Jump Ball: Trump or Biden?
Direction of basketball this winter may come down to Election Day outcome
(Photo Credit: CNN)
Today is election day and by this time tomorrow, we’ll have a clearer idea how the country will look in 2021 and beyond.
The same can be said for sports in Illinois.
We are at a stalemate as it pertains to the sport most played in Illinois—basketball. How it unfolds will shape the future of other sports and their likelihood having seasons in 2021.
We’ve witnessed the politicization of youth and high school sports in this state since July. The Governor, JB Pritzker, continues to insert himself as the judge and juror. He doesn’t feel the need to explain decisions that impact the lives of thousands. The Illinois High School Association is pushing back on Pritzker, consenting to a 2020-21 season, only to have the governor counter with one card in the deck he can always play—political capital. By threatening liability exposure to schools that play basketball, he puts education leaders in a pickle.
Do we play in disobedience of public health orders, or do we toe the line and pray for a spring season that might never happen anyway?
Is one in the hand worth two in the bush? Is it best to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission?
There are no easy answers to these questions. I do not envy those in charge of making these decisions. There is no historical precedent to review and model (although there are plenty of states that are working through the pandemic quite successfully. The data is out there). But I believe officials that have actually made decisions, rather than dodge them, over the past several months are more likely to make another one.
Let’s play. Why would we not?
The reason for moving forward is what these schools know to be true.
They know their facility is a safe location for students. They’ve seen it. They’ve followed heath and safety guidelines, mitigated when necessary, and opened their doors with minimal interruptions. Are there cases? Of course. Adaptive pauses? Sure.
But those schools have stayed the course. They are using data to drive decision-making, not fear and ‘abundance of caution’ coronabros. They are seeing the galvanizing impact of in-person learning within their communities at a time when neighboring schools continue to hide under their desks and practice commitment avoidance.
As for Pritzker’s threat of ‘liability’ or ‘other ramifications’ such as withholding funds, the threat is real. School districts are already announcing opt out plans because of concerns over insurance coverage. What about schools that rely more on state funding than others? Those schools must take the threat seriously. Results from a Monday Zoom call led by state athletic directors found a large percentage of schools unsure what they will do. The reason? They are huddling with lawyers and/or Board of Education members, sorting out options. No district wants to be the one facing a potential ten-figure personal injury lawsuit. But as the schools safely working through the pandemic can attest, they are doing the work today for tomorrow. Stopping now is simply not an option. They believe they are prepared for any obstacle now and down the road.
Consider the alternative—kids at home until at the earliest the fall of 2021? Possibly 2022? Or until there is a magical ‘vaccine?’ I’d be home shopping elsewhere if I lived in a school district that refuses to address in-person schooling in 2020-21. Leaders in these communities are allowing public health officials to render verdicts rather than use data as a guide to contextualize their own decision-making. It’s lazy, shameful and children are suffering as a result.
The result of Tuesday’s presidential election could diminish the liability issue for schools. Not for the threat of virus-related lawsuits but from Pritzker’s vengeful motivations.
I’ve written many times in this newsletter why Pritzker reigns over the state like a spiteful autocrat. He has publicly warred with President Trump and not only enjoys the sparring, but the elevated profile that comes with picking fights with the President.
He has other inducements during this election cycle (an election that unfortunately, does not include him) that have nothing to do with kids being allowed to play sports. From the start, he should have left decision-making in the hands of the Illinois High School Association (like almost every other state). But when an opportunity presented itself over the summer to seize power, he grabbed it, never to be relinquished.
I don’t think Pritzker is an evil man. I just think he cares most about Party and unintended consequences be damed.
There are two presidential election outcomes: Trump re-elected or Biden wins.
It’s possible either outcome will determine the extent basketball is played this winter and other sports in the spring and summer of 2021.
If Biden, the Democrat, wins, the result loosens Pritzker’s incentive for penal actions. The adversary—Trump—is gone. The urgency to spout doomsday virus scenarios, while not altogether unfastened, would erode somewhat. With a Democrat in the White House, support for his long game prize—a federal bailout—is strengthened, certainly if the Democrats take over the Senate.
If Trump is re-elected, Pritzker will likely double and triple down on his authoritarianism. He’ll make the Night King from Game of Thrones look like a frazzled Residence Hall Coordinator. Schools that want to play must be steadfast and unflagging in their pursuit as Pritzker will dig in his heels, stubborn like an ox, malicious as Lord Voldemort.
I’m not saying that a Biden victory means all bets are off. The hurdles schools have—playing basketball in defiance of public health guidelines for a ‘high-risk’ sport—remain. But following through on other threats, such as withholding school funding, may not become as important to Pritzker. The political waters for schools to navigate could become less murky.
It’s indecent to even have to consider this analogy.
But in 2020, politics are everywhere, infects everything.
Here’s to the day when it no longer does.