Due to Covid-19, the world we all once knew has been changed drastically. We have taken many precautions to ensure the safety of all. Masks are one of the many tools we use to eliminate the spread of the virus. Daily activities like school and sports have been changed immensely.

Masks have been made mandatory for athletes to wear during activity. Sports like basketball, football and soccer, are played at such a high intensity rate. Which makes wearing masks while playing sports feels like it could negatively affect our breathing. Senior Ismael Dembele said, “Athletes can advocate for me when I say it’s hard playing a sport with a mask on, but it’s an adjustment we have to make. Maintaining your breathing under the mask is the hardest yet most important part.”

Many other athletes feel the exact same way as most of them struggle to breathe during exercise, but studies show that masks aren’t the cause of this. According to the University of Saskatchewan, “A new study has found that exercise performance, and blood and muscle oxygen levels are not affected for healthy individuals wearing a face mask during strenuous workouts.” This means that masks aren’t enhancing our breathing. Senior Reece Berkey also said, “Honestly I don’t like to wear a mask when playing, but if 2020 taught me anything it was to adapt to change and go with it.”

Whether we like it or not, masks are a part of our daily lives and although it may be a struggle to wear them They help to keep many lives out of danger and help protect us from COVID-19 and other illnesses, so we can continue to do things like play sports or go to school.