Like everything else, sports have been impacted greatly since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. Seasons were canceled and or pushed back, leagues were shut down due to lack of money, and many student-athletes are struggling with their college recruitment.

Due to seasons being canceled, youth teams and leagues have been struggling to raise money during this pandemic. There are no players paying for specialized coaches and facilities and no audience paying to watch games. This has caused these teams and leagues to shut down because of the lack of money coming in.

“The pandemic caused my team to be kicked out of our league called “Development Academy” for soccer,” Giana Riley, a student-athlete that plays for the De Anza Soccer Club, said. “We had to scramble to find a new league which was very challenging for us, especially with everything that has been going on this past year.”

Most teams that have been kicked out of their leagues are struggling to find a spot in others so they can play games again. Now, since sports and games are coming back, it is challenging for the ones without a league to find one to join or be a part of.

A majority of student-athletes rely on their sports to get scholarships to their dream colleges. However, with the pandemic causing no games there has been no college recruitment for these student-athletes. This has created stress for these athletes because now they either have to go to a college that is their only option or they never get a shot of playing college soccer.

“This pandemic limited the amount of colleges that I was able to get in contact with,” student-athlete Jackson Alvarez said. “It also stopped my ability to go on official visits to college which also limited my decision on where I wanted to attend.”

Overall, the pandemic has created many negative impacts for student-athletes on their teams, leagues, and college recruitment. Luckily, however, positive changes seem to be happening as seasons and games start coming back!