High school sports athletes, coaches and fans who have been looking for any good news about a possible return to competition this school year were likely pleased with the findings released by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
The NFHS revised its guidance for participation in high school sports during the COVID-19 pandemic based on recommendations from its medical advisory committee, which evaluated the experiences of high schools across the nation.
In a statement, the NFHS said it found that “proven cases of direct COVID-19 transmission during athletics remain relatively rare,” and that “the majority of sports-related spread of COVID-19 appears to occur from social contact, not during sports participation.”
The NFHS, which writes most of the rules of competition for high school sports in the U.S., said it no longer recommends the use of the tiered system that placed sports in high-, medium- and low-risk categories.
That recommendation and others in a revised guidance document, “Risk on COVID-19 During High School Sports,” could have an impact on the situation in California, where high school sports have been essentially shut down since March.
The new guidelines, with recommendations based on data from the past year, will likely be considered by the California Department of Public Health, which makes the guidelines for high school and youth sports in the state.
California is one of the few states in the nation where high school sports have not been allowed this school year because of the pandemic.
CIF state commissioner Ron Nocetti said Tuesday morning that he wasn’t ready to comment on the potential impact of the revised recommendations.
CIF Southern Section commissioner Rob Wigod said he hopes state officials will review the CDPH guidelines after looking at the NFHS findings.
“We are very encouraged by the information that came from the NFHS today,” Wigod said. “We have asserted from the beginning, with what we submitted to the California Department of Public Health in October, that all sports could be conducted safely and did not have to be separated by high, medium and low risk.
“We look forward to making sure the governor’s office and the California Department of Public Health are aware of this research.”
Paraclete football coach Dean Herrington, one of the many local coaches who has been outspoken about the need for sports to return, said he hopes Tuesday’s news is a game-changer.
“For sure, it’s right there in black in white,” he said, “the risk is very, very low and the kids need to be out there. You can see it in their faces, they’re depressed, and now you have this report. It’s time, the state needs to look at it and take it seriously.
“There is no reason we can’t start (football) in March. If you really look at this data and stop being stubborn, how can you not let us play now? Throw the politics out of it. … common sense should tell you this is evidence that sports can be played safely. This is what the science is saying, so, yeah, hopefully this research makes an impact because it’s been really frustrating for us in California.”
The Bay Area News Group reported Tuesday that leaders of the Golden State Football Coaches Community — Patrick Walsh, Justin Alumbaugh and Ron Gladnick — are scheduled to meet Thursday with California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly in hopes of getting the CDPH guidelines revised.
One of the key revisions by the NFHS was the elimination of the tiered system — Potential Infection Risk by Sport — which placed sports in risk categories based on the level of contact and whether it was an indoor or outdoor sport.
The NFHS said states should consider these factors:
• prevailing community infection rates appear to be the strongest predictor for high school athletes being infected;
• proven cases of direct COVID-19 transmission during athletics remain relatively rare;
• participants in non-contact sports show lower rates of COVID-19 infection than those in contact sports;
• participants in outdoor sports show lower rates of infection than those in indoor sports;
• using face masks for indoor sports results in similar COVID-19 transmission rates to those seen in outdoor sports.
In its statement, the NFHS said: “Regarding the discontinuation of the high, moderate, and low-risk categories, the committee noted that as ‘knowledge of the virus that causes COVID-19 has evolved, we have increasingly recognized that transmission depends upon multiple factors that cannot be easily accounted for by simply dividing sports into three distinct categories of risk.’ “
The NFHS noted that the “prevailing community infection” rate appears “to be the strongest predictor for high school athletes being infected.” This could be the key factor in determining what, if any, changes are made to the guidelines in California, where the infection rate was at all-time highs a few weeks ago but has been trending down recently.
“If the medical profession has learned anything in the past year, it is that we have to be open to regularly assessing all available evidence and make appropriate changes in policies and procedures in places of business, schools and athletics,” said Dr. Michael Koester, chair of the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.
The CDPH, in consultation with several organizations, including the NFHS, adopted a tier system for the return of youth and high school sports in California, dividing sports into four tiers.
At the moment, all of Southern California is in the purple tier for “widespread risk” of COVID-19. In the purple tier, the only designated Season 1/Fall sports allowed to compete are cross country, skiing and snowboarding.
After the stay-at-home order in California was lifted last week, high schools were allowed to start holding cross country meets. Those were the first competitions that have been allowed in the state since March.
Other Season 1 sports, which include football, girls volleyball and boys and girls water polo, are in the orange tier (“moderate risk”). Those sports are not allowed to begin their seasons until their county reaches the orange tier.
Season 2 sports scheduled to start in late-February to mid-March include golf, swimming, tennis and track and field, which are all purple tier sports. Other sports, such as baseball, softball, and boys and girls soccer are in more restrictive tiers and will need infection rates to improve before they can begin their seasons.
The NFHS said its medical advisory committee used current Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations as well as published and unpublished data to come up with its conclusions.
“We applaud the great work of the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee throughout the past year to provide state associations and high schools with well-considered information during the pandemic,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, NFHS executive director. “We appreciate the committee’s most recent attempts to reassess how student-athletes can participate in sports moving forward.
“While we have to be concerned about transmission of the virus first and foremost, we also must consider the mental health of students who have been unable to play sports thus far this year.”
The NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee is a 15-member advisory committee composed of medical doctors, certified athletic trainers, high school coaches, officials, research specialists and state high school association executives.
