By Lauren Dougherty ’19, Sports Writer

According to recent research by the NCAA, sports participation in high schools is changing, with a large increase in participation levels for sports like lacrosse, indoor track, and fencing, and decreasing participation levels for sports such as football.

Girls’ lacrosse, one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation, saw a participation increase of 25.4% over the past 5 years, with boys’ lacrosse seeing a significant increase of 11.4%. Lacrosse has been widely regarded as one of the most popular growing sports in the nation. This increase in high school participation levels is attributed to various factors. While lacrosse is arguably still most popular in the Northeastern region of the United States, the game has extended to other regions, like the Midwest and South, which has contributed to its growth. Another potential reason why lacrosse has been rapidly spreading to other parts may be its development as a gender-neutral sport. Boys’ and girls’ lacrosse have virtually identical rules and regulations, which makes it an appealing sport for many. The growing popularity of lacrosse in high school and college levels has created a greater need for more youth lax leagues, and consequently, there are more kids being introduced to the sport at a young age. With more kids playing lacrosse, the sport will continue to grow at the high school level and become more competitive.

In contrast with lacrosse, football has seen a decline in high school participation, with a 4.7% decrease. The reasons for this decline can be attributed to several factors. Of course, there is the new sense of danger associated with football—concussions and brain injury. Many people have heard about the effects of continuous concussions on the brain, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. While CTE is usually discussed in relation to the NFL, the danger is not lost on high school football players. The dangers associated with football and other contact sports have had an impact on its participation levels. However, it is too simple to blame solely the issue of injury for that decline. As a consequence of the issue of concussions, football is generally being played at a later age than many other sports. In a world where kids are continually being pushed into early sports specialization, football is often not the first choice for many kids; many are choosing sports like lacrosse or soccer, never even giving football a chance. Similarly, football is a sport that requires a certain physicality and athleticism. It also requires large rosters, a lot of practice time, and extensive equipment, which many high schools simply do not have.

We can see these changing levels in high school sports participation within the Newark Academy community. It is no secret that the NA football team is lacking in numbers–this past year, the football team had no new freshmen. Zachary Kessel ’19 notes that, “Ever since findings about CTE in football players came out, and the movie Concussion was a big part of that, a lot of parents have not been allowing their kids to play football, which may be why there are no freshman football players at NA this year.” Football requires a large roster, and as the number of incoming underclassmen football players declines, it becomes harder to rebuild the program and make it sustainable in the long term. With a smaller roster, NA football players are in for entire games, playing multiple positions, which is only increasing the chances of injury for many of the players.

On the other hand, the girls’ and boys’ lacrosse teams at NA are growing in size, as well as in talent, with at least two members of the boys’ lacrosse team committed to playing in college. The level of participation in lacrosse at NA is similar to other private schools, and while lacrosse is moving away from its stereotype as an upper-class sport, some of the cultural perceptions and financial barriers associated with lacrosse still remain. Overall, it is clear there are some shifts and trends taking place in high school sports across the nation, and Newark Academy is no exception.