There are a lot of unanswered questions at this point surrounding the sports world, none more pressing than when the first action will recommence following the coronavirus pandemic.
I honestly don’t see a scenario where spring sports at the prep level comes back. Like many high school associations, the Mississippi High School Activities Association doesn’t want play extending into the summer. Last year it wrapped up its competition May 18, and currently play is suspended through April 17. It seems highly unlikely still that baseball and softball will resume at that point.
The first suspension began March 16 and extended to March 30. Well before the 30th arrived, the suspension was extended another 18 days. By that approach another suspension likely would be at least two weeks so let’s take the mean and say another suspension would be at least 16 days, lending May 4 to be the first true day the suspension could be lifted. That would leave just two weeks for not only playoff spots to be determined but an entire state tournament to be played, whether it be in baseball and softball. That’s just not enough time.
It truly is a shame that seniors all across America likely have stepped into the batter’s box for the last time already and never got the opportunity to process that it was the end of their playing career.
At the collegiate level, we’ve already seen spring sports canceled entirely for the year. What’s weird is the trickle-down effect that has. All of the collegiate associations, from junior college all the way up to Division I, have already announced this year will not count against an athlete’s eligibility. So a current senior baseball player could return for another season for example.
Where it gets iffy is what is going to happen with all of the players who have signed with colleges already, whether they are a junior college athlete heading to a four-year school or a high school player heading to college. Teams are only allotted so many scholarship spots in a given year, and if seniors do indeed decide to come back, there won’t be enough spots left. Unless waivers are granted where teams are allowed to have massive rosters for one season, there’s going to be players who will inevitably be taken off scholarship.
You also have to consider one big obstacle: money. March Madness perhaps generates more revenue than any other collegiate competition not involving football, and the College World Series brings in a significant chunk as well. Without that money coming in this year, will the colleges and conferences even have the money to pay for scholarships for bigger rosters?
There’s also the tricky part for baseball players who expected to be turning pro following this season. The MLB Draft is usually 40 rounds long with pro teams drafting players from four-year schools, junior colleges and high schools alike. But MLB already announced this year’s draft will only consist of between five and 10 rounds, expecting a vast majority of the draft pool outside of the top prospects to return to school.
However, until official rulings come out from the collegiate associations about how they will manage the eligibility questions, there may end up being a large portion of upperclassmen left without a school to play for while also not having the chance to get drafted. Also players like Trace McNabb, a sophomore at Pearl River Community College who has signed to play at Southeastern (La.), will either have to make a decision to either go back to JUCO or have the decision made for them.
Locally in Marion County, this puts Columbia Academy senior Slade Wilks’ future up in the air as well. The slugger committed to Southern Miss early on in high school and officially signed to play at USM during the fall. But the All-American has also been projected to be a high-round draft pick if clubs believe he will forego college to turn pro. With his talent there’s no question the Golden Eagles would make room for him next season, but what effect is this shortened draft going to have on high school prospects like Wilks? Could any perceived signability concerns cause him to actually play in college?
Football has been the least affected by the coronavirus, but spring football in high school and college got canceled, which won’t give players the opportunity to win a starting job going into the summer, if there are any summer workouts that is. Every team is going to be behind the 8-ball from high school to the pros until teams are allowed to meet, workout and practice again.
Thankfully during this time, sports fans got a little taste of what they miss so much through NFL free agency and the onslaught of trades that commenced. It was a welcome distraction imagining players on new teams and trying to forecast the future, but now the market has cooled off. We’ll have to wait for the NFL Draft, which will be April 23 through April 25, to have that kind of reprieve again, even if it’s watered down with no fans at the draft and teams likely limited to having only a few executives in the room to make picks.
Quite frankly, these are mad and depressing times.
