Editorial: At Springdale basketball, the agony of default by covid
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Sports can be a passionate proposition for some people.
Communities can tie their identity to their local mascot. A school district can live or die with its football team’s record as much — sometimes more — than their standardized test scores or graduation rate. If you have been to a Little League or girls softball game, you’ve probably seen at least one parent who takes it as seriously as the World Series.
And while it is easy to dismiss that kind of zeal as, well, overzealous, it shouldn’t be discounted.
Parents take sports seriously for many reasons. It’s a way to connect families. It’s a way to make kids care about and take pride in something they have worked hard to achieve.
And for some, the older the kids get and the better they play, it can be a way to dream about the future. They might not all have NFL or WNBA aspirations, but many hold their breath and wish on that letter jacket for a college scholarship. Given Pennsylvania’s often outrageous college tuitions, every little bit helps.
Some Springdale High School parents were not happy Tuesday. About a dozen parents, boys basketball players and head coach Aaron Epps gathered at the Allegheny Valley School District offices to protest the district’s decision to forfeit the team’s spot in the WPIAL playoff game.
The district’s call was made after four players tested positive for covid-19 last week. It was a decision that does make sense from a purely administrative standpoint. It was a gracious bow-out, acknowledging the medical problem that is hardly a surprise to anyone, given the coronavirus pandemic that is just closing out a year of complicating Pennsylvania schools’ day-to-day operations.
But the players, their coaches and their families have every right to be angry and frustrated after a good season that netted them a fourth seed in the playoffs. To have that ripped away from kids that don’t have the disease because of some that do has to cut deep.
“What really is sad is we had to fight to be able to play this season. We had to (have the players) wear masks,” said Tim Dexter, whose son Logan is a junior guard. “It’s fine they want to be cautious. I understand that. But we’ve taken so much away from these kids with this pandemic.”
Logan heard about the cancellation from his coach and was shocked. The district made the call — but didn’t call the kids to explain. They could have either let the team, which had a plan to move forward with the unaffected players, plead its case or had the fortitude to stand up and deliver the news directly.
Districts have been yanked around by the state all year with what is allowed and what isn’t and what is being canceled at the last minute. They should be able to empathize with a team whose season was just stolen from them at the buzzer.