JACOB ROTH
rothjd@lopers.unk.edu
Sports at all levels are being affected by the COVID 19 virus, better known as the Corona virus. From professional sports being played in empty arenas to having seasons be postponed all together it is something that seems like it is out of a movie.
One of the biggest debates with this virus when it pertains to the sports world is how will collegiate student athlete’s eligibility be affected.
There have already been discussions on giving seniors an additional year but there have been no discussions, or not any substantial ones that pertain to the rest of the student athletes.
But there is another type of student athlete that is out there and giving them another year of eligibility isn’t really an option.
The Nebraska School Activities Association, also known as the NSAA, is the group that organizes and governs high school sports and activities in the state of Nebraska.
With this year’s outbreak they have had to take steps to navigate this unprecedented event.
As of right now the only seniors that have had their district and state events postponed were not athletes but rather students in speech.
This is the last of the winter activities that had officially started that the NSAA supervises.
The spring activities, while there has been no stance or statement from the NSAA, don’t seem like they will ever be able to get going this year, and not only because of the NSAA’s decision.
In a statement that was posted to Kearney Public Schools Facebook page Two Rivers Public Health Department said “We feel it is appropriate and proactive to suspend the extracurricular activities of students in hopes of maintaining their ability to continue their academics without interruption.”
School districts across the state have made similar statements which is not a great sign for 2020 spring activities.
The NSAA has shown that they are doing all they can to give the student athletes as similar of an experience as previous years have had.
The boys state basketball tournament was played with very little crowd due to the NSAA only allowing immediate family to be in attendance of the games to limit the crowds.
As the year moves on there will be a lot more potential for cancelations and more postponing of events. It is just crazy to think a month ago no one had anything like this on their mind.
