Metro East Sun

Former Republican House candidate Mike Babcock fumes that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s list of victims never seems to end.

Pritzker recently doubled down on his decision to keep most student-athletes off the field over COVID-19 concerns, sparking protests from parents, students and coaches all across the state.

“It’s a shame because these kids are looking to further opportunities for themselves, like college and scholarships, that they’ve worked hard for and deserve a chance at,” Babcock told the Metro East Sun of the governor's fall sports ban for high school student athletes. “The governor just making the decision to shut things down takes away all of that.”

The Illinois High School Association fired off a letter to Pritzker requesting that they be allowed “to resume control over determining the resumption of sports and activities.” Currently, the two sides are allowing teams across the state to practice this month under specific COVID-19 guidelines

“Besides the governor not really having the legal authority to do all of this alone, it’s really sad because it doesn’t have to be,” Babcock added. “Others states are already showing us there are ways this can be done in a safe and responsible way. There may be some outbreak occurrence, but there aren’t too many, especially when you compare it to how many opportunities these kids stand to miss out on by just shutting everything down.”

Babcock said the motivation behind it all strikes him as just more political games on the part of the governor.

“It’s been all politics since the day he came on the scene and nothing’s changed,” he said. “I don’t know what he thinks he has to gain from it. I don’t see him going any further politically, and the way things are going he may not even make it through his first four years. It’s just really a shame they way so many people are suffering when it doesn’t have to be.”