Number of Programs Archives - On One Hand Business... On the Other Hand Sports

Colorado High School Football Participation – Before and After 2010

February 11, 2016November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

Has Colorado high school football suffered because of the concussion crisis in college and professional football?

For years the National Football League denied that head trauma could have long-term consequences on its athletes. Finally in 2010, the NFL publicly admitted that many of its former players were suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In 2014, Boston University release a study showing that almost all of the brains studied tested positive for CTE.

Over the past decade the increased awareness of brain trauma and concussions has resulted in the establishment of protocol to identify when athletes have received a concussion. These protocols apply to all sports and all levels of play. As well they would apply to situations off the courts and playing fields.

In some places, reports have indicated that participation in football has resulted in a reduction in the number of football players.

Data from the NFHS shows that the concussion crisis had no impact on the number of Colorado schools with football teams. This data is for the 13 academic years beginning in 2002/2003 and ending 2014/2015. There were 215 teams in 2002/2003 and 211 teams in 2014/2015. This data does not include 8-man football teams. (The program data for 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 appears to be an aberration).

Most years, the average number of participants per program was about 70.

The number of participations reached almost 18,000 in 2007/2008, but declined sharply the next two year. In has since been in the 15,000 to 16,000 range. The fear of concussion on the number of participants appears to be temporary and minimal at this point.

The NFHS data also reported that there were about 50 girls who play high school boys football each year. On average, this means there is about one girl for every four programs.

In 2013/2015, 216 girls participated in the boys programs. The following year, that number dropped back to 35.

Despite the concussion crisis, Colorado high school football continues to be the king of adolescent sports. Its popularity will likely increase with the recent Super Bowl win by the Denver Broncos.

Colorado Girls High School Tennis Has Strong Foundation

February 4, 2016November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

Between the 1999/2000 and 2014/2015 academic years the number of Colorado girls high school tennis programs in Colorado ranged from 110 to 153, with the peak coming in 2014/2015. This increase comes after declines in the two previous seasons. The range of the number of boys and girls programs was similar during these 15 years.

For this period, there has been a wide range of participation in girls programs. Interestingly, there is a solid correlation between the number of girls programs and the number of participants. That was not the case with the boys tennis. Over this period the annualized rate of growth in participation is 2.4%.

At its peak in 2008/2009, there were 4,901 participants. The number of participants has since trended downwards, for no obvious reason.

The lowest number of participants during this period occurred in 1999/2000.

Between 1999 and 2015 the Colorado population increased by from 4.2 million to 5.4 million. This is a gain of 1.2 million people, at an annualized rate of 1.7%.

The number of females between the ages of 15 and 19 increased from 144,081 in 1999 to 176,661 in 2015. This is a gain of 32,580, at an annualized rate of 1.4%. It appears that girls tennis is growing at a much higher rate than the population of females in the 15-19 year range.

Over the past three years the average number of players per program has been about 30 students.

There are a number of factors that are a challenge to girls high school tennis in Colorado such as the lack of quality coaches and adequate funding and facilities. Nationally, tennis is growing at an annualized rate less than the rate of growth in the U.S. population, (less than 1.0%). Probably the biggest challenge is that girls tennis in Colorado is a spring sport and the weather in the spring is often windy, cold, and wet.

On the other hand, many girls participate in programs because the season is short, most players are recreation level players, and many programs emphasize the social aspect of the sport.

Colorado girls tennis has a strong foundation and should continue to grow.

Source: NFHS.

U.S. High School Girls Tennis Shows Modest Growth

January 5, 2016November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

This post summarizes participation in U.S. girls tennis programs based on data from the National Federation of State High School Associations (http://www.nfhs.org).

In 1969-70 there were no tennis high school programs in the United States. Participation in the sport exploded overnight when the President signed Title IX into law in 1972. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in any federally funded education program or activity. In addition, interest in the sport rose precipitously as a result of the Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs match and the subsequent tennis boom. By 1979-80 there were 8,443 high school programs.

For the next decade the number of girls programs remained flat and there were 8,550 programs in 1989-90. Steady growth has occurred since that date. In 1994-95 the data shows there were 10,270 teams, although this number appears to be an anomaly or a glitch in the data.

In 2014-2015 there were 10,099 programs.

As might be expected, the trend for the number of participants is similar to the number of programs. In 1969-70 there were no participants. Between then and 1977-78 the number of participants the number of participants reached 147,365.

As a result of the bust in the tennis industry, participation plummeted to 114,177 in the 1983-84 season. From that point, the number or participants increased gradually to 182,395 in 2009-2010. It has remained flat since then.

In 2014-25 there were 182,876 participants.

Title IX is the primary reason for the growth of the sport. Other factors that have caused participation to rise and fall are the overall popularity of tennis and competition from other girls sports. Other factors impacting the number of participants are the size of school budgets, local feeder programs, and the number of qualified coaches in the school districts.

Between 1999-00 and 2014-15 the number of programs increased at an annualized rate of 0.43% while the number of participants rose by 0.91%.

The average number of participants per program ranged from 13.6 to 18.6 players.

High school girls tennis is a small, but important part of the U.S. tennis population. The number of participants is likely to grow at a rate similar to the growth in the U.S. population.

U.S. High School Boys Tennis Shows Steady Growth

December 30, 2015November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

This post focuses on participation in U.S. high school boys tennis programs. It is based on data from the National Federation of State High School Associations (http://www.nfhs.org).

In 1969-70 there were 6,221 boys high school programs in the U.S. Interest in the sport rose precipitously as a result of the Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs “Battle of the Sexes” match and the subsequent tennis boom. By 1979-80 there were 9,912 high school programs.

The tennis bust happened more quickly than the boom and that downturn was reflected in the data. By 1983-84 the number of boys programs had fallen to 8,644.

From that low point, the number of programs gradually increased. During the 2009-10 season there was a record number of boys teams – 9,916 teams. This was 4 more programs than the previous peak in 1979-1980.

In 2014-2015 there were 9,725 programs.

As might be expected, the trend for the number of participants is similar to the number of programs. In 1969-70 there were 83,717 participants. Between then and 1977-78 the number of participants more than doubled to a peak of 170,653 participants.

By the 1983-84 season, participation had plummeted to 118,539. From that point, the number increased gradually to 162,755 in 2009-2010.

In 2014-25 there were 157,240 participants.

Factors that have caused interest in the sport to rise and fall are the overall popularity of tennis and competition from other sports such as lacrosse and cross country. In some schools Title IX may have reduced court time for boys or caused schools to move boys tennis to a different season. Other factors impacting the number of participants are the size of school budgets, the number of local feeder programs, and the number of qualified coaches in the school districts.

Between 1999-00 and 2014-15 the number of programs increased at an annualized rate of 0.08% while the number of participants rose by 0.8%.

The average number of participants per program ranged from 13.5 to 19.2 players.

High school boys tennis is a small, but important part of the U.S. tennis scene. The number of participants is likely to grow at a rate similar to or slightly less than the growth in the U.S. population.