I won’t read the STRIB so I don’t know if this got mentioned but did the cost of fielding football teams get mentioned in this article as an issue? Like most things, it probably comes down to money. In the end, the cost of funding/participating in football as well as hockey is what will probably kill these sports.
Football and hockey are expensive compared to most other sports and a huge drain on high school budgets. Soccer, cross-country, track, etc. cost a fraction of what it takes to suit up a football or hockey team (yes, all those non-revenue sports at the U that are killing men’s football, basketball and hockey but more on that later). Factor in that school funding in general is inadequate for most districts, it begs the question of whether sports and in particular football and hockey should be funded at all?
Let’s face it if schools wanted to save money, one could probably make a good case that athletics and in particular football and hockey should get cut and leave it to clubs to offer these activities. At present, many school districts charge a flat participation fee per student regardless of the sport. And although no sport makes money, the cost for say a track or basketball singlet is nothing compared to outfitting a football or hockey player. If schools start to charge participants what it really cost to play, then football and hockey are in even bigger trouble. If this happens or they become club sports only, then many kids will get priced out of playing. Factor in concussions and the cost to address this issue such as better helmets and now we have just made these already expensive sports more costly.
I’ll find it quite ironic if anyone suggests that the cost to participate in high school football and hockey should be the same as any other sport and then turnaround and bitch on the “PiPress-Gophers-target-of-federal-gender-equity-complaint-due-to-new-facility” thread that revenues from these sports should not support the other athletic programs. Maybe all that TV and seating revenue from college football and hockey should be used to offset the true cost of their high school feeder programs? If college football and hockey would do this, then by all means, cut the other athletic programs.