Will specialization kill off some sports?

[fortdawg]

I'd be interested in hearing people's opinions on this. A lot of kids now concentrate on just one or two sports. The larger schools can cover this---at some point will this "Kill" sports at the smaller ones?

[93Bulldog]

Baseball is dying a slow death as I type.

AAU and 7-on-7's has basically wiped out summer baseball - and if you can't play all summer - forget about really improving as a baseball player.
Kids are also wanting to run track and weightlift in the spring as well anymore - so it's even affecting spring baseball in Ohio.

[athens78]

baseball for sure.

[fortdawg]

My concern was football----take a Division Vll school where the top 6 or maybe 7 athletes just play basketball. You all ready have this (maybe not to that degree) in some schools and with the shrinking enrollment you are running out of athletes. I wasn't thinking along those lines but you guys are right about baseball-----I can't remember the last time I saw a bunch of kids playing a pick up game----or flys and grounders for that matter.

[Raider6309]

I feel every school should make every student play a sport or be in the band. A large number of students at Athens don't do an after school program. But baseball numbers have suffered. Spring is practice for football and basketball now

[93Bulldog]

My concern was football----take a Division Vll school where the top 6 or maybe 7 athletes just play basketball. You all ready have this (maybe not to that degree) in some schools and with the shrinking enrollment you are running out of athletes. I wasn't thinking along those lines but you guys are right about baseball-----I can't remember the last time I saw a bunch of kids playing a pick up game----or flys and grounders for that matter.

$10.00 says kids now days have no idea what playing 'pepper' means ... lol

[Alexander hitman]

I have to agree baseball has taken a hit last few years... It's sad but at Alex it seems only a few kids play past the little league level.

[93Bulldog]

I have to agree baseball has taken a hit last few years... It's sad but at Alex it seems only a few kids play past the little league level.

You got a pretty good group playing varsity now!

just sayin.

[Alexander hitman]

We do 93 ,probably the best in a lot of years, I'm just talking about the future. The numbers are down a bit at the lower levels from what I'm hearing and I hope the 6 and 7th graders continue to play in high school. I hear a lot of kids quiting for track and weight room stuff for football. Which isn't all bad but throw soccer in there and that equals a loss of baseball players. Spartans should be pretty darn good for next couple years on the baseball field.

[Poo Bear]

Honestly baseball in jackson seems to be on the uptick. Travel teams at every age , 7th grade and 8th grade have more than enough for teams. Varsity and junior varsity doing well, plus enough for a city rec league. Football numbers are huge and basketball open gyms are packed with kids. Band is huge , so I don't see an issue here.

[Ironman92]

Baseball numbers are thriving in Jackson. Football is always strong.

I know my daughter was a 4 year starter in softball but never played softball in the summer of her jr or senior years due to needing to be at volleyball.

I can see it in different sports at other schools.

I also feel much of the kids specializing is coming from their parents....fortunately Jackson has a good number of parents wanting their kids to be active in at least 2 sports and often 3.

[eagles73Taylor]

A lot of it depends on the make up of your school population. Here at Piketon we get about mid 30% participation. We have 162 boys grades 9-11, so that mean about 210 or so total boys in high school. At 35% that would mean 73 boys plays a sport. We usually get in the mid 40's for football, 10 or more for CC, a full golf team, but only about 10-12 for soccer (we are co-ed). Soccer hasnt taken off here. We have a freshmen basketball team, and a full jv baseball team and track usually averages mid 20's.

In the younger ranks, I have a son in the 4th grade we had nearly 30 kids for 3rd and 4th grade football, we only had 11 3rd graders so we couldnt field a full 3rd grade team. In biddy basketball there were 5 teams of 12 + grades 3 and 4. In little league baseball Piketon has 3 full teams and Elm Grove has 2 full teams (Elm Grove kids attend Piketon schools but they have their own youth league baseball) so we are very strong numbers wise in the younger ranks. We field 1 jr high each for softball and baseball.

[MClaw]

Does anybody think that with the recent publicity surrounding concussions and brain damage in the NFL that football participation will start to decline? Maybe parents will steer their kids towards other sports? That would be a decent reason why a kid would specialize in another sport. I would like to hear if pee-wee numbers are on the way down in the area.

[Charles Farquar]

I think what baseball and track has to be concerned with is that if Urban at Ohio State ever gets his way and pressures the OHSAA to sanction spring football in Ohio it will kill those sports. I have been out of coaching for a few years now but have heard that new rule changes allow a football coach to work with any four kids beyond the contact days they had before. So you can work with your backfield or with one side of your line. I'm concerned that spring ball is coming sooner more than later. I was a football coach and track coach and love both sports, I would hate to see one have a negative impact on the other.

[eagles73Taylor]

mclaw, it hasnt seemed to hurt our numbers at Piketon. At the youth level, all sports are susceptible to concussions, especially basketball and soccer where kids who arent coordinated (due to their age) run into each other with no head protection. Not until you get to DI level or higher in football do concussions seem to be on the rise. I have coached pee wee and jr high football going on 11 years, and only a handful of concussions at the jr high level, and none at the pee wee level. The problem with DI and NFL is that players are way bigger and faster playing on surfaces conducive to high speeds (turf) and hitting each other. I will never understand why the NCAA and the NFL dont make it mandatory to wear all equipment (especially the NFL) Some players in the pros where pee wee sized shoulder pads and a helmet! Make them wear the full outfit, and the size required for them and that might slow them down! Kind of like Nascar! lol

[MClaw]

How about getting rid of the helmet all together! lol Nobody would want to lead with their head then! Numbers here at Minford seem to be staying consistent also.

[eagle25]

How about getting rid of the helmet all together! lol Nobody would want to lead with their head then! Numbers here at Minford seem to be staying consistent also.

Yea they should just play powder puff. That's what some of the teams around here resemble any more anyway.