Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many beloved high school sports seasons have been postponed or canceled. Some people have been confused about the status of their sports, so here is the rundown.

The 2020 fall sports season has been canceled. This is a major bummer to many of our Royal athletes, but safety must remain a top priority.

CIF has decided to divide the possibility of having a season for each sport by the amount of COVID-19 cases, separated into easy-to-understand color tiers.

We are currently in the purple or “Widespread” tier. This means that cross country, golf, skiing, swimming, diving, tennis, and track and field will absolutely have a season. These sports are able to compete without a great risk of infecting their athletes, coaches, and officials with the virus.

What about the other sports? Will they have a season? Maybe.

For baseball, field hockey, girls’ lacrosse, and softball to have a season, Orange County must enter the pink tier, “Substantial.” These sports have a good chance of still having a season, as long as Orange County’s infection numbers decline.

As for badminton, football, gymnastics, boys lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, and water polo, Orange County must get to the orange tier, “Moderate.” These sports have a much higher chance of spreading Covid-19 through competition, and our county’s Covid-19 numbers have to be much lower or athletes to safely enjoy these sports.

The last tier is yellow, “Minimal.” Sports in this category are basketball, cheerleading, and wrestling. These sports have the highest risk of spreading the virus, and our county’s numbers have to be very small to ensure a season.

As much as this news is disheartening, there is still a good chance many sports can have a season. If you are feeling bummed out by this news, you can help slow the spread by wearing a mask, washing your hands, social distancing, and avoiding unnecessary outings. Until then, there are many ways to stay fit at home. Stay resilient, royals.