High School Athletes March To Gov. Pritzker's House As They Call For School Sports To Resume

CHICAGO (CBS) -- High school athletes are not giving up their fight to get back on the playing field despite the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday morning, they marched to Gov. JB Pritzker's house to call for sports to resume.

The athletes chose the start of Mental Health Awareness Month, claiming not being able to play is causing stress and anxiety.

They are also upset about scholarship chances.

Last week, a href="https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/10/01/dupage-county-judge-rules-against-parent-group-suing-over-high-school-fall-sports/" target="_blank">a DuPage County judge denied a motion that would have allowed games to resume. Parents asked for a temporary restraining order against the changes set in motion by the Illinois High School Association, which moved fall sports to the spring.

The group hoped to get higher risk contact fall sports like football and soccer back on competitive playing fields soon.

It argued Illinois is one of only a handful of states not allowing the full range of fall sports and there are substantial mental health impacts for students not being able to play. It also argued those hoping to get scholarships will lose out as colleges will instead recruit from schools in other states.

The judge denied that motion.

Those filing the lawsuit claimed the Illinois High School Association broke its own rules by moving certain fall sports to the spring without a vote.

The IHSA said its rules allow the organization to do that in the event of circumstances beyond its control, adding a pandemic is pretty much the definition of that.

Right now, fall sports have tentatively been moved to spring.