On July 17, the Michigan High School Athletic Association announced it intends to proceed with fall sports as originally scheduled. However, the state has not made any progress in its advancement in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s reopening plan. With most of the state still stuck in Phase 4 of the six-phase reopening plan, many sports still cannot practice with contact or indoors. At the same time, there have been numerous teams that have shutdown practice all across the state because of players or staff testing positive for COVID-19.

With daily case numbers rising in July, there are many questions still surrounding the fate and feasibility of fall sports this year. While the MHSAA meets this morning to make further progress in fall sports planning, football is set to begin official practice on Aug. 10 while the rest of the sports are scheduled to follow suit on Aug. 12.

Despite so many questions in the air, one thing is for sure: If we do have high school sports this fall, it will be unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. Here are 10 questions still looming ahead of the new high school sports year:

Will the start of fall sports be pushed back?

This is certainly the most immediate question on the minds of all high school sports fans, especially athletes and coaches. Currently, most of the football programs in Michigan are not permitted to have contact in practice, which has some football coaches concerned contact will not be allowed by the time official practice begins on Aug. 10, thus not providing time to prepare for games. Does it seem likely swim and volleyball will be ready to move indoors for practice? The likely answer to this question is that there will be no choice but to push back the start of fall sports at some point between now and Aug. 10.

Will low-risk sports be allowed to start on time in order to end the season as scheduled?

The MHSAA has already stated that if all fall sports are suspended, the season will be rescheduled so winter sports begin in November, followed by the conclusion of fall, which would push spring sports into July 2021. But why not allow the low-risk sports to finish if the opportunity to present itself? Most of the lower-risk sports like girls golf, boys tennis and cross country all end in October or early November. Boys soccer finals are scheduled for Nov. 7 while girls swimming and diving, volleyball and football all end in mid-to-late November.

Will invitationals be banned for the season?

Many fall sports partake in weekend tournaments and invitationals throughout the season. In fact, a sport like cross country has a scheduled filled with invitational-style meets, including multiple league jamborees throughout the season where every team in the respective league competes against each other. In order to meet the MHSAA’s standards of keeping in line with Phase 4 restrictions, keeping these types of competitions to under 100 people is near impossible. Even 250 people is near impossible for many leagues around Michigan. How would a sport like cross country even compete this fall with those restrictions? The only way around that might be to require dual-meet only competition.

What restrictions will be applied to team travel?

There is a host of concerns coaches have when it comes to transportation. Teams may need to use more buses in order to maintain proper distancing guidelines, causing a shortage among teams in the same school region who rely on the buses. Some districts don’t supply its own buses and rely on contracts with various transportation companies. If there is an outbreak at one of the companies or there is a shortage of bus drivers because older drivers decide to stay home, what then?

Plus, many teams rely on parent carpooling for most events, especially weekend tournaments and invitationals. Will parents still be allowed to stuff as many kids in their cars? Will every athlete be required to be transported by an immediate relative?

Perhaps the MHSAA might recommend teams limit competition to their specific leagues or regions in order to avoid spreading the virus across various regions of the state. If parents aren’t allowed in to attend the events, teams will likely have an issue getting parents to commit to drive long distances only to wait in the parking lot.

What are the ripple effects if an athlete tests positive and a team cancels?

For a sport like football, it seems like a full cancelation is the only way to proceed if a game cannot be played because of a positive COVID-19 test – that is unless the MHSAA sets aside an open week for make-up games before the playoffs. Yet, if an undefeated football team can only play 4-5 games because various opponents canceled for coronavirus reasons, is it ineligible for the state tournament? Will the playoffs be expanded because of that?

What if there was a runner or a swimmer competed at region championships and found out they tested positive shortly after? Would all the teams at that region have to miss the state championships in order to comply with quarantine guidelines?

What about winter sports?

It seems the popular contingency plans that have been discussed and rumored over recent weeks revolve around finding a way to keep fall sports alive. But what about winter sports? If the contingency plan is put into place for fall sports to begin or finish in the late winter or early spring, what about winter sports? If things are too bad for fall sports to be completed, how will things rapidly improve for winter sports to be played? How will wrestling happen with social distancing? Or hockey and basketball? Competitive cheer? Yes, it is a long way away, but the winter season arguably needs more contingency plans than fall. The fate of any current fall contingency largely relies on what happens with winter sports.

Will the MHSAA test athletes and coaches at state tournament events?

We have seen just how much stress the professional sports leagues and top university athletic programs have put into COVID-19 testing. The pro teams test and test often. However, all of that testing costs money. With fall sports not beginning until October, will the MHSAA look to seek funding or help from the National Federation of High School Sports Association in order to provide testing at or ahead of its tournament or finals events?

How will the MHSAA cope with a potential shortage of referees and officials?

There are many referees of advanced age within the MHSAA system. It has been known for a few years now that the MHSAA has been in desperate need of high school officials and a 2018 report by MLive revealed the average age of a registered Michigan official is 48.5 years. As been known for some time, the more advanced your age, the more at risk you are to have a severe case from the coronavirus. Back in April, a 62-year-old MHSAA official died after battling the coronavirus. He coached a boys basketball district game at Concord High School on March 11, a game later cited by the Jackson County Health Department as an exposure site for COVID-19. Another referee from the same site, a 44 year-old, contracted COVID-19 and recovered, but mentioned he had “been to hell and back.” Will referees be willing to risk their health this fall?

What will happen with school districts who opt to go to a virtual-only format for classes?

Back at the beginning of the pandemic, if the kids were not going to be in school, there would not be any sports. Now, the MHSAA faces the challenge of accommodating schools in a variety of situations. Whether the school district is opting for full in-person learning, digital-only learning or a hybrid of something in between, the MHSAA will have to work out a plan with districts to allow sports volleyball and swimming to be contested inside even if the school is closed. If not, some teams will have to figure out a schedule consisting only of away meets.

Should we just say goodbye to high school sports until there is a widely available vaccine?

This is the last thing anyone wants to see happen. However, it is also the safest option. When are we willing to pull the plug on high school sports? Before the true nature of the outbreak showed itself, all sports were put on indefinite hold. A few weeks later, the remaining winter sports and all spring sports were finally canceled. The MHSAA, the coaches and the athletes have been doing everything they can to be ready for high school sports. However, is it worth it? This last spring, the MHSAA was not willing to take the risk. Has enough changed in the interim to make a fall sports season worth it?

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