I don't get to games in EKY so I can't speak to their level of support/attendance. It could be much higher than the rest of the state.

 

I don't see it in NKY. I don't see it in Lex nor Louisville as a rule.

 

I went to a small 1A school in EKY. Our gym was larger than any gym in NKY and on any Tuesday night game, it was full. Not much to do back home except support you local HS team.

I think you are right about KY basketball. (Unfortunately)

 

Watching Hoosiers on TV right now.

 

If HS basketball in KY was THAT BIG, the movie would have been called Wildcats.

Someone mentioned KY high school b-ball in another thread. Said it was equivalent to TX high school football.

 

IMO that's a myth. Heck, Indiana high school ball is much bigger to local communities than KY.

 

I'd also argue that KY high school football is bigger to communities than b-ball is.

 

Remember I'm speaking as a whole. Of course there are a few schools/communities that roll out big time. The vast majority do not.

 

I've been saying this for a few years now and get almost run out of town when I say it. I whole heartedly agree.

I've been saying this for a few years now and get almost run out of town when I say it. I whole heartedly agree.

 

I think you are correct. There will be pockets where hoops is king, but overall you are correct.

Is basketball slipping or is football just becoming more popular? Football was always second in my younger years but now I'd say football is bigger. The same could be said everywhere, based on the stats available. Is it a matter of more athletes on the football field brings in more attendance?

Is basketball slipping or is football just becoming more popular? Football was always second in my younger years but now I'd say football is bigger. The same could be said everywhere, based on the stats available. Is it a matter of more athletes on the football field brings in more attendance?

 

I'd say the popularity of the NFL has helped greatly. I mean, when I was growing up you had basically two or three football games you could watch on Sunday afternoon, and MNF. And seeing anything else was limited to the halftime reports. Now, you're seeing stuff throughout the week, both on TV (cable) as well as the internet. So, it wouldn't surprise me in the least that football at the high school level may be riding that wave of popularity.

I'd say the popularity of the NFL has helped greatly. I mean, when I was growing up you had basically two or three football games you could watch on Sunday afternoon, and MNF. And seeing anything else was limited to the halftime reports. Now, you're seeing stuff throughout the week, both on TV (cable) as well as the internet. So, it wouldn't surprise me in the least that football at the high school level may be riding that wave of popularity.

 

Very good points. I think the popularity of the NFL, as well as Trinity's rise in the national rankings, has helped.

 

I think another factor that may often be overlooked is the development of the University of Louisville's football program into a national player. I'd imagine that now, more of the talent in Louisville playing football as opposed to the number that would have been primarily basketball players years ago (talking about kids like Michael Bush, JaJuan Spillman, Mekale McKay, James Quick types who are great 2 sport athletes).

 

There are more scholarships available to football players than there are to basketball players based on the number of positions, etc., and I would imagine this is something else that also factors in.

I think you are correct. There will be pockets where hoops is king, but overall you are correct.

 

I think we live in one of those pockets.

Is basketball slipping or is football just becoming more popular? Football was always second in my younger years but now I'd say football is bigger. The same could be said everywhere, based on the stats available. Is it a matter of more athletes on the football field brings in more attendance?

 

I'd say it's a combo of both. Basketball has lost a little luster at the hs level here, and I'm not really sure why, and football has just grown in popularity and stature.

I think some of the problem is mistakes that have been made for major events.

 

Just look at what's happened in Louisville. With the reformatting of the LIT, there is now a real city championship tournament, encompassing all the best teams from Jefferson County from both the Sixth and Seventh region. And instead of putting it in the middle of the city and making a huge deal of it (as it rightly deserves), they plopped it out in Valley Station on the edge of the county; you're closer to Meade County out there than you are to the middle of Louisville.

 

I also think it was a mistake to move the 7th region tournament there. The sixth is fine... Valley is actually in the sixth region. I think huge mistakes have been made with high school ball in Louisville for years and it only seems to be getting worse.

 

And we probably shouldn't discount what the rise of the major basketball academies has done to high school ball across the country. The best players in Kentucky often end up at these academies and as the talent level goes down, so does a neutral fan's interest in seeing high school games.

 

Just taking Louisville as an example, you can't tell me that if Central had still had D'Angelo Russell this year that their attendance wouldn't have been higher at every single game they played. If Central had been on that level with Ballard and Trinity this past season, the games between them would have been MASSIVELY attended.

 

There's not really a comparable situation in football, where guys might choose top high schools in their area to go play their game, but nobody's taking off out of state to attend a nationally-recognized football powerhouse.

It was big and I think between Title IX, the rise in popularity in football, and parents/kids not wanting to use of every night of the work week and their Saturday for games, basketball has fallen behind.

The community I live in has always been more football than basketball. I believe the limited number of games in football makes it more of a big deal. Most teams will only have four or five home games per year, along with maybe a playoff game or two. The fact that they are on Friday night during the best weather of the year helps to get communities out. In basketball, schools will have 10-12 home games. If I don't go tonight that's okay because they have another home game tomorrow night. Mix in the fact that girls and boys games often conflict and a nice portion of the potential crowd is unavailable. Combine with the cold weather and sometimes dangerous road conditions and many older people and younger students just aren't going to get out in it, again, especially if there is another game two days later.

I don't get to games in EKY so I can't speak to their level of support/attendance. It could be much higher than the rest of the state.

 

I don't see it in NKY. I don't see it in Lex nor Louisville as a rule.

 

It's big time in EKY. Lot of big rivalries and match ups. The student sections can get pretty into it as well.

I want to also mention I spent 3 months in Texas and regardless of a towns size there

they play some sort of football. They have 7 man for the smaller towns. The town I was

in wasn't huge but I went to a couple of there games and it was very impressive smoke screen

as players ran onto the field, refs were mic'd up etc.

I want to also mention I spent 3 months in Texas and regardless of a towns size there

they play some sort of football. They have 7 man for the smaller towns.

 

6-man. And I would love to go to Texas to watch a 6-man game.