How much more can soccer players handle? 

At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, many soccer leagues postponed games for a long period of time for the safety of the players and the people who attended the matches. With the decline of infected numbers, games would finally take place once more but it would not be the same as it used to be. Venues would not be open to the public for the safety of stopping the spread of COVID-19, which in the end meant that soccer would not be played with any crowds, and players would not have support from fans whenever games took place.

Senior Diego Alvarez stated, “COVID-19 has really affected the morale of soccer players by not allowing fans to attend matches. If you take into consideration that fans boost the morale of players during a match then soccer is not being played how it’s supposed to be, which is without its most important aspect–the fans. Even though there are no fans, it is still the correct decision to make soccer games unavailable to the public for the safety of those who are going through tough times as of this moment.”

Senior Oliver Hernandez also stated, “Not only morale but also physical and mental conditions have been affecting soccer players during this pandemic. Many players have been out of shape during their lockdown experience, and other soccer players have experienced major mental problems such as depression from what they have gone through during these hard times. From experiencing COVID-19 first hand, it puts all of your family members at risk, especially if they are old age or have any type of health problem, that is why everyone must understand the dangers of spreading COVID-19 and raise awareness on how to stop the virus.”

During these hard times, raising awareness has been the priority of many leagues, soccer teams and even soccer players, one of them being world renowned soccer player Lionel Messi. According to Soccer Today, Messi is currently collaborating in a campaign with the WHO (World Health Organization) and other world renowned soccer players, which is called “Pass the message to kick out the coronavirus,” the campaign shows five steps on how to keep yourself safe from COVID-19, which include washing your hands frequently, covering your sneeze or cough with your elbow, not touching your face such as your eyes, nose or mouth, keeping your distance and following instructions from local health authorities if contracted with COVID-19.  

Senior Bryan Martinez stated “As a player myself in the Ventura High Soccer team, if we follow these guidelines from campaigns advertised by star soccer players like Messi we could have a greater chance of being more safe while playing soccer. And I also believe that even though our season was cut short last year because of this pandemic we could still make a greater comeback by raising awareness to not only just soccer players but to other people as well since we will need all the help we can get to finally make this pandemic end once and for all.”