Major league and collegiate teams are desperately trying to figure out ways to play ball, but millions of athletes are being overlooked in these discussions – those who compete in high school and youth sports. What does the fall look like for those young athletes? It looks pretty scary, write Tamara Hew-Butler and Phillip D. Levy of Wayne State University, especially if parents, coaches and health experts aren’t exceptionally careful. That extra care might involve blood tests rather than testing with swabs, and it definitely means not sharing drinks and water bottles.

Lynne Anderson

Senior Health + Medicine Editor

Ongoing testing, say the authors, is critical to bringing back amateur sports. Getty Images / Erik Isakson

Why safely reopening high school sports is going to be a lot harder than opening college and pro ball

Tamara Hew-Butler, Wayne State University; Phillip D. Levy, Wayne State University

Our experts offer safer ways to bring back amateur sports.

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