The SPS athletic department doesn’t take the basketball season, and other school sports into consideration  as much as I’d like to think. It seems as though there have been huge strides taken to ensure the seasons of many sports, however more precautions have yet to be put in place for boys basketball to continue the season. There are some mask mandates, and it is said there is limited attendance, but there is a lack thereof. High school sporting event attendance should be limited to immediate family members.

   At the Willard basketball tournament this Winter, Kickapoo faced off against Greenwood in the championship. Attendance at this game was over 1,300 people. There was initially supposed to be less than 1,000 people in the stands.  Even during a national, even global pandemic, there were well over 1,300 fans packed in a highschool basketball gym.

   Suiting up and stepping on the floor, I was amazed by how many people I saw in the stands.  It felt like the most fans in any game I have ever played in. The only thing running through my mind was the number of cases that could end our season.

   Not only were there an insane amount of fans, other teams like Parkview and Hillcrest were also in attendance. After watching the big game, both teams got phone calls saying they were in close distance of Covid-19 cases and were forced to sit out at least two weeks. This could directly impact the Kickapoo teams because if any one of those 1,300 had come in contact with a player or a coach, our season could be put on hold in an instant.

  This is why there should be an extremely limited number of fans. The athletic department set up rules and guidelines for our season, but it can quickly be taken away for something we can’t control. I know the athletes would rather have their seasons than have a thousand people cheering them on, and risking it all.