Some breaking news on a Monday morning from the Inky’s Phil Anastasia:

https://twitter.com/philanastasia/status/1292824175342690305?s=21

For some background here, the Public League governs sports within the city’s borders, which includes Philly public schools and participating charters. That includes everything from Frankford High to Imhotep Institute.

Writes Anastasia at the Inquirer:

The decision was announced in an email from Philadelphia school district athletic director James Lynch to athletic directors at schools across the city. The postponement will impact thousands of athletes across Philadelphia in sports such as football, soccer, field hockey, golf, tennis, cross-country and volleyball.

When we left the story on Friday afternoon, the PIAA had paused mandatory sporting activities for two weeks while looking to meet with state officials, which was the result of a sudden declaration from Governor Wolf that the Commonwealth was not recommending that we have sports until January of 2021. That came out of nowhere, caught the PIAA by surprise, and pissed off a lot of students and parents in the process, because they were under the impression that they were beginning fall sports one week from today, on the 17th.

The Public League does comply with PIAA rules and regulations, but in this case, if officials think it’s unsafe to play, that’s their choice. With the population density of this city creating a significant COVID concern, this decision shouldn’t be shocking, though I imagine it’s a bummer for kids who were looking forward to playing this fall.

Edit: I should point out that the Catholic League seems to be moving forward with sports at the moment, so St. Joe’s Prep and La Salle, Archbishop Wood and etc. are good to go, for now.