Sports move from fields to fingertips

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In light of the social distancing order, the future of how high school sports are going to work has been a topic more controversial than closing the bathrooms near the girls locker room. However, there is a way to save our star student athletes. Esports. The esports culture has been spreading faster than ever and the Aragon sports department has decided to embrace the change.

All physical sports teams have been disbanded as they cannot comply with the state guidelines for actions to prevent the coronavirus. Because there will no longer be physical teams, we have to resort to online gaming.

“We are switching to sports video games on Xbox, Playstation, Wii and Nintendo devices,” said athletic director Steve Sell. “It’s simply not safe to have kids playing contact sports anymore. Esports are our only option if we want to continue the athletic program.”

Some sports were easy to find replacements for, such as football, which will be replaced with Madden, soccer, which will be replaced with FIFA and basketball, which will be replaced with NBA 2K20. However, for other sports, the athletic department had to get a bit more creative.

“We quickly realized that not every sport in real life has a perfect video game match,” Sell said. “So we did some research and were lucky enough to come up with some really great alternatives. Cheer and dance will be replaced with Just Dance and their competitions will be recorded and edited together on TikTok. Cross country and track will be replaced with Wii Fit running, and tennis, golf, baseball and softball are all covered by Wii Sports.”

Unfortunately, some sports will not be able to continue as they do not have online replacements. The volleyball, water polo, wrestling and swimming programs will all be shut down indefinitely. But there will also be new sports programs added due to the all of the opportunities esports provide. Aragon will be starting skiing, snowboarding, boxing, archery, bowling, and fencing programs, all of which can be played on the Wii through Wii Sports and Wii Fit.

“I’m really excited to get involved in the snowboarding program,” said sophomore Maya Ayoub. “I snowboard in real life and I think my skills will easily transfer to the video game version. I bought a whole new gaming console for this so I’m hoping I make the team!”

Because coaching will be more difficult since training will be at home and online, only the top tier esports athletes will make the team. No more than five students will be allowed on each team and only the top gamer will get to compete.

“I’m planning on training all summer so that I can compete with the other athletes,” said sophomore Kwintin Araghi. “I might have to buy a few more video games so that I can figure out which esports I’m best at. Right now, I think I’ll focus on golf and basketball but I can always change my mind.”

Not only is the sports program completely changing, but the athletic facilities will be adapting as well. Because the football, baseball and softball fields will no longer be used for live games, new computer labs just for gaming will be built on the fields. The fitness center will also be transformed into a facility where students can check out gaming consoles.

There will also be a new and more rigorous training program. Each athlete will have to play their specific game for at least eight hours a day and report their screen time for proof. If a player misses a practice or is not showing signs of improvement, they can be kicked off the team immediately.

“I think the new training schedule will really boost the success of our new programs,” Sell said. “It will separate the hardcore, commited athletes from the fakers. Student athletes will have free passes from some homework and will have daily meetings with their coaches. Perfecting technique will be especially important as athletes will have to learn the perfect way to hold their controllers and majorly increase their finger dexterity.”

The new format of sports will take some adjusting, but it’s ultimately for the best. Not only does it address health concerns, but it will bring new athletes into the spotlight. Athleticism and mental strength will be essential in this unique time. Virtual tryouts for all sports will begin on July 31.

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