Safety comes first, but it still doesn’t feel right to strip UGA athletes of seasons
It’s been a week since a trickling of developments began and turned into the cancellation of all spring collegiate sports. It feels like much more than a week. Maybe a year. It’ll feel like a decade in a few more days.
We sit at a standstill, and one that is tough to comprehend around the COVID-19 pandemic that has temporarily changed our lifestyles. These few months are always fun ones — March Madness and the championship seasons for the winter sports, along with entering the heat of seasons on the baseball and softball diamonds. There were weekends planned where Georgia’s athletic quarters would be buzzing with excitement from Smith Street to a quarter-mile down South Lumpkin Street.
Suddenly ... poof. All of it disappeared in an instant. All of these athletes had their seasons stripped from them. There’s pain, rightfully so.
I feel it as a writer who misses that interaction and chance to tell stories. The fans feel it as they were ready to rally their beloved Bulldogs toward postseason action. All of it pales in comparison to what the athletes are enduring, and my heart goes out to them all. This is an unprecedented period of life, and it’s hard to ever foresee a virus halting our beloved competitions.
Fourteen sports (six men’s programs, eight women’s) have gone dark at Georgia over the past week. The seniors don’t get the chance to bid their final farewells, nor do teams get to finish out their campaigns that involved grueling work as early as last August. Over 100 events were canceled as a result of coronavirus concerns, and it doesn’t feel right.
The outbreak has spread quickly throughout the country with more than 15,000 cases as of late in the week, according to the Centers for Disease Control. There were more than 400 cases within the state of Georgia late in the week, with the number rising by the day according to the Georgia Department of Health. There are states of emergency, recommendations and mandates centered around how to fight this infection. A number of professional athletes — Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets and New York Yankees — have tested positive for coronavirus. There are also plenty of unconfirmed cases due to strict regulations for testing and a lack of tests around the nation.
All in all, shutting down sports is the right move. Social distancing is a real and important thing. We all need to take this pandemic seriously. But that’s different from saying this is right.
It’s not right or fair to these athletes — they’ve worked too hard to pursue an athletic dream. A chance at a championship, that is. The NCAA is working toward the opportunity for athletes in spring sports to pursue a redshirt due to their seasons being canceled so abruptly. According to reports Wednesday, this option for extra eligibility won’t be offered to those in winter sports such as basketball and gymnastics.
That’s a nice step for athletes to make up a lost season. But that’ll never feel the same as finishing out an important season — especially if it’s a final ride — with your teammates. I’ve noticed a few things throughout a few months of hopping around the athletic complex. There are a number of elements in different sports that give reason for devastation.
▪ Baseball: That group on the Foley Field diamond had plenty of promise. This was supposed to be the Bulldogs’ year after consecutive seasons of being “good” but not getting over their hump.
Georgia had a No. 2 ranking and a two-headed pitching monster of Emerson Hancock and Cole Wilcox. The chances to win an SEC title and reach the College World Series felt real, and Georgia wanted nothing more than to erase the devastation of losing consecutive NCAA regionals on its home turf. The image of head baseball coach Scott Stricklin after losing to Florida State is hard to forget. He stared at the microphone and was heartbroken to the point he was unable to close his water bottle. And due to something uncontrollable, Georgia has to wait another year to replace those memories.
I also feel for Tucker Bradley. He wanted nothing more than to recover from his torn labrum last season and play again. He started off performing like a passionate little kid ... one who couldn’t be contained. He hit .407 with six home runs — after hitting a total of three through his first three seasons. Bradley has the chance to enter the MLB Draft, which means he might never wear a Georgia uniform again.
▪ Men’s basketball: Tom Crean’s group felt it. Georgia had its mojo and tried to close out a tough season in shocking fashion by making an SEC tournament surge. Freshman Sahvir Wheeler warned that the Bulldogs could make “one hell of a run” and it started strong by beating Ole Miss in the Wednesday opener, 81-63. Hours before the second game against Florida, the tournament ended and Georgia said farewell to its seniors and projected top pick Anthony Edwards.
▪ Gymnastics: Senior day readied to be a significant one. The fan-favorite Sabrina Vega would’ve performed her moonwalk dance on balance beam — one that is rich in GymDog tradition — one final time. She would’ve had her ceremonial goodbye alongside Rachel Dickson and student-coach Jordyn Pedersen. That never happened, nor did Georgia’s chance to reach a season-long goal of advancing to the final day of national championships.
My thoughts are also extended to those who did much more than what was seen in the spotlight. Alyssa Perez-Lugones is a gymnast who comes to mind in that regard. She performed on floor, but had an active role on every event. She looked forward to laughing and supporting while moving mats and doing any managerial-type work that the GymDogs needed. In fact, she had a competition with Pedersen to see if they could move mats in three seconds. A celebratory handshake ensued if the goal was met. Those fun moments were cut four meets short.
▪ Men’s tennis: I sensed optimism about Manny Diaz’s campaign from the outset. Georgia found itself in the midst of a nice bounce-back season, and the Bulldogs were 9-2 and oozing with optimism inside Henry Feild Tennis Stadium. Georgia was in the midst of a six-match winning streak, then had to pack its bags and end a promising season.
▪ Equestrian: A few miles up the road, Georgia readied for the chance to boast its new facilities for the SEC championships. The Bulldogs take pride in a strong program but missed out on the shot at another postseason run.
▪ Women’s basketball: I admired how Stephanie Paul called this her “last dance” as a tribute to her passion for dancing and Haitian culture. In fact, Paul did everything for her love for basketball. Simply put, the senior had bad knees that always gave her trouble. She rarely practiced, spent seemingly-endless time on the exercise bike and took every step — including wearing Normatec compression devices at night — to put in productive minutes for the Lady Bulldogs. There likely won’t be anymore basketball for Paul, but she showed passion for the program and hopes to continue on as a coach in her future. Georgia prepared to take a WNIT bid if it fell short of the NCAA tournament, so Paul never made her final dance move.
*****
See, it hurts.
There are so many teams, moments and athletes that matter at Georgia and in programs across the country. This is also a tough time for athletes, too, for other reasons than sports. They all had to drastically alter their lifestyles within a matter of days. All routines disappeared. All athletes had to find ways back to their hometowns. Their academic support system doesn’t look the same with remote instruction. Most importantly, for those graduating, there won’t be a chance to walk at the commencement ceremony.
Georgia has implemented resources to help student-athletes through the changes. The athletic association has offered telehealth sessions with behavioral medicine specialists for athletes to process these cancellations with a professional. Each team remains in contact with their athletes to ensure safety and comfort. At this time, there’s no timetable for a return to normalcy.
None of this feels right. Sports aren’t supposed to go this way. My heart goes out to these athletes who don’t get to finish their journeys.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 12:48 PM.