CHICAGO — A pair of coordinated events under the banner “#LetUsPlay Rally” are scheduled to happen Saturday in Chicago and Springfield.

The major goal: individuals associated with currently-postponed IHSA fall sports voicing to Illinois’ leadership that they want those ventures to resume immediately.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s latest press conference hinted that he doesn’t plan to change his mind on the matter, regardless of the planned rallies.

Pritzker, when asked about the rally during a Tuesday morning media event, doubled down on the delayed start time for such sports as football, volleyball and boys’ soccer.

He described his view as a response to COVID-19 pandemic safety concerns and not a matter of politics.

“I’m not willing to sacrifice people’s lives or their health — neither the children nor their parents who would be affected also,” Pritzker said. “We’re being careful about it, but I’m relying on doctors and researchers to give us the information. This isn’t a political decision. I know that there are people who would like me simply to make a political decision to allow people to endanger themselves.”

On July 14, the IHSA ceded control over its “Return To Play” plan decisions to Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education.

On July 29, Pritzker announced restrictions on IHSA, youth and adult recreation sports hours before an IHSA Board of Directors announcement on a revision to its 2020-21 calendar. The board’s decision included football, volleyball and boys’ soccer being shifted from fall to spring, with those sports deemed by the IDPH as either medium- or higher-risk in the pandemic era.

As Pritzker addressed the questions about the rally Tuesday, a reporter said, “We’re the only state in the Midwest not playing football right now.”

Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin all are in the midst of a fall football campaign, while Michigan’s begins this Friday.

“We have the lowest positivity rate in the Midwest — still too high,” Pritzker responded. “The states that you’re talking about, they all have very high positivity rates — double-digit positivity rates in most. And those are states, fine, if they’ve decided to endanger children and families in those states by allowing certain contact sports to take place, that’s their decision. That’s not something that’s good for the families, the children of Illinois.”

According to the Johns Hopkins University and Medicine webpage that tracks state-by-state COVID-19 testing information, which last was updated early Tuesday morning, the most-recent seven-day average positivity rates in each of the aforementioned states are as follows:

— Illinois: 3.7 percent

— Indiana: 6.1 percent

— Iowa: 13.6 percent

— Kentucky: 3.3 percent, though as high as 10.3 percent this month

— Michigan: 3.0 percent

— Missouri: 10.7 percent

— Ohio: 3.6 percent

— Wisconsin: 15.5 percent

Monticello football coach Cully Welter, who plans to attend Saturday’s “#LetUsPlay” event in Springfield, said it was “disappointing” to hear Pritzker’s latest comments.

“Maybe, yes, it puts a damper on things (with the rally), but I think we’ll definitely go ahead,” Welter said. “(The coaches’) thought process is we want to do everything we can to give our kids an opportunity to play if there’s any chance at all. Even if it’s a slim opportunity, a slim possibility, I think we just want to get the word out there that, ‘Hey, we would like to see it happen on behalf of our kids.’ And if it doesn’t happen, at least we tried.”

Last Friday, IHSA executive director Craig Anderson indicated via press release that his organization has sent a letter to Pritzker and Deputy Gov. Jesse Ruiz requesting permission to regain control of “determining the resumption of IHSA sports and activities.”

Anderson added Friday that “there have been no discussions, let alone proposed timelines, for resuming any sports at this time.”

Pritzker’s latest statement on Illinois high school athletics also acknowledged college sports. The timing was fitting, considering currently-circulating rumors that the Big Ten may soon announce a plan for its 2020-21 football season. The league postponed fall sports last month.

Pritzker cited a COVID-19 outbreak tied to the Frontier Community College baseball team in Fairfield when discussing safety concerns associated with returning to play in the pandemic.

“Doctors, researchers have found that sports, particularly high school sports and college sports without the proper mitigations, without prevention, et cetera, that those sports are dangerous,” Pritzker said.