Every fall the same suggestion surfaces when the regular season ends – pushing the IHSA playoffs deeper into the winter for more recovery time and so the postseason feels less rushed. On paper it sounds great, but it creates more problems then it solves.
Illinois winters aren’t kind to outdoor sports. By mid-December the temperatures drop into the teens and single digits, with wind, snow, and frozen fields becoming normal. Playing meaningful games in those conditions are uncomfortable and raise safety concerns.
Cold weather increases the risk of muscle injuries, reduces ball grip, and turns every tackle into a high impact collision on hard ground. High school athletes should not have to compete for a state title while fighting hypothermia.
Extending the season also collides with the rest of the athletic calendar. Winter sports like basketball, wrestling, swimming, and others begin practices and games in November. Many football players have to transition straight into those programs and stretching the season to December forces athletes to choose between finishing one season and starting another, or to split focus which will benefit neither sport. Public school schedules are crowded and adding weeks to football only makes it more crowded.
There is also a matter of tradition. Football has always been a fall sport for a reason. The weather is still manageable in October and early November. Holiday travel, final exams, and family plans intensify in December. Asking teams, coaches, and fans to treat the postseason like a winter event disrupts more lives than it helps.
Supporters of a longer season argue that extra time would improve preparation and reduce the rush between games. That benefit is real, but it doesn’t outweigh the costs. Better recovery is also possible with better regular season scheduling and adjustments in the fall window by not dragging the sport into weather it isn’t meant to handle.
Football belongs in the fall. The playoffs should stay there too. Pushing them into winter would trade one set of pressures and worries for more and a colder and more complicated season.
Written by Junior Makane Tande. Edited by staff writers for the Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.