With high school sports coming back to life, there are some changes that fans will immediately notice.

First, some schools are not allowing spectators to attend or are severely limiting the number of spectators who can attend. For those who do get to see a game, one thing will be immediately obvious; everyone in attendance will be masked at all times. Even the student-athletes who are actively participating in the contest will be wearing masks.

The decision was made by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) before the recent shutdown of high school sports. The PIAA has appealed to the DOH to lift the order, stating that the order could adversely affect athletes who are wearing masks while competing in sports competitions. One obvious exception is swimming, where participants will remove their masks just before entering the pool or diving board and put them back on immediately after their event is completed.

“I know there are doctors that say it doesn’t affect breathing, but it’s not easy to play basketball or exercise with a mask on,” said Jerry Lloyd, who is entering his first season as the boys basketball coach at Northwestern. “It’s a credit to the kids though because they just know that it’s part of the game and they go out and work as hard as ever and don’t complain.”

There are conflicting opinions from the medical community about wearing masks when participating in sports or exercising. While some doctors and officials at the DOH see no threats to wearing masks while exercising, the World Health Organization has opposed wearing masks when exercising, citing that sweat can make the mask wet and cause breathing problems. They also point out that wearing a wet mask can promote the growth of bacteria, which could then be breathed into the lungs.

One health question comes when athletes have an underlying condition such as asthma. Lloyd pointed out that he has two players with asthma and so far, they have been able to cope but do occasionally need a break. The DOH mandate also does allow exceptions “if wearing a face covering would either cause a medical condition or exacerbate an existing one, including respiratory issues that impede breathing, a mental health condition, or a disability.”

Another question regards referees, who are sometimes older, having to wear masks as they run up and down the court. In addition to health concerns, Lloyd pointed out that players, coaches, and fans will need to be patient and expect late whistles as referees will need to remove their masks to blow a whistle.

Chris Deutsch, the girls basketball coach at Northwestern Lehigh, is adjusting his coaching routine slightly because of the mask mandate. He plans to play more girls on his roster than he normally would so that players can get more rest.

“We have enough players so that we can go deeper,” said Deutsch. “The girls do get more tired [wearing masks] and we’ve had to take more breaks during practice. Using more players though also adds to the competition because girls know they have a chance at playing and they tend to work a little harder.”

Emmaus girls basketball coach Kelsey Gallagher, who played high school and college basketball, has tried to put herself in the place of her players when it comes to the mask mandate. While she is sympathetic to her players, she also has found that once her players adjusted to the masks, things got easier. She also found that her players were slow to complain about the new rule.

“It was a struggle at first, but it’s gotten better,” Gallagher noted. “We work on breathing control and we do take a few more breaks, but they really haven’t complained; they’ve just tried to adjust. Personally, I can’t imagine having to wear a mask while I was a player.”

While his athletes do not have to wear masks while competing, Emmaus swimming coach Tim O’Connor has found that there hasn’t been pushback on the masks but is sympathetic to participants in other sports and the challenges that they will face.

“It’s easier for us than for basketball or wrestling, because we obviously can’t wear masks in the pool,” O’Connor pointed out. “I have found though that the kids have accepted the rule and haven’t really complained about it. Occasionally, someone forgets to put their mask back on and usually, it’s the other kids that notice and remind them, but we really have.”

At Parkland, girls basketball coach Ed Ohlson has found that his players have not been thrown off by anything that has been going on in respect to changes forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s a changing practice and game schedule or a mandate to wear masks.

“They’re so resilient,” Ohlson remarked. “We haven’t made a big deal about it and they take the approach that they just want to play and if this is what they have to do, then they’ll do it. We’re just making the best of the situation.”