Is the traditional American high school experience of playing sports dead?

[Anonymous]

Ultimate frisbee and rowing crew still start in high school

[Anonymous]

This is only true in the UMC/wealthy school districts- which on a whole, are are small percentage of American high schools.

Your kid could play on almost any varsity team at a title 1 or even middle class district- and many of these are D1 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always thought that a big part of the American high school experience is playing sports. That is why sports are featured so prominently in any teen movies or TV shows. Yet, it’s basically impossible to pass tryouts at the high school level if you haven’t played the sport from a young age besides cross country/track and swimming. And even for those two sports, you need to start them from a young age to excel at them and make varsity.

It just feels like sports have become unobtainable. It doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but it’s sad that what was once a big American tradition is dying.

Technology such as video games is making neets and incels and nerds out of young boys and even girls are becoming addicts to things such as social media.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am confused.

So many kids try out for sports that they have to make a lot of cuts. How is that evidence that high school sports are dead?

They are saying that you can't start a new sport in high school, which is, for the most part, true.

This was also generally true for my middle of nowhere not big high school 25 years ago.

There is always so much whining on this board about sports. People in this area aren’t generally used to being told “no” or not just being able to buy their way out of discomfort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ultimate frisbee and rowing crew still start in high school

+1000

[Anonymous]

My son walked into Varsity LAx w school freshman

Only played one year at a small private before that

[Anonymous]

IMO every high school should have a team sports option for just about every kid. But it doesn’t need to be varsity and they might not get to pick the sport. Cross country is great! Or club/rec whatever.

[Anonymous]

For a team with cuts, of course the kids who are the most experienced and skilled at their sport are going to make the team. What else would you suggest?

There are some teams that take everyone, including HS football, at least at our large FCPS HS. The team is huge and everyone is included. That does not mean you are going to get playing time, but you can be part of the team. Track, cross country, crew, wrestling all take everyone. We now have boys volleyball, which is new-ish, and a lot of boys have not played before HS but can get onto that team. We now have flag football for girls at some of the HS and that is new and I believe they take everyone. Most teams also have student managers so if your kid wants to be involved with a team without playing the sport, they can do that. So there are options.

If you want your kid to play something like varsity basketball, where the nature of it is that they can only take small handful of kids and the team is competitive, and your kid has never played basketball, that's not a reasonable thing to expect.

[Anonymous]

It's just too competitive in this region. My kids play rec sports and are involved in other extracurriculars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son made two freshman teams this year for sports he had never played before.

This isn’t very helpful because you didn’t name the sports. It’s not basketball or baseball but there are sports that can be easily picked up.

Which sports?

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand this mentality. Would you expect your kid to be able to take calculus in high school if they hadn’t taken more than the bare minimum math offered to that point?

Some kids might be able to, but they’re gifted. Similar to the gifted athletes who can easily pick up a new sport. Most kids aren’t like that.

Why would you think a highly skilled based / athletically sport should be any different than a highly skill based / intelligence based class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is only true in the UMC/wealthy school districts- which on a whole, are are small percentage of American high schools.

Your kid could play on almost any varsity team at a title 1 or even middle class district- and many of these are D1 schools.

This. Just move to a smaller less competitive area and your kids will be able to play all the sports they want.

[Anonymous]

Some schools don't even get enough kids showing up to field lower level teams! Other than Varsity basketball, your kids should make some team. Basketball is tough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is only true in the UMC/wealthy school districts- which on a whole, are are small percentage of American high schools.

Your kid could play on almost any varsity team at a title 1 or even middle class district- and many of these are D1 schools.

That’s a pretty much uneducated opinion from someone who knows nothing. You obviously don’t follow sports. Many of the top names in basketball grew up in poverty. By high school the top are recruited to residential schools specializing in their sport.

Pro sports are also recruiting more international players. Eastern Europeans are playing basketball, Dominicans make up a large amount of baseball players, Canadians play hockey year round.

Students in middle class or low income school districts cannot just play any varsity sport. I can’t figure out why you would even think that.

Exceptions might be swimming, soccer, track, sports that nobody cares about. They might be walk ons.

[Anonymous]

We are in Loudoun which has smaller high schools (350 a grade) and our school is 45% farms. Teams are very makeable. Maybe you won’t start unless you are very good (for certain sports.)

But yeah if you go to a large gunner school like Madison it’s hard to play sports.