On the eve of the PIAA’s final decision regarding the viability of a fall sports season, Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman remains concerned about the safety of a return for football in the era of COVID-19.

“There are some sports that lend itself really well to playing (in these conditions),” Fetterman, an Albright College graduate, told the Reading Eagle Thursday. “But the way I played football I don’t see how the transmission (of the coronavirus) couldn’t be a real thing.”

A political debate has raged across the state about whether high school sports should go forward in the face of a national pandemic.

Gov. Tom Wolf slowed momentum toward that goal two weeks ago when he recommended that high school sports be suspended until Jan. 1.

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the governing body for high school sports in the state, believes it has carved a safe path for a return to sports and reports a low rate of positive tests among student-athletes since voluntary workouts resumed July 1. The Board of Control will meet Friday to decide.

Fetterman, an offensive lineman at Albright who graduated in 1991, agrees with the governor’s stance and has reservations about a full return to high school sports.

“Nothing right now is no risk,” he said. “But there are sports that are low risk and there are sports I would envision having more difficulty (controlling the spread of the virus).

“Cross country, or soccer, or flag football – there’s a lot of sports that would lend itself well to being low-risk. My biggest concern is for the health, safety and welfare of all the kids, obviously.”

Following the governor’s Aug. 6 pronouncement, the PIAA delayed the start of official fall practices by several weeks. Non-contact sports – cross country, golf, and tennis – are set to resume Aug. 24; football, Aug. 31; and field hockey, soccer and girls volleyball, Sept. 4.

“There was a perception that the governor stopped sports, and that’s just not true,” Fetterman said. “He said, ‘Here’s my opinion, do what you wish with it.’ I think letting school districts and counties decide made the most sense.”

Even if the PIAA finalizes approval for a return to the field, there remains a question as to whether parents and family members will be permitted to attend contests.

Currently the state prohibits more than 25 people for indoor gatherings and more than 250 for outdoor gatherings. The indoor limit would make it difficult to fit both teams and officials into a gymnasium for a volleyball match; the outdoor figure would be maxed out by two large football squads, bands, cheerleaders and coaching staffs.

That could leave moms and dads on the outside looking in unless the Pennsylvania legislature or Department of Health move to relax those restrictions.

“There are going to be tradeoffs no matter what you do,” Fetterman said of allowing more spectators into high school events. “If your metric is, ‘I want it exactly like it was before coronavirus,’ you’re setting yourself up for disappointment or danger.

“This idea that we can have it the way we want it and not need to make concessions to the reality of coronavirus (is not safe). Look at the way professional sports have done it.”

Some will argue that high school sports venues are different than larger ones used on the pro level. Fetterman doesn’t see a difference.

“It’s the same principle,” he said. “The virus doesn’t care if you’re there because you want to see your kid play. The virus doesn’t care why you’re there.”

Fetterman expressed frustration that the decision to return to classrooms or sports evolved into a heated political debate drawn fiercely along party lines.

“The real issue is that everything’s become helplessly politicized,” he said. “We argue about wearing masks, and we argue about all these issues. If you want more businesses open, (if) you want more opportunities to do things and to participate in more activities, you have to contain this virus.

“And that requires you to take basic cautionary steps. We’ve forgotten that the virus is the enemy, not each other.”

Fetterman said it’s critical that everyone come together in order to stem the spread of COVID-19.

“When historians look back at the tragedy of coronavirus, they’re gonna talk about all the deaths and the economic upheaval,” he said, “and they’re also going to talk about how America went to war with each other and it (the issue) was weaponized politically.

“We don’t have to agree on everything, but we all need to agree that this virus is the common enemy, and we have to develop a unified set of protocols.”