High school coaches worry about what no sports means for their athletes

....“Athletics serve as a motivator, let’s be honest here,” Kelley said. “Athletics serve as a driving force, getting a lot of kids into school, and they serve as a driving force for kids to excel in the classroom, and emotionally. You take that away from people, that’s gonna have an effect.”

The emotional well-being of athletes can’t be overstated, as the thing that many of them find their purpose in, socialize through and exercise their minds and bodies with is ripped away. This is what concerns Wise High School coach DaLawn Parrish more than anything.

“I’m more worried about the psychological effect of kids, in general. Just, not being around each other, being social. The part that plays in it,” Parrish said. “Athletics is an outlet. I’m not so sure, thinking about college this, college that, everybody’s not going to college for sports just because you’re a senior. You know the numbers. It’s probably like three percent that gets a Div. I scholarship. So for me, it’s the psychological effect of just playing, just being around your peers, having the opportunity one year to represent your school, and things of that nature. That’s what I’m very, very concerned with.”....

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Bethany`s Notes: An inside look at the toll has had on coaches and how their role has changed as a result of the pandemic.