Gov. Pritzker says Big Ten Conference starting does not influence high school sports

Posted on September 17, 2020
Gov JB Pritzker does not sound optimistic about a quick end to the pandemic. (Photo courtesy: Neil Doyle/WJBC)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – The announcement that the Big Ten Conference is starting up college football soon has no influence on Gov. JB Pritzker and high school sports in Illinois.

“We’ve learned so much along the way here, but when you are talking about the Big Ten and about professional sports — much different than high school sports, it just is,” said the governor, “because of the amount of testing, because of the doctors that are available, because of the focus on testing for myocarditis. That’s something that the Big Ten has said they will do in kids who contract coronavirus. That’s not something that’s happening at the high school level.”

Pritzker says he cannot tell how low the positivity rate must go before he changes his mind on, say, high school sports.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]. 

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