Flip wrote:I think most teams would be happy with 50% participation.
I don't know what to say about this. Perhaps I'm an idealist of sorts, but I feel that, especially in the smallest two divisions, 50% participation for the sport of football is VERY poor.
First, football offers more opportunities to compete when compare it to a sport like basketball. Basketball puts 5 guys on a court- football puts 11 on a field, plus the opportunity for different defensive and offensive players. It also has varying positions for many types of athletes, larger/smaller- slower/quicker- etc. A majority of nose-guards just aren't build to be on a basketball court, but they might be the most effective player on the football field. In my experience, most kids quit participating in a sport as they get older because they don't feel like there is spot for them to compete, and football offers more spots than any other sport.
Second, football has less competition than most other sports. Basketball, wrestling, and hockey all compete for athletes in the winter. Track, baseball, and golf compete for athletes in the spring. Football only has cross country- which is a great sport but not a big draw in terms of participation.
For several consecutive years, the NFHS has reported record-breaking participation numbers (the highest of all sports as well) for football.
In conclusion, especially in the lower divisions, where the ratio of opportunities to athlete is so high and the competition from other sports is so low, I think a 50% participation rate is very poor.