Issues interscholastic athletics
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Running head: ISSUES FACING INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS
1
Issues Facing Interscholastic Athletics
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
KIN 5113 – Sport Management, Finance, & Fundraising
June 18, 2024
Dr. Leonard Nardone
ISSUES FACING INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS 2
Issues Facing Interscholastic Sports
There are always going to be issues in sports, no matter what level they may be. However, there are growing concerns at the interscholastic level, particularly in public high schools. This paper will look at the growing concerns and consider possible solutions to help all stakeholders in interscholastic sports. Justification
Public high schools continue to face numerous obstacles within their athletic departments. These issues range from a lack of budget, bigger coaching turnover than ever before, participant numbers, social media, and growing parent concerns than ever before. “Although some athletic departments may account for as much as 8 percent of their schools’ operating budgets, the NFHS reported that most athletic departments receive only 1 to 3 percent of the total allocation given to schools. Many schools throughout the Midwest, South, and West receive even less” (Thibault, 2021, p. 187). Sports begin in young athletes; through high school, they learn and grow as individuals and athletes, yet if they are not allowed the proper room to grow, then we will lose great collegiate and professional sports. Growing Issues in Interscholastic Athletics
Interscholastic athletics has seen a growing number of issues in the past few years. If this continues, athletic administrators can be increasingly concerned. High school athletics use to be a key tangible for the growth of student-athletics in order to allow for them to grow and mature, in hopes of reaching their full potential. In many places, this was due to the continuity of administrators, coaches, parents/families, athletes, fans, and the community. Nowadays there seems to be a divide on this continuity that has created a divide in interscholastic athletics. These
ISSUES FACING INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS 3
issues can be from athletic funding, low numbers of participation, parent issues, and health concerns.
Athletic Funding
Funding for these athletic programs is a constant issue for many schools worldwide. The top revenue-generating sports like football and basketball tend to have the easiest way to earn financial support, often through gate money; however, less popular sports tend to have an imbalance in the financial support they receive. These issues can be found not only in interscholastic athletics but in everyone. In public schools, it is harder for teams and programs to receive additional outside funding due to district rules. In order for most teams to gain additional funding, they often have to seek outside sponsors and donations in the community. This often becomes a time-consuming project for all involved and something that takes multiple people to help with. A lack of funding can impact coaches, players, facilities, and equipment that is needed
to make a program successful. Most teams are always trying to find more ways to make money, often taking time away from something they can be doing in order to make their teams better in their sports.
Low Participation Numbers
While participation numbers have always fluctuated in interscholastic athletics, it has continuously gone down in recent years. There are many ways to find a cause for this. However, there are some glaring ones that often show themselves. Schools that have a high number of students eligible for free reduced lunch often see a lower level of participation in sports (Veliz, 2022). This can be due to an issue in access to practices or events or a willingness to find support. We also often see an issue in low numbers due to teens feeling pressured to specialize in
a specific sport at a young age. With so much specialization in sports, young athletes are often
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misguided to focus on only one sport, leaving other sports programs with a small number of participants. Another reason for lower participation is students feeling more pressure to focus on academics or being forced to put more pressure on themselves to do good in sports, thus becoming a turn-off for even wanting to participate. All of these that cause a lower number of participants are something that can often be looked at to fix. Parent Issues
Parent issues are another rising issue in sports. While parent involvement can be a positive thing, it can also be a negative thing. Parents can often put too much pressure on their student-athletes to where they cannot handle it or get discouraged and do not want to play. Parents often put too much emphasis on winning or playing time that they get into arguments with coaches, becoming an even bigger head act for the coach or administration. Additionally, parents can become an issue with the referees that officiant games. A survey has shown that of the officials who quit, 80 percent of them blame it on unruly parents (Niehoff, 2019). While parents may be needed for some things like support and fundraising efforts, they can also become quite the distraction that hurts programs. Health Concerns
There has been a heightened concern about health issues in sports across all of America, including interscholastic athletics. While injuries have always happened, it is perceived to be more of an issue of late. With the growing knowledge of concussions, everyone is more aware of
the signs and continue to monitor the injury every year. We have seen an increase in injuries due to overuse and specialization (Forsyth, 2020). School districts are often assigned an athletic trainer to help with injury issues, ensuring programs have the proper medical care to help their students if anything occurs. However, as health becomes an issue, there are more and more
ISSUES FACING INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS 5
families that will not allow their children to play sports due to the growing concerns about these injuries.
Solutions
While these are four valid concerns and issues in interscholastic athletics, we also have to
look at solutions to these problems so sports can have a positive outlook and grow. School funding will always be an ongoing issue. However, schools should continue to look for proper resources of funding to allocate enough funds in order for sports programs to run successfully. As well, coaches need to be looking for continued opportunities in order to help their programs grow and receive the funding they think they need. Participation and retention need to be something coaches and administrators look to strive to do for all their programs. Creating a welcoming environment is something all coaches should try to have, as well as looking for outreach programs for those athletes who may be unfortunate and need extra funding in order to play sports. While parental issues will never go away in athletics, it is important that coaches try to create multiple forms of positive parental involvement. Above all, parents want the best for their children, and while some may show it in different ways, that is always their goal. As a coach, they should always be looking to grow those connections in order to make sure there is a positive relationship between coach, player, and parent/guardian. In all sports, injuries will happen, so it is paramount that everyone understands that safety is the priority. Coaches, athletic trainers, and administrators should always be looking out for the well-being of their athletes. This is crucial for all parents to understand and believe, so they can allow their child to play sports.
Conclusion
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There will always be issues in interscholastic athletics due to being a major factor in the development and growth of young men and women. However, as administrators, it is often their job to find the solutions to help their programs succeed. As concerns of funding, participation, parental issues, and health become more voiced, it is important that everyone looks at ways that can help fix these concerns and provide a positive solution to them. It is often said that “it takes a
village,” interscholastic athletics is no different, as it takes everyone working together in order to
help young men and women succeed.
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ISSUES FACING INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS 7
Annotated Bibliography
Forester, B. E. (2015). Creative Funding Opportunities for Interscholastic Athletic Programs. Strategies, 28(5), 22–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/08924562.2015.1066280 This article discusses how athletic programs nationwide are facing budget constraints due
to school districts providing less athletic funding. Coaches and athletic directors are being
forced to find additional funding in order to keep their programs running. This article also
provides solutions to these issues and how communities can provide support from corporations, foundations, and public entities. Sources of additional funding for interscholastic schools are discussed as well as key steps that are needed to help interscholastic athletic programs with identifying proper resources. This touches on every
bit of our issues growing in interscholastic sports. Public high schools often find themselves struggling for funding with sometimes limited options. This article provides some solutions to these problems that would allow public high schools to grow their funding independently. Forsyth, E., Fraina, M., Johnson, J. E., Whisenant, W. A., & Stoffer, G. W. (2020). A Mixed Methods Approach to Identifying Administration Issues Pertinent in Interscholastic Sports. Journal of Amateur Sport, 6(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.17161/jas.v6i1.7994
This article discussed the issue in interscholastic athletics that sport administrators face today and would could occur in the next five years. As well, this article discussed the implications of these issues and how big of a problem it could be and possible solutions. The most signification issues tended to be athletic facilities, athletic training/coaching, health issues, and travel teams.
ISSUES FACING INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS 8
Niehoff, K. (2019, September 9). The biggest challenge facing high school sports today. Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. https://www.wiaawi.org/News/News-
Article/the-biggest-challenge-facing-high-school-sports-today This release, discusses the growing concerns in interscholastic athletics. According to a survey of high school athletic directors, 62.3 percent say the worst part about their job is dealing with aggressive parents and adult fans. As well, a study showed that referress agree and almost 80 percent of officials quit due to unruly parents. The article gives six ways parents and adults can act better during high school athletic events; act their age, don’t live vicariously through their children, let their children be coached by the coach, stay in their role as a fan, high school sports is not all about college scholarships, and make sure their children know they love to see them play.
Thibault, P.P. L. (2021). Pg. 186-189. Contemporary Sport Management (7th ed.). Human Kinetics Publishers. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781718203006 This chapter in the book discusses the issues that continue to grow in interscholastic athletics. Concussions and the growing data and knowledge on them have increasingly become an issue for those in sports. The ability to have a quality administrator with the proper knowledge, experience, and resources directly impacts the financial resources coming to interscholastic sports. As well, coaches get older and turnover ensures, yet participation has changed due to growing options in other areas like AAU, Junior Olympics, and other avenues. As well rising parent issues continue to be a prominent issue in interscholastic athletics.
ISSUES FACING INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS 9
Veliz, P., & Zdroik, J. (2022, September). Examining the provision of school-based athletics in public high schools among girls in the United States. The Journal of school health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10996915/ This article discusses the ongoing issue of low numbers of girls participating in sports in high school athletics. Discussed were multiple barriers that may be in place for girls' athletics. Some factors limiting girls' participation were related to student bodies that had a high percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunch, as well as student bodies with racial minorities. In the end, their results concluded that schools with fewer resources and a high percentage of disadvantaged students seem to have fewer girls participating in sports and having the opportunities to participate.
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ISSUES FACING INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS 10
References
Forester, B. E. (2015). Creative Funding Opportunities for Interscholastic Athletic Programs. Strategies, 28(5), 22–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/08924562.2015.1066280
Forsyth, E., Fraina, M., Johnson, J. E., Whisenant, W. A., & Stoffer, G. W. (2020). A Mixed Methods Approach to Identifying Administration Issues Pertinent in Interscholastic Sports. Journal of Amateur Sport, 6(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.17161/jas.v6i1.7994
Niehoff, K. (2019, September 9). The biggest challenge facing high school sports today. Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. https://www.wiaawi.org/News/News-
Article/the-biggest-challenge-facing-high-school-sports-today Thibault, P.P. L. (2021). Contemporary Sport Management (7th ed.). Human Kinetics Publishers. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781718203006
Veliz, P., & Zdroik, J. (2022, September). Examining the provision of school-based athletics in public high schools among girls in the United States
. The Journal of school health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10996915/