High School Football Participation Has Dropped To It's Lowest Level In 20 Years

[knucklehead_vol]

Boxing isn't outlawed so why the hell would football be?

It will be soon. Especially after a boxer just died in the ring.

 

[knucklehead_vol]

The NCAA and NFL need to kick in on this sort of research in self preservation.

They won't imo. They will milk it as long as they can.

 

[peaygolf]

It will be soon. Especially after a boxer just died in the ring.

agree.
Hockey, boxing, downhill skiing, skateboarding, car racing, motor X, etc.............Ban them all.
Inherent risk in everything.

 

[knucklehead_vol]

agree.
Hockey, boxing, downhill skiing, skateboarding, car racing, motor X, etc.............Ban them all.
Inherent risk in everything.

Yea. I believe if you're old enough to make a life decision then do it. One problem is insurance is getting higher with football and boxing. MMA is actually safer than boxing from the studies I have read.

 

[knucklehead_vol]

agree.
Hockey, boxing, downhill skiing, skateboarding, car racing, motor X, etc.............Ban them all.
Inherent risk in everything.

Also, to commend Nascar, they fixed the head issue when Dale Earnhardt died and have had zero problems since that I am aware of.

 

[peaygolf]

Yea. I believe if you're old enough to make a life decision then do it. One problem is insurance is getting higher with football and boxing. MMA is actually safer than boxing from the studies I have read.

I don't watch it, but they do seem to stop fights before it gets too bad.
I've been saying this for a long time....there won't be football as we know it in 25 yrs. Soak up the nostalgia now!

 

[peaygolf]

Also, to commend Nascar, they fixed the head issue when Dale Earnhardt died and have had zero problems since that I am aware of.

playing devils advocate, but only so much a head restraint can do at 200 mph.

But I commend them on what they've done. Very safe sport considering.

 

[knucklehead_vol]

I don't watch it, but they do seem to stop fights before it gets too bad.
I've been saying this for a long time....there won't be football as we know it in 25 yrs. Soak up the nostalgia now!

Not as many head shots. Lighter gloves so the if you get hurt then it comes quicker. They really do all they can to support the fighters. Nate Diaz got stopped in the 3rd round this past weekend due to a cut.

 

[knucklehead_vol]

playing devils advocate, but only so much a head restraint can do at 200 mph.

But I commend them on what they've done. Very safe sport considering.

Well it's kinda like riding a motorcycle, that helmet can only do so much if you are in an accident.

 

[peaygolf]

Well it's kinda like riding a motorcycle, that helmet can only do so much if you are in an accident.

Or skydiving....WTH is that gonna do?

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Also, to commend Nascar, they fixed the head issue when Dale Earnhardt died and have had zero problems since that I am aware of.

Yeah but they are having a worse problem; they made it safer and interest has dropped gigantically. It's not all because of that but its popularly is a shell of what it was 10-15 years ago.

 

[knucklehead_vol]

Yeah but they are having a worse problem; they made it safer and interest has dropped gigantically. It's not all because of that but its popularly is a shell of what it was 10-15 years ago.

And this is exactly why the NFL won't do much. Good example!

 

[rocytop2624]

High School Football participation has dropped to the lowest level it's been since 1999. I think this has to do with the worries of parents about head injuries and possible future brain damage. I think football wont exist as a sport in 20 years because of lawsuits concerning head injuries and brain damage along with parents not allowing their children to play football which will encourage the Government to pass laws which pretty much ban football.

High school football participation drops to lowest point since 1999 - FootballScoop

Why was that number low in 1999. I remember at my high school witch was 5a in 95 to 98 there wasn't enough people to even cut player's

 

[rocytop2624]

So I'm just a humble accountant but I've always wondered why they don't put padding on the outside as well as the inside of the helmet.

Like the practice helmets? I think creating them to spring and give is a good idea. Best thing is no helmet to helmet and no hitting below the thigh. I have seen alot of concussions from the back of helmet hitting the ground and those usually don't look bad.

 

[wmcovol]

Reasons:
1) injuries
2) year round practices/workouts
3) kids can play so many other sports today

I played in the 1970s. Today I’m fine, no health related conditions, probably in better shape than 95% of people my age cause I played a lot of sports in high school & still workout pretty good 5 days a week. Not sure if I’d have the discipline to do that if I’d blown on a horn my high school life. That said, today’s football is year round at most schools, spring ball, summer workouts, 7 on 7, etc. who has time for a job to make alittle $, play another sport, just be a kid, etc. A lot of different ways for kids to go today.

Both of my sons played into high school but moved on to baseball exclusively cause football was such a time demand and their future was baseball.

 

[GVF]

Reasons:
1) injuries
2) year round practices/workouts
3) kids can play so many other sports today

I played in the 1970s. Today I’m fine, no health related conditions, probably in better shape than 95% of people my age cause I played a lot of sports in high school & still workout pretty good 5 days a week. Not sure if I’d have the discipline to do that if I’d blown on a horn my high school life. That said, today’s football is year round at most schools, spring ball, summer workouts, 7 on 7, etc. who has time for a job to make alittle $, play another sport, just be a kid, etc. A lot of different ways for kids to go today.

Both of my sons played into high school but moved on to baseball exclusively cause football was such a time demand and their future was baseball.

If you have aspirations to make it in baseball, it takes an absurd amount of time as well. And some jack from the parents to boot. A solid HS career is no longer enough. Every college recruit I see listed on a college website has their HS and travel ball team. And some of these baseball clubs costs up to $5K a year. Like Nashville Knights. But, with only 11.5 Scholly's available on a 26 man roster, is $20-30 K for travel ball worth it ?? My son plays football and baseball. He just wants to enjoy playing HS. He knows he's not going pro regardless of how much travel ball he might have played. When HS is over, he wants to get on with his career plans. the way he sees it, why all that time for college ball when you know you're not going further.

 

[wmcovol]

If you have aspirations to make it in baseball, it takes an absurd amount of time as well. And some jack from the parents to boot. A solid HS career is no longer enough. Every college recruit I see listed on a college website has their HS and travel ball team. And some of these baseball clubs costs up to $5K a year. Like Nashville Knights. But, with only 11.5 Scholly's available on a 26 man roster, is $20-30 K for travel ball worth it ?? My son plays football and baseball. He just wants to enjoy playing HS. He knows he's not going pro regardless of how much travel ball he might have played. When HS is over, he wants to get on with his career plans. the way he sees it, why all that time for college ball when you know you're not going further.

Oh, I know all about the travel ball experiences and expense. Both of mine played it into college. I never spent anything like $5K for a team but I never regretted the money I did spend. I never had the issues with either of my sons Ive heard from some many other parents regarding their kids going out every night during the summer, sleeping all day, etc. Mine were either on a ball field or on my couch half sleep from being worn out all weekend. But they enjoyed it, got to see some great parts of the country, made great friends and it was money well spent in my opinion. Same for college. Both played college ball, got a large percentage of their college paid for and had great experiences. Playing year round baseball is too much. Even after my sons left football, they took some time off from baseball to heel up from the wear and tear. But you are correct, if you're only doing it for the college scholarship, save your money in a 529 College Fund and make them earn the lottery bonus. You'll be alot better off financially.

 

[GVF]

Oh, I know all about the travel ball experiences and expense. Both of mine played it into college. I never spent anything like $5K for a team but I never regretted the money I did spend. I never had the issues with either of my sons Ive heard from some many other parents regarding their kids going out every night during the summer, sleeping all day, etc. Mine were either on a ball field or on my couch half sleep from being worn out all weekend. But they enjoyed it, got to see some great parts of the country, made great friends and it was money well spent in my opinion. Same for college. Both played college ball, got a large percentage of their college paid for and had great experiences. Playing year round baseball is too much. Even after my sons left football, they took some time off from baseball to heel up from the wear and tear. But you are correct, if you're only doing it for the college scholarship, save your money in a 529 College Fund and make them earn the lottery bonus. You'll be alot better off financially.

I was one of those baseball junkies growing up. Carried over in adult softball after healing a couple years from my shoulders. My son loves baseball, but he is not to that extreme. My work schedule and funds never provided much opportunity for travel ball, as he would not have been one of the team elites that got "free" travel ball. Travel ball is like sneakers. You can get with a $10 team. Or you can get with a $1000 club, or more. He did get weekly hitting and throwing form some Clemson/ex-pro alums. He's done well in HS w/o travel ball. Hit .650 two years ago. Paid his dues Fr and So years. Should be back to starting again this year, except for a little friction between him and new sorry coach. We had a great coach. He left for bigger and better things right when he moved up two years ago. And the assistant that was all about my son had a stroke and hasn't been back yet.

One good thing about TN and his plans is that with a decent GPA and moderate test scores, he can do 2 years of CC free before he moves over for final 2 years at university. And with proper grades and ACT's will have minimal expense even then. And by then the wife will hopefully be employed at the university and tuition goes to 50% of what's remaining for us to pay.

 

[bag12day]

If you have aspirations to make it in baseball, it takes an absurd amount of time as well. And some jack from the parents to boot. A solid HS career is no longer enough. Every college recruit I see listed on a college website has their HS and travel ball team. And some of these baseball clubs costs up to $5K a year. Like Nashville Knights. But, with only 11.5 Scholly's available on a 26 man roster, is $20-30 K for travel ball worth it ?? My son plays football and baseball. He just wants to enjoy playing HS. He knows he's not going pro regardless of how much travel ball he might have played. When HS is over, he wants to get on with his career plans. the way he sees it, why all that time for college ball when you know you're not going further.

I don't mean this as a slight but because you/ they actually enjoy the game and the competition? Full disclosure my son decided to focus on academics ( Chem/Bio double major) instead of walking on at his preferred school due to his size. In the same vein as your son he felt the extra time devoted to football would be at the expense of his grades somewhat.

That's part of the problem with the decreasing participation is too many schools, coaches, and districts are forgetting this was, is and should be fun and enjoyable for youths. When kids are practicing and training for 12 months on a single thing quite often it becomes a job and not an enjoyable diversion. If a kid is really committed and wants to push themselves to be the absolute best they can be in a particular sport good on them but many are pushed by parents because its a means to an end (free college, NFL prospects of $, living vicariously etc...).
@Leeleesteeth When I was coaching and on a Pop warner board we had stats on sports injuries and soccer was far and away the leader in concussions, facial contusions and "career ending injuries" like Achilles, hip and knee blowouts. You had a very hard time convincing BMW soccer mom that football was safer for little johnny than soccer or lacrosse. both of which were growing in popularity in our area. Hell we went so far as to get an insurance breakdown "per child participant" and the female cheerleader was more than twice as expensive vs football player due to higher rate of serious injuries. We were prevented from dropping cheerleading by municipal "title IX" even though it was much more dangerous.

 

[GVF]

I don't mean this as a slight but because you/ they actually enjoy the game and the competition? Full disclosure my son decided to focus on academics ( Chem/Bio double major) instead of walking on at his preferred school due to his size. In the same vein as your son he felt the extra time devoted to football would be at the expense of his grades somewhat.

That's part of the problem with the decreasing participation is too many schools, coaches, and districts are forgetting this was, is and should be fun and enjoyable for youths. When kids are practicing and training for 12 months on a single thing quite often it becomes a job and not an enjoyable diversion. If a kid is really committed and wants to push themselves to be the absolute best they can be in a particular sport good on them but many are pushed by parents because its a means to an end (free college, NFL prospects of $, living vicariously etc...).
@Leeleesteeth When I was coaching and on a Pop warner board we had stats on sports injuries and soccer was far and away the leader in concussions, facial contusions and "career ending injuries" like Achilles, hip and knee blowouts. You had a very hard time convincing BMW soccer mom that football was safer for little johnny than soccer or lacrosse. both of which were growing in popularity in our area. Hell we went so far as to get an insurance breakdown "per child participant" and the female cheerleader was more than twice as expensive vs football player due to higher rate of serious injuries. We were prevented from dropping cheerleading by municipal "title IX" even though it was much more dangerous.

Good points, and that's some of it. But, although he is quite good at both sports, he knows he is not going pro. So, he does not correlate a full or partial scholarship as a balance to all that practice time in college. He loves playing HS sports. But, that's as far as it goes for him. In baseball, he can hit with anyone. He has incredible talent at the plate. Defensively, he was the only player on the team without an error last year. 33 balls hit his way, not one error. Better than average arm in the outfield, and quite accurate. Up close, you don't know where the ball is going. The main thing against him in college sports, football or baseball, is speed. He is average. I've no doubt he has the talent to have pursued baseball scholarships. We didn't have the funds or schedules to keep him in travel ball year round to make that happen. If you can play, they will find you, doesn't work so much anymore. As much as he loves playing baseball, I'm not sure he would accept an offer. He has told me before, why should he spend all that time in college practicing when he's not good enough to go pro even if he is good enough for college. Now, what I see is free college, but that's just me.

 

[Anonymouse]

I remember reading about a high school football player who had a heat stroke and died while on the field during practice. A week prior he passed out on the field.

 

[WoodsmanVol]

With killer kids shootings at games, brawling over trivial things, parents attacking other kids and referees, school personnel abusing kids, and worse yet to come; if I had kids that age today, I'd forbid them participating in sports. Except maybe swimming and other nonphysical contact sports. It doesn't take much these days for some kids or adults to go postal. Mark my words, we haven't seen the worst yet. I don't know when but I guarantee we will see a weaponized or bomb drone attack a sports venue.

 

[GVF]

And this is exactly why the NFL won't do much. Good example!

Maybe it's just me, but I se the NBA in that fashion. I had MJ, Bird, McHale, Magic, Wilkins, etc., all to watch around the same time in the league. I don't know these players these days, and have no interest left in it. And I just don't see the names in the NBA in large numbers like it used to be. Again, that could just be me. Same with the Braves. My son loves them. I rarely watch them anymore because my players have long since retired. I don't see the big name drivers in NASCAR anymore either. Not like 10-15 years ago. Just don't turn a race on anymore. Guys like me graduate with the names we watched that have moved on. And the younger generation just isn't as sports oriented. It's cyclical. It will come back around. My earliest recollection of losing interest in NASCAR was the introduction of the restrictor plates, and no more 225mph back stretches at Talladega.

 

[ksgovols]

Meh......There's only 4 years of high school. You don't get any of them back. My wife and I chose a small town with a smaller school when we were looking for a place to put down roots because we had both grown up in good sized AAA schools. We encouraged our kids to participate in every thing they could until it wasn't fun anymore and to work hard at whatever they did. We always looked at it as an investment in our kids, but not in college $$$. That's a pretty narrow minded point of view. What? 2% of high school athletes are offered any college $$$? And in baseball, it's not even close to a full ride. I looked at travel ball as an entertainment expense. No expectations except to see some really outstanding baseball over 4 summers. A summer in a bag chair in the sun, eating at the Marietta Diner or Doug's Place after games and catching a Braves game. Trips to Indianapolis and hanging around the pool at night or going to Top Golf. No different than our trips to Disney World or the beach except my knees didn't ache quite so bad and I didn't have all that sand to deal with. It's not a shot at the pros for 99%. It's a shot at playing more baseball. Best money I ever spent. Time with my son that I wouldn't trade for anything. And it got him about 10% off his college tuition at most.

 

[wmcovol]

With killer kids shootings at games, brawling over trivial things, parents attacking other kids and referees, school personnel abusing kids, and worse yet to come; if I had ages that age today, I'd forbid them participating in sports. Except maybe swimming and other nonphysical contact sports. It doesn't take much these days for some kids or adults to go postal. Mark my words, we haven't seen the worst yet. I don't know when but I guarantee we will see a weaponized or bomb drone attack a sports venue.

We’re more likely to see it at school, church, a mall, or downtown. Do you forbid your children to go there also?