HS Football Participation Numbers are Down for 5th Straight Year

[ronwx5x]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/high-schools/headlines/20150813-participation-dropping-in-texas-is-king-footballs-crown-showing-cracks.ece

Number of HS players continues to decline despite a 9.2% increase in population. What the heck is going on? Perhaps all the attention given to head and spine injuries are causing parents to seek some other sports outlet for their son?

[slingshot]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/high-schools/headlines/20150813-participation-dropping-in-texas-is-king-footballs-crown-showing-cracks.ece

Number of HS players continues to decline despite a 9.2% increase in population. What the heck is going on? Perhaps all the attention given to head and spine injuries are causing parents to seek some other sports outlet for their son?Very likely. Also increased exposure and participation in other sports.

[maestro]

Baseball and basketball seasons just never seem to end. Recruiting showcases occur throughout the summer months into August conflicts with 2 a days.

IMO

[Aesculus gilmus]

Texas public schools now have an absolute majority (53 percent and rising) of Hispanic students. Many (not all by any means) in this group are just not that good at football or not even interested in the sport. So I can see how there would be a declining number of boys even interested in going out for football.

What's going to be interesting to watch is how much longer Gilmer goes without a soccer program. Even in this part of the state, Hispanic numbers are rising. Just north of here in Mount Pleasant and Pittsburg, it's already extremely high due to all of the Hispanic families who moved up here to pluck chickens for Bo Pilgrim years ago.

[mwrams]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure the answer....one word....Immigration......Most Hispanics don't play football....if that offended anyone...oh well, its the truth...period.

[Pudlugger]

I agree that the increased population of Hispanics is part of the decrement in football participation. Fotbol is the game that Hispanics love the most and it is growing in popularity all over the USA partly due to immigration and partly due to increased exposure to the sport of our youth. One must also consider the issue of concussions and long term neurologic sequalae(for those of you in East Texas that means debilitating consequences :D). National coverage of the NFL lawsuits over brain injury and long term neurologic dysfunction are responsible for much of the drop in participation. Some factions in our society are calling for radical changes in the rules or outright banning of the sport altogether. Football in the USA is becoming an endangered specicies. In 10 or 20 years we may not see theose Friday Night Lights anymore :(.

[iFootball]

Students don't want to play anymore because they are lazy and don't want to be told what to do. If you work in a classroom you see it. Talking to kids about playing football or sports in general, I've learned kids are lazy and don't like going to practice and hate being told what to do. Ive seen students down right tell off coaches and walk alway.

Although the shift in population may contributing factor the main cause is because students don't want to do it. It's not just sports but all extracurricular activities have seen a decline in participation over the years.

[d0tc0m]

Students don't want to play anymore because they are lazy and don't want to be told what to do. If you work in a classroom you see it. Talking to kids about playing football or sports in general, I've learned kids are lazy and don't like going to practice and hate being told what to do. Ive seen students down right tell off coaches and walk alway.

Although the shift in population may contributing factor the main cause is because students don't want to do it. It's not just sports but all extracurricular activities have seen a decline in participation over the years.


Also, parents have gotten lazy and passive, and have stripped coaches/teachers of their authority. Parents are the root cause of A LOT of problems we have today.

[Scoop27]

I wonder if the soccer numbers are up with more schools adding the program? Wharton and Sweeny had their first season earlier in the year. There are some 3A schools that have the program as well

[SintonFan_inAustin]

Students don't want to play anymore because they are lazy and don't want to be told what to do. If you work in a classroom you see it. Talking to kids about playing football or sports in general, I've learned kids are lazy and don't like going to practice and hate being told what to do. Ive seen students down right tell off coaches and walk alway.

Although the shift in population may contributing factor the main cause is because students don't want to do it. It's not just sports but all extracurricular activities have seen a decline in participation over the years.This is my thought on the reason also. I know quite a few the reason given was they didn't want to be out there in the hot sun instead in A/C playing video games.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure the answer....one word....Immigration......Most Hispanics don't play football....if that offended anyone...oh well, its the truth...period.What do you think most of Region IV is made up of in football especially the further down south you go? Hispanics.

[Aguilafanatico]

Students don't want to play anymore because they are lazy and don't want to be told what to do. If you work in a classroom you see it. Talking to kids about playing football or sports in general, I've learned kids are lazy and don't like going to practice and hate being told what to do. Ive seen students down right tell off coaches and walk alway.

Although the shift in population may contributing factor the main cause is because students don't want to do it. It's not just sports but all extracurricular activities have seen a decline in participation over the years.

Wussification of America. I expect the same decline is may be evident in military enlistment numbers.

[Aesculus gilmus]

The standards are quite high for military enlistment is what I've been told. So I don't think they NEED that many actual people anymore.

I think the military is shifting to robotics on the ground to go with the drones in the sky. Future wars will not involve humans being killed by other humans so much as humans being slaughtered by robots.

I suppose you could still pin the ultimate responsibility on the human who designed the killer robot, though.

[Aguilafanatico]

Oh well. I am heading out to see Decatur @ Kennedale today then Ferris @ Argyle tommorrow morning. It's all good:2thumbsup

[Farmersfan]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure the answer....one word....Immigration......Most Hispanics don't play football....if that offended anyone...oh well, its the truth...period.


So the influx of immigrants is causing the "WHITE" kids to not play football?

[Farmersfan]

I think it's nothing more than a swing in the attitude of society in general. Football and other sports are being moved further and further down the line of importance in people's lives. I personally love high school football but have always said we put far too much importance on it.

[speedbump]

Getting to much like flag football. Kids may just be losing interest.

[ronwx5x]

Getting to much like flag football. Kids may just be losing interest.While I don't have the means to create a poll for high school students, I question whether many would cite this as a reason for not playing.

[speedbump]

While I don't have the means to create a poll for high school students, I question whether many would cite this as a reason for not playing.

Yea, I imagine you re right. Not being familiar with any other brand of football,they would simply not be interested. Most wouldn't know why.

My sister and my avatar share your B-Day. My sis even the same year. The Boxer, not quite as old as you two.

[Twirling Time]

Soccer is a winter sport in Texas and football is a fall sport, so the popularity of one doesn't factor into the other.

Should also note that the number of football players in Texas dropped by about 1,000 from year to year, which means at that rate we'll run out of football players in 160 years. I'm not too concerned.

[slingshot]

Soccer is a winter sport in Texas and football is a fall sport, so the popularity of one doesn't factor into the other.

Should also note that the number of football players in Texas dropped by about 1,000 from year to year, which means at that rate we'll run out of football players in 160 years. I'm not too concerned.Like most other varsity sports these days, soccer is nearly a year-round sport. Traveling teams, select teams, camps, etc.

[hollywood]

Like most other varsity sports these days, soccer is nearly a year-round sport. Traveling teams, select teams, camps, etc.

Yes it is! In Plano this weekend for a tournament. :)

[mwrams]

So the influx of immigrants is causing the "WHITE" kids to not play football?

No, but the majority of the kids are now Hispanics....and they like soccer...

[Trashman]

The one reason that I hear from parents and kids is that it takes up to much of their lives. Football used to be a fall sport, now it is a year round sport. The casual athlete is left out. If you want to play ball you will have to dedicate every waking moment to getting better if you want to play. I see it in football, basketball and baseball. The three or four sport athlete no longer exist. Coaches pressure the kids to get out of other sports to play only their sport. Just my 2 cents...let the bashing begin....

[slingshot]

The one reason that I hear from parents and kids is that it takes up to much of their lives. Football used to be a fall sport, now it is a year round sport. The casual athlete is left out. If you want to play ball you will have to dedicate every waking moment to getting better if you want to play. I see it in football, basketball and baseball. The three or four sport athlete no longer exist. Coaches pressure the kids to get out of other sports to play only their sport. Just my 2 cents...let the bashing begin....Very true.

[Blue42]

I blame Global Warming

[Gen.Pat]

The one reason that I hear from parents and kids is that it takes up to much of their lives. Football used to be a fall sport, now it is a year round sport. The casual athlete is left out. If you want to play ball you will have to dedicate every waking moment to getting better if you want to play. I see it in football, basketball and baseball. The three or four sport athlete no longer exist. Coaches pressure the kids to get out of other sports to play only their sport. Just my 2 cents...let the bashing begin....

At our school you have 7 on 7 in the Summer and Summer baseball and basketball and soccer leagues are overlapping into the Start of Football plus with these Summer workout programs there just not as much time off anymore. Plus we are seeing more pressure to do one sport only. We lost our best DB last year to Basketball but he did get a college scholarship to play Basketball.

[XMan]

I personally think there are several factors. 1) Kids today would just as well sit inside and play on electronic device as get out and do physical activity. So, even if they do go out, as soon as it gets tough or they sweat or feel pain, they quit. 2) Texas is quickly going from rural to urban. Back in the day, in small schools all over the state just about every male went out for football cause it was the thing to do. Now, most students go to urban schools. Big social differences between schools with <500 students and schools with >2500 students. 3) Its just the way the world is going, sadly. and 4) All the sports are seen as year round now. I personally don't know of many people telling kids not to play one sport or the other. What I do encounter is coaches who say that their sport needs to take up lots of your time. Football starts first mon. of Aug. and goes through 2nd fri in Nov and then playoffs. When season is done its straight to offseason and powerlifting. After Christmas the football guys are expected to run track and do their offseason workout. Late spring there is spring football for larger schools plus 7 on 7 that goes well into the summer. You have about 2 weeks to get ready and its Aug 1 again. Its the same for the other sports as well. Easy to get burned out.

[slingshot]

At our school you have 7 on 7 in the Summer and Summer baseball and basketball and soccer leagues are overlapping into the Start of Football plus with these Summer workout programs there just not as much time off anymore. Plus we are seeing more pressure to do one sport only. We lost our best DB last year to Basketball but he did get a college scholarship to play Basketball.We lost one of our starting CB's this year... is a very good baseball player and has been offered and early committed to a baseball scholarship. Baseball is another nearly year round sport.