Team Insight

8 • Team Insight ~ September/October 2024 teaminsightmag.com H ere's a story we like to write in Team Insight: According to the recently re- leased NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, more than eight million participants competed in high school sports in the 2023-24 school year. at's an all-time record and the first time that total participation has exceeded the eight-million mark. e NFHS survey indicated that 8,062,302 participants were involved in high school sports in 2023-24, which is up 210,469 from the previous year and tops the previous record of 7,980,886 set in 2017-18. e total includes 4,638,785 boys and 3,423,517 girls – both record highs – according to figures obtained from the 51 NFHS member state associations, which includes the District of Columbia. e 2023-24 total marked the second consec- utive increase aer numbers tumbled during the pandemic. Since the initial survey aer the pan- demic, participation in high school sports has increased 444,248 in two years and represents a turnaround from the decline that started the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are thrilled to learn that participation in high school sports has exceeded eight million for the first time," says Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS. "e comeback from the pause of school sports during the pandemic has been so gratifying and certainly indicates the staying power of education-based sports in our nation's schools. We salute coaches, athletic directors and other school adminis- trators for making these experiences happen for student-athletes." Two of the biggest storylines are the increases in all forms of high school football – boys and girls – and the continued rise in both girls' and boys' wrestling. • Eleven-player football remained the most popular boys' sport and registered an increase for the second consecutive year from 1,028,761 to 1,031,508. ere also was an increase in eight-player football participation, from 23,812 to 26,420. • e biggest gains in football, however, came on the girls' side, particularly with the emerging sport of flag football. e number of partici- pants in girls' flag football more than doubled from 2022-23 to 2023-24. A total of 42,955 girls participated in flag football in 2023-24 compared to 20,875 the previous year — a 105 percent increase. And from the 15,716 participants in 2021-22, there has been an increase of 173 percent. ere also was an increase in the number of girls competing on 11-player football teams, from 3654 to 4094. • Including boys and girls competitors in 6-, 8-, 9- and 11-player football, and girls and boys participants in flag football, the overall football total for 2023-24 was 1,118,705. • Another highlight is the sizeable jump in wrestling – boys and girls – for the second consecutive year. An additional 32,443 boys were involved in wrestling last year, jumping from 259,431 to 291,874. Since the 2021-22 season, there has been a gain of 60,000 in boys' wrestling — a significant 25 percent increase. • And participation on girls' wrestling teams has continued its historic rise as well, with 64,257 participants last year. at's an increase of 102 percent from the 31,654 in 2021-22. • Outdoor track and field, volleyball and soccer all registered increases and remained the top three participatory sports for girls. Track and field increased four percent to 506,015, followed by volleyball at 479,125 and soccer at 383,895. • Although the number of participants was down about 6000, basketball (367,284) re- mained in the number four spot, followed by fast-pitch soball (345,451), tennis (195,766), cross-country (192,989), competitive spirit (181,023 – up 20 percent), swimming and diving (138,174) and lacrosse (101,204). • Outdoor track and field and soccer had significant gains on the boys' side as well. • Aer 11-player football and outdoor track and field (625,333), the rest of the boys' top 10 includes basketball (536,668), baseball (471,701), soccer (467,483), wrestling (291,874), cross-country (239,381), tennis (157,835), golf (155,174) and swimming and diving (116,799). • e survey indicated a total of 51,502 par- ticipants in the 15 Unified Sports, up from 42,010 in 2022-23. • Finally, Texas (859,301) and California (834,103) remained atop the list of state par- ticipation. New York (341,454) remained in third, followed by Pennsylvania (336,946), Ohio (323,117), Illinois (320,603), Florida (299,398), Michigan (289,740), New Jersey (280,798) and Minnesota (224,179). n EIGHT MILLION AND COUNTING! Participation in high school sports tops magic number for the first time in 2023-24. By Michael Jacobsen TEAM TRENDS

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