A recently released study by the National Federation of State High School Associations reported the lowest participation of girls basketball since the organization’s founding in 2000.
The Associated Press article did not speculate on the reason for the drop. In Kansas, it indicated a 43% decrease, 5,788 participants at 377 schools, down from 10,120 students across 350 schools.
The reasons for the drop may seem perplexing. Are girls opting out of sports? Are they choosing videogames? Where did they go? What are they doing? Is there some political component to the female exodus from basketball?
After more than a decade of covering sports, the most dramatic trend I’ve experienced is the growth of girls wrestling.
When I wrestled, seeing a girl on the mat was a novelty. Now, it’s the fastest growing sport in America.
Now, girls have their own teams, tournaments and state-sanctioned championships for all high divisions.
I can’t put my finger on a catalyst for the sudden growth. At first, I thought it was a response to the UFC becoming popular. As the UFC’s popularity waned, girls wrestling continued growing.
I’ve heard another factor is the popularity of female WWE wrestlers spilling over into high school and youth wrestling.
Having not followed professional wrestling since the attitude era, when I was in middle school, I can’t entirely subscribe to that.
Whether boys or girls, wrestling is a combat sport. My best guess to the growth is it came incrementally, then increased exponentially once parents saw wrestling as an affordable and relatively safe sport.
Maybe those first female wrestling pioneers got older, had children and taught their children little girls could kick butt, too.
The most interesting thing about covering girls wrestling as opposed to boys is the crowd reaction is the same.
When a girl hits a throw, a standing double-leg or secures a pin before the buzzer, the crowds cheer just as loud as when their male counterpart does the same maneuver.
Maybe it’s a combat sports thing because I’ve made the same observations about women’s mixed martial arts.
Regardless, sometimes a disparity is not a bad thing. Wrestling takes all-comers regardless of body type.
Maybe girls needed another option. Maybe it means instead of being told they can’t do it because they’re not fast enough, tall enough or didn’t play for the right AAU team, they have another option.
One where success is based on dedication and a bit of luck.
