A surge in cases of Omicron, the latest strain of COVID-19 to make an appearance, has sports programs scrambling to adapt in advance. Will we see a repeat of 2020? Gianmarco Castronovo shares his thoughts:
As communities across the country begin to feel a serious impact of the Omicron surge, sports programs are reshaping… again. So far, not much has been set-in-stone. But as mask mandates pour in all over again, fans like Gianmarco Castronovo are wondering what the world of sports will truly look like in 2022. It has been widely discussed that wearing a mask while working out or performing strenuous physical activities can be detrimental to the body. Still, this has remained a requirement in gyms across the country. While Castronovo agrees that this is necessary in public spaces, he is concerned about how this may impact youth sports programs.
For sports like ice hockey, there’s certainly less of a need for a concern on mask wearing. But what about baseball and basketball? Even though these sports are not contact sports, there is still a concern about how wearing a mask might impact breathing during a play. Even the big leaguers felt this way in 2020, when the MLB season took a dive for the worst. But will it happen again?
