Didn't say I was for it. I am not.

Lost money, decline in attendance... Schools, as a whole, are not dropping sports.

 

Sorry folks.....but some of ya'll are fooling yourself. School systems "tolerate" sports....they don't embrace them. 90% of the high level administrators will tell you the same thing. Yeah, there is money to be made....but it pales in comparison to what is spent.

 

I'm not saying that all high school sports will be impacted....but, the landscape is changing.

Sorry folks.....but some of ya'll are fooling yourself. School systems "tolerate" sports....they don't embrace them. 90% of the high level administrators will tell you the same thing. Yeah, there is money to be made....but it pales in comparison to what is spent.

 

I'm not saying that all high school sports will be impacted....but, the landscape is changing.

 

No doubt the landscape is changing... But you're fooling yourself if you think AAU/Club sports will ever completely take sports out of schools. It will never happen.

 

Also, are you saying that 90% of school administrators will tell you they just tolerate sports, or that more money is spent than is made?

Why try to fix something that's not broken ? But then; what about the H.S. rivalries to brag about on BGP. Whom/what will the "old timers" complain about. It will absolutely throw century old traditions right out the window. Heck, maybe it is a good idea ! Not.

Just what this country needs, less sports to keep kids in shape. Let them all just go to class, get on the computer and get fat!

I'm saying that most will tell you that sports has become too intertwined in the educational process, and that many view it as a hindrance overall. Many will tell you that, not only is it a drain on school resources, but they would openly welcome the elimination of many club and team sports....including football.

 

Financially, virtually all HS sports programs are dogs in terms of making money. They don't. Monies end up being pulled from the general fund much of the time.

 

Certainly, there are programs that are successful enough and that interest is high enough, that financially, they support themselves AND support many other non revenue sports. But for every school that has that type of program, there are 6-8 schools are literally lose money. If not for Booster clubs, many of the school sponsored sports would have already been eliminated due to the financial drain.

 

I for one, don't want to see these changes. Unfortunately, from everything I'm hearing.....there are coming at some point.

 

I've not even mentioned the whole "transgender issue" that is afoot in this country. Believe me, school administrators are keenly aware of the unbelievable cost that could potentially come with this issue.

I'm saying that most will tell you that sports has become too intertwined in the educational process, and that many view it as a hindrance overall. Many will tell you that, not only is it a drain on school resources, but they would openly welcome the elimination of many club and team sports....including football.

 

Financially, virtually all HS sports programs are dogs in terms of making money. They don't. Monies end up being pulled from the general fund much of the time.

 

Certainly, there are programs that are successful enough and that interest is high enough, that financially, they support themselves AND support many other non revenue sports. But for every school that has that type of program, there are 6-8 schools are literally lose money. If not for Booster clubs, many of the school sponsored sports would have already been eliminated due to the financial drain.

 

We'll have to agree to disagree on the point that "many" administrators would openly welcome the elimination of sports from their schools.

I'm saying that most will tell you that sports has become too intertwined in the educational process, and that many view it as a hindrance overall. Many will tell you that, not only is it a drain on school resources, but they would openly welcome the elimination of many club and team sports....including football.

 

Financially, virtually all HS sports programs are dogs in terms of making money. They don't. Monies end up being pulled from the general fund much of the time.

 

Certainly, there are programs that are successful enough and that interest is high enough, that financially, they support themselves AND support many other non revenue sports. But for every school that has that type of program, there are 6-8 schools are literally lose money. If not for Booster clubs, many of the school sponsored sports would have already been eliminated due to the financial drain.

 

I for one, don't want to see these changes. Unfortunately, from everything I'm hearing.....there are coming at some point.

 

I've not even mentioned the whole "transgender issue" that is afoot in this country. Believe me, school administrators are keenly aware of the unbelievable cost that could potentially come with this issue.

 

The bolded is very true, I hear it more and more each year.

I like the thought of AAU football. Football is the only spot where you don’t have tryouts, everyone is on the team. At the youth level the team you play for is based on where you live, you can’t transfer and pay tuition. How many good athletes loose interest in the sport because they are stuck on a bad team or have bad coaches? We all know how tough it is to coach but we also know there are a lot of bad coaches out there. AAU football would allow kids to tryout and evaluate the coaches, not just show up the first day of practice hoping the new coach knows what he is doing.

I think several studies over the years have shown that students involved in extracurricular activities perform better than students that aren't, as a whole.

 

Most schools spend less on sports than you'd think. Boosters and parents end up footing the bill for a majority of the cost. Schools in some, but not all, cases provide transportation and uniforms and everything else comes from other sources. The amount provided by the actual school system is miniscule compared to the overall budget each year.

I coached Youth football for 10 years, at a very high level. My team would play in a normal league for the regular season once that was over we would play all 4 weekends in November, traveling to different states to play vs National competition. I attribute that to why my kids have a different edge to them now that they are in HS. They have played vs the best players in the country.

We do this currently, and have been doing this since 2013. The kids, parents, and coaches all love it. I believe it is good for their development to travel and see what is out there and where they stand from a talent perspective.