Athletes Playing Two Sports

KRIS JIBSON

The 2020 – 2021 school year has had a lot of twists and turns with sports related  issues. Many athletes throughout the county have almost gone a full year without playing a high school sport. 

With the recent announcement of football / baseball / softball all now being able to play in the purple and red tiers,  everyone has  started to  debate on whether or not  student athletes should be allowed to play two sports this year. 

If students are able to handle  playing two sports and both the coaches are on board, then they should absolutely be able to play two sports if they want to. It’s the student athlete’s choice, and if they are willing to  follow all the Covid 19 protocols, then let the kids play. 

Student athletes should not have to choose which sport they want to play when they easily could play both. It’s not fair to them or the sports that in a normal year they would be able to play both. 

Student athletes that are able to actually play two sports will also be able to develop  great time management skills because they will have to handle two sports practices and school.

Athletes need this. You can’t make them choose between the sports that they have been playing  their whole life. Let the kids play both, and if they can’t handle it, then they can make the decision  to quit one of the sports. 

This past year athletes have been practicing multiple sports because they didn’t know which sports would be allowed to continue competing due to the Covid 19 restrictions.  

As a result, athletes who play both a fall sport and a spring sport  now have two sports happening at the same time. It’s completely up to the coaches if they will allow their athletes to play both sports. 

For many athletes it’s been very stressful not knowing if they are going to have to choose between two of the sports that they love, and they don’t know what to choose.  The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and schools need to realize that athletes should not have to choose between their sports because Covid was not their fault. 

As an athlete, I know what athletes are going through.  It is frustrating and difficult for student athletes when some coaches are completely fine with athletes playing two sports, while some coaches are not allowing their athletes to play two sports.

 Athletes should be allowed to play two sports, and that’s final.