High School Sports Problem

High school sports participation reached an all-time high during the 2025-26 school year.

Football Participation Growth

Girls flag football participation jumped nearly 49% in a single year.

Football Program Struggle

Northview High School in Johns Creek, Georgia said its football program operates more like one from a smaller school.

Northview Football Team

100% of Northview's team plays both ways QB included.

“100% of our team plays both ways QB included”

Small Roster Crisis

Cheboygan High School canceled its 2026 varsity season after injuries left only 13 healthy players.

Football Competition

More sanctioned sports, more club teams, and more year-round opportunities have increased football competition.

Football Cultural Shift

Gallup ranks football as America's favorite sport to watch but only one in five adults ages 18 to 34 call it their favorite.

Roster Decline

Eight seniors graduate. Two athletes specialize in another sport. One transfers. Another gets a job.

Football Wealth Inequality

Programs like Buford or Thomas County Central have three highly recruited players fighting for a starting job.

Football Player Shortage

Football isn't dying. The hallway just got crowded.

High School Sports Participation

Girls volleyball surpassed half a million participants for the first time.

Football Depth Chart

Football programs need to convince athletes that football deserves a chunk of an increasingly crowded calendar.

Football Player Shortage

Northview coach Mario Drayton wrote in a scheduling post on CoachGeorgia.com.

“100% of our team plays both ways QB included”

Football Player Shortage

Football isn't dying. The hallway just got crowded.