In the wake of the coronavirus and the shutdown of sports around the globe, it’s necessary to take a moment and start talking about what we can do to prevent these things from taking over the country again.
It honestly doesn’t matter if we’re talking about youth basketball events, college basketball events, or professional basketball events, it’s important we all practice proper safety and cleanliness when gathering in large groups — especially those that contain sports.
Sanitation is important for everyone involved, including the players, coaches, referees, and the parents/fans. We’ll go over a few tips we can all start to practice more once we see sporting events start opening up again.
For the Parents/Fans
Since fans will be grouped together extremely closely in the bleachers — sometimes only inches apart — it’s important we keep an eye on basic sanitary tips when watching the game. Whether we’re talking about the coronavirus or the flu, it’s something that will spread easily.
Don’t just carry hand sanitizer with you to your seat, but use it throughout the game. Use it when you go to the concession stand, use it when you go to the bathroom, and when you’re done eating. Just make it a habit to use it throughout the event — and offer it to other parents if they don’t have any.
More importantly, it’s understandable to miss your child’s event if you’re feeling under the weather. If you have to, call another parent and see if your child can carpool with them so you don’t run the risk of getting anyone else sick in the bleachers.
For the Coaches
The coaches might not make a lot of contact with the parents and others in the stands, but they will make contact with the players. Even worse, these players will be sweating, panting, and coughing from the intense game.
One of the coach’s jobs will be to make sure he is using hand sanitizer throughout the game. When they’re finished with a team huddle, after a timeout, after shaking someone’s hand, anytime they come in contact with another player.
For the Players
The coaches will also be responsible for making sure the players practice their own sanitation throughout the game. The use of towels can help stop sweat from getting everywhere, drinking a lot of water can keep them hydrated, and not sharing any drinks or towels with other players is a must.
In addition to that, they can also use hand sanitizer throughout the game — unless it will interfere with their grip or anything. Either way, they should make it a point to wash their hands at halftime.
There’s plenty that we can all do to stay safe and free of germs or bacteria when attending youth basketball events. Not only will it help prevent the spread of disease, but it will help promote a more safe, sanitary, and positive attitude towards the germs we encounter on a daily basis.
If you’re looking for more information on how to organize and ensure youth basketball events run successfully, contact us today or visit our various resources at The Basketball HUB.
