Athletes Share Thoughts

On Mask Mandates

Eden Sumner

Since the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks have been a rather controversial topic, especially where athletics are concerned. From high school to the NFL to the Olympics, the use (or lack thereof) of masks has been hotly debated. Is it even worth it to require masks in high-contact sports when they fall off so easily? Is it worth it to hold competitions in the first place when there’s such a high risk of transmission? Should athletes be required to wear masks, or should the choice be left to them? To their coaches? To their districts?

To find out how our district would answer, we at The Warrior asked Niskayuna High School athletes to share their thoughts on the mask mandate in athletics.

“Personally, I feel like the mask mandate is a good way to help prevent a larger spread of COVID and to keep ourselves and others safe. I’m all for it, but [I think] there’s a huge flaw to it: a lot of people [already] don’t wear their masks correctly,” says a Niskayuna junior athlete who preferred not to share their name. “At basketball games, you can see both [teams]... wearing their masks incorrectly while playing, [not to mention] the students in the stands - it’s hard to manage everyone and keep all of their masks on all the time.”

“Considering this,” they continue, “at this point there really isn't a use for masks, and it wouldn’t really matter if no one wore them to the sport events. Again, [I know] this could continue the spread of COVID, and I’d rather see everyone wearing their mask correctly, but nobody does - [so] I just don’t see the masks being effective in this case.”

The student also mentions how uncomfortable masks can be for athletes. “I can see how [masks] keep the players from breathing fresh air. With the masks it gets hot, and they are usually running around, so that’s not very comfortable. I also know we… can deal with a piece of fabric over our face for a few hours, but some people refuse to stick with it regardless,” they say.

Complicating the situation further, the community received news on Sunday that the mask mandate within the actual school environment will be lifted this week. At the time of writing, there has been no official statement from school administration on how this will affect mask requirements in athletics.

In response to this news, an informal poll was conducted via social media asking students what their thoughts were on this change in the mask policy. At the time of publication, 111 students had responded, with a mix of athletes and non-athletes and all grades represented in the sample. 8% of students stated that they support the removal of the mandate and will be choosing not to wear a mask going forward, while 21% supported it but will remain masked. 22% of students said they don’t support the mandate being removed at all, but the largest group by far was the 50% of students surveyed who said they had “mixed feelings”.

With the mask mandate officially being lifted on Wednesday, it will be interesting to see how this affects our school’s athletic community and that of the Suburban Council at large. Make sure to follow along with The Warrior as we keep the school updated on this important issue!