Be a team player: NAYS urges adults to step up and get vaccinated

8/27/2021

Getting children and teens back to playing the sports they love is vital for restoring normalcy to lives that have been rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic for more than a year now.

But that path back to fun-filled practices, games, and weekend tournaments now includes a dangerous Delta variant, making it more important than ever that adults step up and get their vaccinations.   

“The National Alliance for Youth Sports urges adults to get vaccinated,” said John Engh, its executive director. “We want all kids to resume participating in sports in their communities, and to do so in safe environments. We also want all the adults who are so instrumental in helping youth sports to flourish in their communities, from all the amazing volunteer coaches and supportive parents to the hard-working officials and recreation staff to be fully protected – and we know that can only happen by everyone doing their part and getting vaccinated.”  

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports on its website: “The Delta variant causes more infections and spreads faster than earlier forms of the virus that causes COVID-19. It might cause more severe illness than previous strains in unvaccinated people.”

With a staggering death toll that has already surpassed more than 625,000 caused by COVID-19, and surges of new cases affecting younger portions of the population around the country, it’s become critically important how youth sports programs are conducted going forward.

And having all adults involved in any capacity with those programs vaccinated is a sensible and effective approach for helping to ensure the safest possible environment for all.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 vaccination for all children and adolescents 12 years of age and older who do not have contraindications using a COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use for their age. As its website says: “Vaccines are safe and effective in protecting individuals and populations against infectious diseases.”

There are countless myths floating around on the Internet surrounding the vaccines, everything from that they contain microchips to they alter a person’s DNA. These falsehoods, and others, are explained by the CDC. Anyone with questions or concerns should speak with their doctor or medical expert in their community to gain a full understanding of how vaccines work.  

For more than a year youth were forced into inactivity, taken away from sports and deprived of those all-important interactions with teammates and coaches. With no practices to attend, or games to compete in, they missed out on all the health benefits that accompany exercise. Equally troubling, the isolation led to an alarming upswing in depression and anxiety among youth.

We want youth back on the fields, courts, and rinks of our communities.

We want to see them competing, high-fiving, and smiling.

We want them immersed in athletics that are so essential to their growth and development.

We want them savoring wins, learning how to deal with losses, and experiencing all those special moments that will be cherished for a lifetime.

And we want them to be as safe as possible while doing so.

Making that happen starts with all of us.

Let’s get – and keep – our kids playing.

Let’s work together and do our part so everyone is protected.

Together, we can make it happen.

Get vaccinated.

COVID-19 Pandemic Vaccination CDC Health Safety

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