Local colleges green light fall sports, but is it safe?

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Summertime, and the living isn’t so easy. Public pools are closed, travel is restricted, and what the coming school year will look like is in question.

For student athletes returning to class, the coronavirus pandemic is impacting them at every level.

While many institutions are canceling the fall 2020 sports season, some are giving it the green light, albeit with new safety precautions in place.

Dr. Jeffrey Zlotnick, a sports medicine physician and specialist in concussions with Penn State Health St. Joseph, and the designated physician for both Reading’s Alvernia University and Albright College.

He shares the role with Dr. Christopher Schumacher, an orthopedic surgeon, also with Penn State Health St. Joseph. Zlotnick says some sports are safer than others when it comes to the COVID-19 risk, such as those conducted outdoors.

“You’ve got the breeze and the sunshine to mitigate the spread.”

But close contact sports such as wrestling, where athletes are breathing directly on each other, are risky.

Competitive cheerleading increases the chances of virus transmission as well, according to Zlotnick, because is a lot of physical contact between athletes during pyramids and tricks.

Soccer, however, is considered low-risk because the ball is touched less by hands.

Other low-risk sports include track and field and golf.

As the number of new cases in young people rises, the concern for high school and college athletes also rises.

“It’s impossible for wrestlers to stay six feet apart or to wear masks,” he said, “so how do we keep them safe?”

Masks are proven to reduce the spread of coronavirus and are safe to wear during exercise, according to Zlotnick.

“It’s a myth that oxygen levels drop,” he said. “Studies have shown that oxygen levels don’t drop when people wear masks while exercising. Doctors perform intense surgeries for hours on end with masks on. They would be passing out if it were true that masks cause oxygen levels to drop.”

So far, there has not been a significant spread of COVID-19 through sports, according to Zlotnick. But asymptomatic carriers are the biggest spreaders, he said, and young people involved in high contact sports could unknowingly be carriers, spreading the virus to other athletes who then go home and expose their families to it.

“This is all new,” he said, “We are learning as we go. The jury is still out on contact sports.”

For now, Zlotnick advises athletes to bring their own equipment to games, including helmets and water bottles.

Don’t share anything,” he said. “Bring hand sanitizer. Don’t touch your face. Be aware of people who are coughing or who appear sick.”

He also advises athletes to wipe down their equipment when they get home, take off their clothes, and shower as soon as possible.

Locally, colleges are consulting with each other about what should be best practices moving forward in order to keep their athletes safe, Zlotnick said.

“The worry is, are people getting cocky, now that the numbers are down in Pennsylvania.” he said, and that could lead to a resurgence in cases as is happening in other states.

Florida, which reopened in early May, had people swarming back to the beaches and restaurants immediately. The number of coronavirus cases there rebounded quickly, according to The Washington Post, making Florida the latest epicenter of the virus.

“People have to remember that we are only in the second inning of a nine inning game,” said Zlotnick. “Don’t fall into the trap of ‘If he doesn’t wear a mask, I don’t have to wear a mask.’ Every time we think we have a handle on this, it throws us a curve. The virus keeps on mutating. It is basically a cold virus and mutates like one.”

A vaccine could be six months away, and isn’t a sure thing because of how quickly COVID-19 mutates.

Just like with the flu, Zlotnick said, a new vaccine for the coronavirus could be needed every year.

So what will sports look like for spectators this fall? Zlotnick guesses the games will be “crowdless,” and live streamed.

Despite all the challenges to playing sports during a pandemic, Zlotnick believes that the many benefits make them worth it.

In fact, both playing and watching sports is good for our emotional, physical and social health, according to a 2001 study by Murray State University in Kentucky.

Zlotnick, a die-hard baseball fan, feels the effects on his mood off the current dearth of professional sports to watch.

“I’m going through some real baseball withdrawal right now,” he said with a laugh. “I’m a Phillies fan, of course, but I’m unfortunately also an Orioles fan, even though they always lose.”

While fall sports may look a little different for both fans and student athletes this year, the games will, in most cases, go on.