AV football players reach out to Governor Newsom through Twitter: #LetUsPlay

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A vast majority of players chipped in with a tweet, receiving retweets by supporters and their coach.

Matthew Carter, AVT EIC

The loss of fall sports has been hard on all student athlete’s but one team is doing their best to get their sport back. The football team recently attempted to reach out to California governor Gavin Newsom with a series of tweets explaining why and how the football team should return to practicing.

“Coach Jones showed us a video of a kid from Washington making a similar video, as they are one of the other states who haven’t yet allowed for sports. He said it would be great for us to make some as well as get the word out in California,” says varsity player Kai Burgermeister (‘22).

A vast majority of the player’s tweets consisted of videos and letters to the governor that addressed the importance of football to the players and the impact it has on their lives. The tweets consisted of hashtags like #LetUsPlay and #MaskUp. They also tagged Gavin Newsom and received a number of likes and retweets. The big question is whether or not this message will reach Governor Newsom.

“Whether it will be effective or not I’m not sure, the main goal is just getting the word out and showing how many student-athletes are being impacted and how badly we all need our sports. I hope our message will be received well and hopefully reach whoever it needs to reach to make some change,” says Burgermeister.

The teams’ overall goal is to return to practice, which will take some serious adaptation on both the team and the school, considering the campus was recently shut down for all camps and activities, including football. It’s questionable whether or not the players would even be allowed the use of the football field if given state permission to return.

“Our team plans to adapt by using a bubble system, wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and following whatever guidelines we need to follow in order to play,” says varsity player Hayden Roberts (22’).

The teams’ Twitter attempt is a new and smart way of getting their message out there. With facts and reasoning behind their argument, they might soon be allowed to practice alongside the thirty-eight other states that have been able to successfully return to practice. Maybe they’ll even start a trend that other Amador sports will follow. For football to be safely returned to our school would be a dream come true for both eager players and spirited fans.

“I just hope that we are able to start playing again, and regardless of adjustments that need to be made to do that, I am confident in this tam’s ability to be flexible and adapt to whatever the situation may be,” says Burgermeister.