#protechnique

This post topic will be broken down into 2 parts.  For the next couple of weeks, I wanted to focus on the topic of participation. At the high school level in particular.

What is/was your favorite sport to participate in growing up? As you think through those sports, start to dissect why that is. Did it have anything to do you talent or skill level in one sport vs. another? How about the environment you grew up in? Potentially bigger trends like the potential for money or fame drove your decision? Whatever the case, starting to analyze High School sports participation has a ton of value, especially to the people charged with acquiring/maintaining fans and future talent.

Studies done by the National Federation of State High School Associations poles  competition at the High School level for a given year in the United States. Their research indicates that overall sports participation will decline over the next 5 years (Again I credit most of this to an increasingly present digital era among younger generations). In terms of sheer volume the top 5 competitively participated sports include (In order):

• Football • Track & Field • Basketball • Soccer • Baseball (Honorable mentions: Volley Ball and Cross Country)

After looking over some of the data, what I found most interesting is the decrease in participation of two of America’s most popular sports (Football and Basketball) in terms of industry revenue. Soccer, a budding sport in America (I use the term budding very loosely), has grown 2% over one year (16K). In fact, soccer as sport in America has gained as many participants as Football and Basketball combined to lose. Baseball as a sport (in part thanks to female participation) also saw an increase in the 2014-2015 season.

What does this all mean for the state of athletics in general? Should sports organizations position themselves in areas where they are present or begin focusing time and energy on areas where their sport can be developed? Whatever the case, it’s time to start exploring the psychology behind why student athletes participate in the sports they choose.