Fighting COVID in youth sports

Jayme Murphy, a former University of Iowa linebacker, is a director at the National Sports Center in Blaine and part of the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission. With a master’s degree in public health from the University of Minnesota, he has been on the front lines in helping youth leagues return safely to play. A big part of his role has been conveying information to fight the COVID-19 spread around youth sports. His approach to education has three parts.

1. Build trust: When he talks with governing bodies, Murphy emphasizes that he’s not looking to report anyone but rather educate and help make the environment safer.

2. Provide easy resources: Signs and diagrams are key to helping people understand what to do related to the virus. Murphy called the Minnesota Department of Health’s decision tree a “good milestone moment.”

3. Use sports analogies: “Telling sports people it only takes one player to lose the game is a message that seems to come across very well,” Murphy said.