Metro East Sun

Jonas Petty, a former candidate for the Illinois House, says Gov. J.B. Pritzker has once again overstepped his authority in limiting high school, youth and adult recreational sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just as the Illinois High School Association board of directors was preparing to issue a high school sports schedule, Pritzker announced a set of COVID-19 restrictions, according to a July 29 Chicago Sun-Times story.

Football, boxing, wrestling, competitive cheerleading and dance are limited to no-contact practice and training, according to state COVID-19 guidelines.

Activities are classified into either higher risk, medium risk or lower risk and Levels 1, 2, 3 or 4.

For example, high-risk sports can play at Level 1 while medium-risk sports can play at Level 1 and 2. Medium-risk sports include basketball, soccer, water polo, flag football, wheelchair basketball and volleyball.

Petty, who lives in Pittsfield, issued a statement regarding Pritzker’s restrictions. 

“It's very important to keep everybody safe but, at the same time, science needs to dictate what it is that we do and the science doesn't dictate the actions that this governor has taken,” Petty told the Metro East Sun. “We, as Illinois citizens, have caved and given up tremendous amounts of freedom and we're all in the process of trying to figure that out. We are doing what he says to do but, when all is said and done, we're going to look back and realize that we gave up a lot of individual liberty and for what?”

Petty pointed out he has a son who will be deeply affected by the limitations on football.

“It's detrimental to my son in all of the intangible things that he gets from playing sports," he said. "The learning how to work hard and how to be disciplined. My contention is that all of these activities the governor is eliminating are things that make America what it is. Football, in and of itself, is about ‘If you work hard, you can achieve something.’ This is another socialist plan to say, ‘No, we're all equal here.’"

High school football, traditionally a fall sport throughout the country, is scheduled to be played in Illinois between February and early May this school year.

Petty shared his observation that although churches have been admonished, Black Lives Matter protestors have not, indicating that the pandemic has been politicized.

“It’s very political because when you talk about shutting down churches but allow protests, it shows a lack of consistency,” Petty said. “Whenever you're inconsistent, bad things happen. When it comes to high school athletics and just the whole school system shutting down, science doesn't support it. It’s not just the governor or our state legislature or city councils, it’s the Illinois state school board association that’s dictating everything we do.”