictions.”
On the other hand, Albornoz said one major rec soccer league in the county is thriving because of masks. “These are kids who don’t even normally play soccer, but because most school systems have gone virtual, the families are signing up kids to play because they feel comfortable with the mask ordinance,” he said. “While the participation numbers are down for the league from last year, they’re not nearly as down as other sectors.”
Albornoz said he is concerned whether some kids can breathe with masks during vigorous exercise and thinks the county will soon change its requirement. “But our public health officials do feel the risk of getting COVID is bigger than respiratory issues while playing,” he said.
Is it safe for kids to play 2-on-2 basketball indoors wearing masks? My school is in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
C. Onorato
Check out the answer above regarding use of masks. Indoors are believed to be riskier than outdoors. Having the masks while playing could help – assuming the kids can breathe properly. The CDC prioritizes outdoor practice and play as much as possible. “If playing inside, ensure ventilation systems or fans operate properly,” the CDC wrote. “Increase circulation of outdoor air as much as possible, for example by opening windows and doors. Do not open windows and doors if doing so poses a safety or health risk (e.g., risk of falling or triggering asthma symptoms) to players or others using the facility.”
Basketball is going to be a tricky test case in the coming, colder months. James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 as an indoor sport because students were going crazy without sports during the winter. The most important element about his creation of the game was it had to be indoors. More than a century later, large-scale basketball games with indoor crowds this winter could become super-spreader events, as some were last March.
Our dance team is a competitive sports team that has lost the majority of our funding due to COVID-19. As coaches, we volunteer our time and are doing everything we can to find grants and opportunities to continue our season and support the athletes we work with.
We are having to get creative with finding new locations where we can practice. We are having to purchase a vehicle to travel in as we lost our club transportation. We’re having to figure out creative ways to find donations for our costumes and other needs. We are in an extremely rural area in North Dakota and many of our students fall into the low-income category. Do you have information on assistance/grants for teams like ours?
Pebbles Thompson
Sorry to hear about your challenges. DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation offers grants to nonprofit organizations that help youth from low socioeconomic communities and families. Good Sports accepts applications on a rolling basis to be considered for equipment donation, provided the organization serves youth in an economically disadvantaged area and charges a participation fee of $300 or less. Nike provides grants and product donations to help communities.
LeagueSide has a whole list of sports sponsorship grant opportunities. It’s important to carefully read through eligibility requirements upfront to recognize if your organization can apply for a certain grant. Keep in mind that the process of applying for and receiving a grant can take a long time. LeagueSide offers a local sponsorship guide with five tips on how to raise money more quickly through local businesses.
Also, if your dance team is part of a high school, Project Play is conducting a national search for exemplary high schools that promote sports and physical activity to the broadest reach of students. Reimagining School Sports in America will award $20,000 each to eight high schools in 2021.
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.
