By Sarah Sinsebox

It is no question that COVID-19 has challenged the world’s way of life.

The world of sports has come to a standstill. Athletics at all the levels have ended abruptly. The cancellations have resulted in millions of upset fans, players, and coaches. Being a collegiate athlete, I have seen the impact firsthand.

I am on the women’s lacrosse  team at St. Bonaventure University, and our 2020 season was cut short.

We started our season in January very excited. New season, new coach, and high hopes. As the season progressed, so did the coronavirus. On March 11 we played our seventh game against Canisius College , which gave us a record of five wins, two losses. This was the best start of our program in years. We had more wins in just seven games that we had combined in the previous three years.

On March 11, we were ecstatic.

On March 12, we received the news. The Atlantic 10 Conference announced that it cancelled all 2020 spring sports “due to heath and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 Virus”.

Eventually, it wasn’t just the A10, but the NCAA as a whole. You can imagine all the emotions and anger that resulted from this sudden news; seniors that would never get to play another game, and parents that would never watch their kids play again.

Sports’ cancellations are not the only restriction. The government introduced many restrictions such as non-essential workers staying home, social distancing and quarantine orders. Sports are just one example of a violation of these rules. There are greater struggles than sports seasons ending abruptly. It is more important to look at the bigger picture. It is important to realize that when lives are being lost, it is important to make these sacrifices to help the country in this time of emergency.

Sarah Sinsebox is a student in a Media and Democracy class at St. Bonaventure University.

Categories: Jandoli Institute, Sports