The Coronavirus pandemic has surrounded our world over the last months. Many high schools are having all online, and others are having a form of in-person class whether that be fully back to school or a hybrid model. 

In Kansas, they are mixed but a contentious topic is if sports should be played this fall. Sports should be played as they are essential to teenagers.

For athletes, this is what’s memorable looking back on high school. We don’t remember walking through the halls and taking tests, we remember the bonds we make with our teammates and our coaches. Our athletics are second families for many, including myself. We don’t just play on the field or the court together, but we work through life as one just like a normal family does and that is so valuable for our mental well being.

Sports are critical for some students, as it is their way out of whatever their case may be. I know athletes that don’t have much in life, and I know athletes that have a lot. The coming together of the different backgrounds is a stepping stone for a lot of them.

Many people think sports are for athletic kids who just play the game because they’re good at it. That is wrong on so many levels. The lessons learned in sports will lead to 90 percent of what we do and achieve later in life. When we are struggling with a task in our future job, it may not seem like it, but that extra rep in the weight room that we did, even though it might’ve been tough,is what teaches us to keep pushing and never give up. 

With that being said, sports are crucial for our age groups mental health and well being. We need the social aspect of it, the bonds we make with our teams. We need it as a way out, a way to get past our struggles and get our minds off our regular lives because of stress and anxiety. We need them to be successful in our future, not just on but off the field. Many of us wouldn’t feel like we were in high school without spo