Athletic Support: Parents who refuse to wear masks to games
eli.cranor@gmail.com


Dear Athletic Support: We just started my daughter’s senior basketball season, but things are getting weird already. We’ve already had to cancel a game due to COVID, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. The thing that I’m struggling with right now, though, is how some of the other parents refuse to wear masks when we’re in the gym. There are “rules” about this, but they don’t seem to matter. I overheard one parent the other night say that we all just need to “toss the masks.” This parent wasn’t wearing a mask, of course, and none of the school officials did anything about it. He just got to keep sitting there, spreading his germs all across the stands, and no one said anything to him. I was so upset I couldn’t even focus on my daughter’s game. I just kept cutting my eyes to the other parents (there were more than just this one guy) who refused to wear a mask. At this point, I’m flabbergasted that anyone could really think masks were the problem. We all want the same thing. We want our daughters to have a great senior basketball season, but the parents that won’t wear their masks are going to be the ones to cause it to come to a screeching halt!

— Wear Your Mask


Dear Mask: One of my favorite books of all time is Stephen Covey’s, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In this book, Mr. Covey explains what he calls a person’s “Circle of Control.” In short, your circle of control is what you can actually control. Seems simple, right?   

Well, it should be, but most people’s “Circle of Concern” (another Covey term) extends much wider than their “Circle of Control.” In other words, it’s human nature for us to want to fix every problem, even the ones we have absolutely no control over.

Parents who refuse to wear masks are a problem you cannot control. So, please, don’t miss out on your daughter’s senior season by focusing on them instead of what’s happening on the court. 

The only thing you might could do is seek out a school administrator — a principal, or maybe even the superintendent — and discuss your concerns with them. What they do after that conversation is once again out of your control.

But that’s it. That’s the only card you can play. Does this make the other parents who refuse to wear masks right? Absolutely not. I’m with you. They are the problem, but there’s nothing you or I can do to change their minds.  

The thing we have to remember — regardless of whether or not someone is wearing a mask — is that we’re all still on the same team. I know I’ve said that before. But we have to. Now more than ever. 

Why?   

Because your daughter, my daughter, and every other kid on every other court in America, is watching. Someday, hopefully sooner rather than later, COVID will be gone. When that day comes, what will our country look like? Will we come together like never before? Will we still be on the same “team?”

  I hope so. 


Eli Cranor is a former professional quarterback and coach turned award-winning author. Please use the “Contact” page at elicranor.com to send in questions for “Athletic Support.”


Outside of athletics, kids’ brains are also at risk. Who knows what sort of impact virtual learning will have on their cognition and critical thinking skills. In this regard, I offer one simple tool — a good book! And luckily, I know just the book for kids struggling with the shift to virtual learning:

BOOKS MAKE BRAINZ TASTE BAD! Okay, you caught me… I’m the author of this book. It was published last week and awarded a #1 New Release ranking on Amazon. BMBTB deals directly with the same topic covered in this column, except in a much more lighthearted, kid-friendly way (zombie teachers and brain-munching screens!) If you end up purchasing this book for your children or grandchildren, I only have one final suggestion — ask them to read it while standing up! Eli Cranor's new book Books Make Brainz Taste Bad has just been released. ZOMBIES HATE BOOKS! Especially the zombie teachers at Haven Middle School. That's why they're using VR headsets to fry kids' brainz. Luckily, Dash Storey knows how to save his classmates from the zombie teachers—BOOKS! They make brainz taste bad! "Eli Cranor has an almost unbeatable advantage. He can remember how it felt to think like a twelve-year-old and he can see the very same events like the adult he is. Don't try to resist this book!" - Jack Butler, Pulitzer-Prize nominated author

Previous Athletic Support Columns:
• My son doesn’t wear a jockstrap
• The ‘game’ is over, let’s shake hands
• Can grandpa come to my game?
• Can’t go to her games like I used to
• ACL injuries on the rise in youth sports
• High school hot seat?
• Daughter rolls ankle: Time to walk it off?
• College football cancelled but my son’s still playing
• Shift to virtual learning causing lag in young athletes
• What you look for, you will find
• Back to school woes
• Football guidelines a breeze compared to band
• What to do if your season stalls
• Left behind
• Travel ball leads to constipation
• Collegiate sports for fun or money?
• No right answer
• Sunburns not part of the game
• Summertime soreness
• Vulnerability is key in uncertain times
• Sick of COVID-19
• Racial tensions rise as sports gear up again
• Silver lining for post pandemic sports
• Wearing masks to practice
• Coach disappears after season is cancelled
• What happens to the team if a player gets COVID-19?
• Will there be football in the fall?
• With sports gone, son’s grades tanking
• Lost without sports
• Teddy bears and tessellations
• Cornavirus? We’ve got games to play!
• Girlfriend getting in the way
• A parent’s role when sports are over
• Talk to your grandkids, carefully
• At what age should sports stop being fun?
• What ever happened to going door to door?
• Lack of respect for track
• Should my son take supplements?
• I need your help
• Help! My daughter wants to play football
• Transferring to a smaller school: the good, the bad, and the ugly
• What’s that smell? It’s not as bad as you think
• A break from school but not from sports
• Should a coach pray with his team?
• Coach tells player not to shoot
• Do nice guys (and girls) really finish last?
• Coach cancels post-season awards banquet
• No cellphones in the locker room!
• Fake scholarship signing?
• Withholding football as punishment
• Sick and tired of losing
• Late bloomer, a blessing or a curse?
• Scholarship hopes dead, now what?
• Is my son a butterfly chaser?
• Don’t force sports on your kids
• Hunting or Football?
• Beat the Heat
• Idle Hands
• Coach’s son gets special attention