Issues interscholastic athletics

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Southeastern Oklahoma State University *

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5113

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Health Science

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Jun 27, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by herm2260

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

ISSUES FACING INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS 4 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

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