Have We Seen The Last Of The High Five?

The sports universe has been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are no games, no practices, and now I'm hearing we may not even have high fives anymore. According to Larry Brown Sports, that staple of sports celebrations might be on the endangered list.

This revelation comes from one of the founding fathers of the high five. Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker (below), who is often credited with helping to invent the ubiquitous hand slap with his former Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Glenn Burke in 1977, recently said, "The high five is probably going to be no more.”

Baker believes his creation could disappear due to its potential to spread disease. He may be right, but it’s still too soon to really know for sure. A successful coronavirus vaccine could save the high five, but Dr. Anthony Fauci says that we should probably never shake hands again. There's not much difference between the two.

What does this mean for other forms of athletic appreciation, such as fist bumps and butt pats? Perhaps it's time we adopt healthier ways of greeting and celebrating one another. I'll take a foot tap over the flu any day.