PEORIA, Ill. — Illinois is now the only state in the Midwest that is not playing high school football this fall.
Minnesota State High School League Board of Directors voted Monday to move football and volleyball back to the fall season, leaving Illinois as the lone state without them.
After the #LetUsPlay rallies held in Springfield and Chicago Saturay, Gov. J.B. Pritzker reiterated Monday that residents shouldn’t expect to see contact sports in Illinois.
“I want fall sports, all fall sports, I really do,” said Pritzker. “These are very, very hard choices, and my job, in part, is to weigh in on those choices and listen to the doctors.”
Pritzker again cited Illinois’ positivity rate as a reason for refusing to allow sports within the state.
“We have a relatively high positivity rate,” said Pritzker. “And while it’s lower than our neighbors, there are quite a number of states that have lower positivity rates than we do.”
According to Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Executive Director Craig Anderson, other states aren’t seeing positivity increases due to sports being played.
“When [a spread] is discovered, it’s a result of some social activity or family activity away from a practice or competition,” said Anderson about conversations with neighboring states. “The spread is just not happening there.”
Anderson echoed Peoria High School Football Coach Tim Thorntons’ thoughts and said students are missing out on many of the benefits that sports provide.
“Our students need to be re-engaged in a positive way,” said Anderson. “Nothing, I don’t believe, would bring the positive influence of the feeling of sports being played.”
“The things that [students] are used to doing and participating in have been taken away. To me, it needs to be given back to them, and they need to have these opportunities.”
Anderson also cited the importance of sports teaching responsibility, teamwork, and winning and losing.
With conversations Anderson has had with organizations in neighboring states, he’s confident Illinois could do the same and return to play.
“What stirs things up [in Illinois], I think, is the fact we’re watching states around us conduct their sports and activities safely with appropriate protocols,” said Anderson.
“It seems reasonable that we could match and do the same kind of things.”
IHSA does not have the power to allow fall contact sports to be played, according to Anderson. IHSA has been told the decision is made by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Governor’s Office.
“The information you’re hearing from Gov. Pritzker is the basis for why we’re not moving forward with football, volleyball and boys soccer,” said Anderson.
Currently, fall contact sports are scheduled to take place in the spring.
Full interview with Anderson:
