Football-Participation Numbers Drop 6.9 Percent In Michigan

MLive.com, Jeff Chaney

http://highschoolsports.mlive.com/news/article/-7107599088395241927/football-participation-numbers-decline-69-percent-but-why/

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – In June, the Michigan High School Athletic Association posted the results of its participation survey of the 2011-2012 season.

The survey showed that for the first time, participation in the 28 tournament sports that the MHSAA sponsors dropped to under 300,000.

One sport that showed a large drop in participation was football.

Football saw a 6.9 percent drop, or 3,203 fewer student/athletes that took part in the sport a season ago.

That was the biggest drop since the 2006-2007 season.

Football coaches contacted by Mlive.com have continued to see the drop in numbers, especially at the freshman level. And Godwin High School suspended play of its varsity program this year because the lack of numbers to support of team.

Some schools haven’t had to deal with this, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t taking notice of what’s going on around them.

“We still have great participation,” said Rockford coach Ralph Munger, who has 73 players out this year. “Our numbers are holding firm. We will be down a half-dozen kids this year, but we had a large team last year.”

As for what other schools are dealing with, Munger, who has been coaching three decades, sees changes in all sports, including his own.

“I think one of the issues is that we are seeing more specialization in some of these other sports, so that definitely impacts your numbers,” Munger said. “I still believe in this sport and the value of the sport long term, and hope that changes.”

West Catholic coach Dan Ron agreed with Munger, and took it a step further.

“Too many options for kids nowadays, and I don’t think the NFL and college football are helping,” said Rohn, who is also the athletic director at West Catholic. “They need to market the sport the way it should. We need kids to get involved in football again. Its down not only at our level, but the youth level.”

And then there’s the safety issue that the sport is dealing with at all levels.

“You can’t turn your head to concussions, they are real,” Munger said. “But they are real, not just in football, but in other sports. I think we’ve become a society that is very aware of safety, which is good.

“We just continue to hope and pray that the manufacturers of the equipment can keep up with what’s required. Kids are stronger and faster than they were 20 years ago. But it also seems like have more helmet choices than we have five years ago.”

Union football coach Tommie Elliott has other issues to deal with to try and get players on the football field.

He has 35 players out this year, but he acknowledges that number changes on a daily basis.

“One of the things is Union High School is so far away from where the kids that go there live,” Elliot said. “That affects our participation, because some of the kids don’t have the money to afford a bus pass. Another thing, I think a lot of the kids are lazy now.”

And the lack of participation has hurt the team’s play on the field. The Red Hawks won their first game in four years last year.

“It’s been so bad at Union, this is an afterthought for most,” Elliott said. “It’s been a bad culture at Union ever since the mid 1990s, when this program was a playoff team. But we won our first game in four years last year, and that’s helped.”

The MHSAA is taking notice of football, and all the sports it sponsors.

“Absolutely there is a care, because our business is high school sports,” said Nate Hampton, the director in charge of football at the MHSAA. “Add the possibility of participation fees and general interest. There are so many things for kids to be involved in. And the the economy of of our state and the economy of our schools. Participation fees could be a factor given the community.

“After you put all of those things together, you look at the future of education and the future of sport,” he added. “And I do realize the concerns of safety, but coaches go to great lengths that youngsters are in the best condition, they have the best equipment they can be in and taught to play within the rules. And you have the officials who have safety first in mind. I don’t know where we will be in 10 years, but we do care.”