Dropping out of district play

[ChiefSmoke]

Hearing rumblings... multiple football programs are talking about dropping out of district play for the coming cycle.

 

When it is a good decision to drop out of district play?

 

The Coaches Office: Behind the Scenes of HS Football w/ Chuck Smith & David Buchanan

 

**And to be clear... Anderson County WILL be playing in the district!

[theguru]

7 minutes ago, ChiefSmoke said:

Hearing rumblings... multiple football programs are talking about dropping out of district play for the coming cycle.

 

When it is a good decision to drop out of district play?

 

The Coaches Office: Behind the Scenes of HS Football w/ Chuck Smith & David Buchanan

 

**And to be clear... Anderson County WILL be playing in the district!

When you have virtually no chance to be competitive. 

[theguru]

Although this is a little sad I want to see the weak links drop out of district play.  Let's quit pretending everyone. 

[Voice of Reason]

What is the value of a football team?

Does football even at the least competitive schools pay for itself?

Generate revenue for other sports?

If football is a positive for revenue, then keep football because even an 0-10 team adds value in most all the intangibles.

[theguru]

6 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

What is the value of a football team?

Does football even at the least competitive schools pay for itself?

Generate revenue for other sports?

If football is a positive for revenue, then keep football because even an 0-10 team adds value in most all the intangibles.

Are you answering a different question about dropping a football program?

[BLUEHOUND]

Maybe I'm missing the point but....Seems like this would be a typical response in today's world to just not participate instead of fighting to get better and be competitive. Even if you have no chance to win the district,  just working hard and finding satisfaction in a bunch of dudes coming together to work as hard as they can would be better. What are we teaching people by running from superior competition. Figure it out!!

[theguru]

34 minutes ago, BLUEHOUND said:

Maybe I'm missing the point but....Seems like this would be a typical response in today's world to just not participate instead of fighting to get better and be competitive. Even if you have no chance to win the district,  just working hard and finding satisfaction in a bunch of dudes coming together to work as hard as they can would be better. What are we teaching people by running from superior competition. Figure it out!!

I think we would be teaching people (and children) that the world is changing fast and the "adults in the room" care about less fortunate children and will no longer throw them to the wolves in the name of tradition or toxic masculinity or maintaining the status quo. 

[theguru]

I will add something else here, since the KHSAA has stuck us with the horrific RPI system, the more bad teams that drop out, the better.  

Hey Commissioner Tackett, please start using Calpreps.  Using RPI undermines the integrity of Kentucky High School Football. 

[barrel]

1 hour ago, BLUEHOUND said:

Maybe I'm missing the point but....Seems like this would be a typical response in today's world to just not participate instead of fighting to get better and be competitive. Even if you have no chance to win the district,  just working hard and finding satisfaction in a bunch of dudes coming together to work as hard as they can would be better. What are we teaching people by running from superior competition. Figure it out!!

I’ll use Grant as an example but there are for sure others. They dropped from district play and when they returned were placed in a district with Douglas and Scott Co. Both had been 6A the previous year with Scott Co being runner up to Male. Great Crossing gets added to make a 5 team district which limits scheduling. In the span of 4 years that district ends up being Grant (which was 4A by enrollment) with Douglas and Great Crossing (6A enrollment) along with Scott Co and MoCo. 
 

No amount of try harder or do it for the building memories with your teammates is going close that gap. It was a no win situation for all involved. The coming situation isn’t going to be much better with Cov Cath and Highlands. Harrison, Holmes and Grant would never schedule those two and those two wouldn’t schedule them. 
 

It might take teams dropping from district play to get the KHSAA to look at doing away with districts. 

[theguru]

Just now, barrel said:

It might take teams dropping from district play to get the KHSAA to look at doing away with districts. 

This.  

Again, things have moved fast and for whatever reasons the system is broken.  The more the KHSAA buries its head in the sand here, the worse it will get. 

[futurecoach]

I see zero reason for a team to drop out of district play. I know a lot of people on here have always talked about how it was better when it was 4 classes and teams had to “earn” their way into the playoffs. Well people do realize back when it was 4 classes, there were districts that were stacked and teams would have to play teams in district that just wouldn’t be close. Yet now we have people want to make excuses and drop out of district play? Yes it’s tough, but there is still something to play for. There is absolutely nothing for kids to play for, if drop out of district play. 

[barrel]

Make excuses? The KHSAA forces you to play teams you might have no business being on a field with. If you really look at some of these matchups that are forced on teams it becomes almost unsafe. It doesn’t benefit either program. It in fact it probably hurts a ton of programs in many ways. 
 

I would guess that many people that have the view point of just buck up and play have not coached or played on teams forced into these types of games. Using a method similar to Ohio makes more sense. 

[rjs4470]

42 minutes ago, futurecoach said:

I see zero reason for a team to drop out of district play. I know a lot of people on here have always talked about how it was better when it was 4 classes and teams had to “earn” their way into the playoffs. Well people do realize back when it was 4 classes, there were districts that were stacked and teams would have to play teams in district that just wouldn’t be close. Yet now we have people want to make excuses and drop out of district play? Yes it’s tough, but there is still something to play for. There is absolutely nothing for kids to play for, if drop out of district play. 

What is it that they have to play for? Is a yearly 60 point loss in a game(s) you have zero chance of being competitive and a good chance of getting hurt really something to play for? District play hurts the really good teams and the not so good teams by forcing them to play games they get nothing out of.

Despite what people constantly say about how kids can learn from adversity and all the life lessons football teaches, these forced matchups don't teach anybody anything. Football is ultimately a game, and wasn't developed as a way to teach someone about life (although it certainly can). It's a game, and the purpose is to compete and have fun. These games are neither competitive or fun, and ultimately hurt participation in the schools that come out on the wrong side of these blowouts.

Dropping out of district at least allows teams to be able to better manage their schedule and put their players in positions where they have a better opportunity of having success.

[theguru]

5 minutes ago, rjs4470 said:

These games are neither competitive or fun, and ultimately hurt participation in the schools that come out on the wrong side of these blowouts.

Right, and the longer "we" keep forcing this, the worse things will get. 

[rjs4470]

7 minutes ago, theguru said:

Right, and the longer "we" keep forcing this, the worse things will get. 

Correct. Too many other choices and things for kids to do where they aren't getting their teeth kicked in.