By: Will Hopkins

The whole world has been impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19, and sports are no exception. From postponements and cancelations to empty crowds and enlarged bench areas, the sports landscape looks very different now than it did just ten months ago. Teams and leagues have implemented new protocols throughout the return to play, but on Tuesday, January 5, a new protocol was implemented that was nearly impossible to miss. Boston University and Holy Cross battled in the first Division I Men’s basketball game in which both teams were forced to sport masks while on the court. According to Kendall Baker of Axios Sports, “BU’s athletic department requires all athletes to wear face masks during workouts, practices, and games.” The Boston Terriers had previously worn masks in road games, but this was the first time that they played against fellow maskers because it was their first home game. 

In seeing photos from the game, as well as catching a quick minute of it just to see what it would look like to have the athletes wearing masks while they played, there was definitely a problem with keeping the masks up. The head coach of Holy Cross, Brett Nelson, said, “It’s really hard to keep your mask up…guys are jumping up and down…so it’s almost impossible.” According to Glynn A. Hill of the Washington Post, Nelson added that after having worn masks in practice, his players have adapted to the unusual measure. Jonas Harper of Boston University was “irritated” by playing in the mask, but he likewise adjusted. The two schools’ women similarly faced off wearing masks but also similarly without them always above their noses. After all, if the masks fall down when people talk, then it is not very surprising to see how they function when people run, jump, and yell. 

My biggest concern is the intentions of the athletic program at Boston University. Do they think that wearing these masks will really, really increase the players’ safety or is it all just for good optics? Since sports have returned, teams have suffered COVID outbreaks, but transmission between opponents has been rare to say the least. In my opinion, the most important work for athletic teams trying to slow down the spread of this deadly virus is done between games. This is done by making smart decisions, wearing masks off the court, social distancing, and mass testing. Once it is deemed acceptable for the game to go on, the players should get to play how they normally would. In a sport in which there is so much cardio, these players may be huffing and puffing even without masks, but running up and down the court with both major airways covered is an even more difficult task. Players may get tired more quickly and stars may need to be subbed out more often, altering the landscape of the game. Even if Boston University wants their own players to wear masks, it seems odd that they would mandate the opposition to do so at BU home games but still be okay with their Terriers facing those same players without masks on the road. With many cancellations already in this young college basketball season, it will be interesting to see if more teams implement this mandate.