Your kid will survive if you’re not at his high school basketball game in person

For those of you who long for the good old days, those better, simpler times of, say, the 1950s, let me share a scene from that classic TV show, “Leave It To Beaver.”

The older son, Wally, comes home to find his parents, Ward and June Cleaver, sitting in the living room. His dad, of course, is reading a newspaper.

“Hey, son, how was the football game?” Ward asks Wally.

“Swell, Dad,” Wally replies. “I scored the game-winning touchdown.”

“Well, great,” Ward says, beaming with pride. “That’s just great, son.”

You see, Ward wasn’t at the football game. Neither was June. They didn’t need to be at every single game, school function or kindergarten graduation ceremony.

It was OK to hear about the game after the fact, not necessarily to be obnoxiously cheering and yelling at the refs on the sidelines. (Full disclosure, I am an admitted, although now reformed, youth sports sideline yeller. Now, I watch silently and say, “I enjoyed watching you play” after each game.)

As a parent of a now-graduated high school student-athlete and a parent of a current high school student-athlete, I’ve attended many of my sons’ sporting events, and I am looking forward to doing so once again in the future — after the pandemic. I’m not planning on going to every single one, though. My boys still know I love them and I’m proud of them, even if I’m not there in person, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

With 400,000 Americans dead from COVID-19, including now more than 1,600 Idahoans, it’s a small sacrifice to pay in an effort to try to keep others safe.

And yet, Idaho Rep. Brent Crane, R-Nampa, has proposed a resolution to get rid of any crowd size limitations in Idaho, with a clear focus on school sporting events.

Crane complained to a House committee that one of his family members wouldn’t be able to attend his son’s basketball game in person. Two high school students testified to the committee about low morale and school feeling “like a chore,” according to Idaho Education News.

Damaging the psyches of high school students to not have their parents watching their game in person? I thought we were done with the days of helicopter parenting. I guess not.

Apparently feeling the pressure, Republican Gov. Brad Little on Wednesday directed the State Board of Education to revise its plans and allow more spectators at high school sporting events.

It’s worth pointing out that schools are reasonably allowing limited attendance at games, such as two family members per home school athlete — with masks required. Personally, I am thoroughly enjoying watching my son’s games from the comfort of my home via Facebook Live or YouTube Live, a great accommodation that’s come out of this pandemic.

It’s farcical to see some argue about going to see their kids play a basketball game in person at all costs, even if it means spreading coronavirus or coming down with COVID-19.

I was among those skeptical of proceeding with a high school winter sports season at all, and I am pleasantly surprised that we have been able to avert widespread outbreaks of COVID-19, with kids in such close proximity to each other.

I can attest firsthand that it has had a positive impact on our son’s mental health and attitude. Would it have been disappointing if we didn’t have a winter sports season? Yes. Would it have been the end of the world? No. Believe it or not, there are some things more important than high school sports.

Crane said he just wants to return to “normal,” despite a global pandemic that’s killing 100 Idahoans every eight or nine days.

I’d love to get back to normal, too. Unfortunately, the 1,600 families who so far have lost loved ones to COVID-19 can’t just go back to normal. So instead of lifting crowd size limits and pretending we’re back to normal, let’s suffer through this First World problem of watching our kids play basketball remotely for a little bit longer.

Then, once we all get the vaccine and get those death and infection rates down, we can all go back to obnoxiously yelling at those poor refs.

Or, we could be like Ward Cleaver, and just ask our kids how their game was.

Scott McIntosh

Opinion Contributor,

Idaho Statesman

208-377-6202

Scott McIntosh is the Idaho Statesman opinion editor. A graduate of Syracuse University, he joined the Statesman in August 2019. He previously was editor of the Idaho Press and the Argus Observer and was the owner and editor of the Kuna Melba News. He has been honored for his editorials and columns as well as his education, business and local government watchdog reporting by the Idaho Press Club and the National Newspaper Association. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, The Idaho Way. Support my work with a digital subscription