MA Coronavirus: 'Disheartening' Call Made To Cancel Spring Sports

HINGHAM, MA — The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association voted Friday to cancel the spring sports season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement came three days after Gov. Charlie Baker announced he was closing school buildings for the remainder of the academic year.

That the news was increasingly expected in recent weeks did not make it any less painful for high school athletes — especially seniors looking forward to their final season.

"Despite the disheartening, but unavoidable, action it is paramount to applaud our constituents, principals, athletic directors, coaches and student-athletes for their positive power of example during this unprecedented crisis," the MIAA said in a statement. "The 'life lessons' inherent in the game we play will be our resilience to provide mental and physical strength to focus on the discipline and teamwork to make a difference in the challenging chapters in the game of life."

The MIAA Board of Directors approved the move unanimously after several interim steps this spring to provide hope for a possible shortened spring season. The winter basketball and hockey tournaments were cut short before the state championships due to the escalating health crisis and building closures.

At that time, the start of spring practice was pushed back from March 16 to March 30. The MIAA extended the delays as schools remained closed, with the decision to keep buildings closed through the end of the school year the tipping point for those who hoped to provide a chance to salvage a handful of games in June.

"It's a decision based on better ensuring the health and well-being of our students, staff, and families, and it was the right decision to make," Jeffrey Granatino said in addressing the Board of Directors. "At the end of the day, though, it is a tough pill to swallow for thousands of student-athletes across the state who have already lost much of their school year due to this pandemic."

The Rhode Island Interscholastic League also officially canceled spring sports on Friday one day after RI Gov. Gina Raimondo closed school buildings there through the end of the academic year.

"Today's decision by the MIAA Board of Directors was difficult, disappointing and one that was deferred for several weeks as Association staff, Association members from the Tournament Management Committee and the Board (of Directors) worked aggressively to construct option structures to save the opportunity for the MIAA student-athletes to enjoy a spring season," the MIAA said.

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