The Financial Downfall of High School Athletics

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen! This is your host, Michael Wayne O'Neill, on The MWO Show. Imagine if you are attending a Friday Night football game during a pandemic. Imagine if you heard the news that high school sports may postpone. Imagine if you are trying to escape from reality. Right now, there is uncertainty coming from the minds of coaches, players, athletic directors, and school personnel. Specifically, many high school are faced with financial issues while fighting COVID-19. The fact that the pandemic constrained athletic departments to cancel their sports seasons and lose revenue money changed the lives of student-athletes unexpectedly.

For example, the Heritage Junior/Senior High School athletic department in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is facing problems with revenue. WANE-TV writer, Natalie Clydesdale, reports that the school had to cancel two of their home football games to come up with some money. It is stimulating for athletic personnel to pay for concessions, bus travel, and sports uniforms, etc. I can understand the stress of everyone with revenue losses in hand. It would also challenge high school students to save their seasons by fundraising.

Down in the state of North Carolina, West Caldwell High School is also in financial danger due to limited public gatherings. WCHS athletic director, Stephen McMasters, told the News-Topic News in Lenoir that they were not able to do their yearly fundraiser nor host a golf tournament. This matter makes their student-athletes reminisce about their sports memories and fear for their futures. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have expressed sorrow and sympathy for all of the high school athletic personnel around the United States. It will take a long time to recover from this.

Most student-athletes want to get on the field and play their sports again, but they will have to play the waiting game until further notice. In my next blog, I will discuss penalties imposed on sports teams for violating COVID-19 protocols. Until next time, this is Michael Wayne O'Neill on The MWO Show saying good day and God Bless!

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