"There's more to life than sports, but there's more to football than football," 

That's never been more apparent than today's climate. Football comes with inherent risk that parents and players are well aware of. This year it comes with a new risk. COVID19. Parents are aware of this and how it is transferred. It's been talked about ad nauseam on our TV screens for several months. 

With this in mind, many parents are still allowing their children to participate. Yet USD 501 is hindering a football season for inner city kids to happen. Many of these young men use football as an escape from the problems they may face at home. Allot of them use it as an opportunity to be around positive male role models that they otherwise may not have. 

The coaches and the players within 501 have been following all guidelines set forth to be allowed to play, yet they've watched on 2 consecutive occasions as the promise of an upcoming football game was taken from them by the school board. 

This only adds to an opportunity gap we are supposed to be aware of for our inner city kids who have aspirations to go to college to earn an education and play a collegiate sport. Many of them know they haven't done enough yet to earn that recognition to earn a scholarship, and taking away that final opportunity to do so is hurting all the inner city kids, and African American males the most. While they watch their peers continue to play soccer and volleyball, as they watch other schools within short driving distance play football they have to wonder if they will ever get that opportunity again. 

Can we get 2000 signatures to implore USD 501 to immediately overturn 09/03/2020 decision to postpone games until October and allow the kids to play the game they've been preparing for on 09/11/2020.