(Photo by Christian Verheyen/Borussia Moenchengladbach via Getty Images)
Sports and spectators are two terms that go together. Ever since the Coronavirus pandemic started these words have started to drift apart. This at this point is getting nonsensical. People can shop in crowded grocery stores and dine indoors in many places, but parents can’t attend their children’s indoor sporting events. Many parents are missing out on a large part of their children’s upbringing which they will never be able to get back. Children usually hope that their parents are proud of their performance, but now indoor sports feel more like a chore. Parents are not allowed to be a part of something that may also bring them a lot of pride. If they are lucky, they can watch the game through a livestream but that is not the same.
It is going to be extremely hard to grow indoor sports such as hockey and basketball if children are not motivated to get involved. It is hard for young children to be motivated if their parents can have no part. It would seem odd if they can go everywhere else with their parents in even closer proximity but once they are at a sporting event their parents can’t even be within one hundred feet of them. Most stadiums, gyms, and arenas are large enough that parents can easily distance from each other. When children are competing in sports, they are within much closer proximity to each other than parents would ever need to be when watching from the stands. There is no reason for parents to be close to each other when watching a sporting event which makes the chance at the spread of COVID extremely low. If they feel it is safe to let their children inside the building than they should be granted the same opportunity. If they choose to not attend than that is their decision, but ultimately, they should be allowed to make the choice.
