PIONEER PRESS
OCTOBER 10, 2015
BY BOB SHAW
Lakeville lacrosse players are reflected in the sunglasses of coach Jeff Wright as the team huddles prior to start of the match against Hudson at Rahm Elementary fields in Eagan on Sept. 27, 2015. Legacy sports like football, baseball, softball and both boys and girls hockey and basketball are being dethroned by such upstarts as lacrosse, soccer and cross country. (Pioneer Press: Sherri-LaRose Chiglo)
Andrew Johnson jumped up and down on the sideline, limbering up before charging onto the lacrosse field.
“I like the contact of lacrosse and the speed of the game. I used to play baseball, but it was too boring,” the 13-year-old Lakeville player said as he ran off to take on the other team.
In the same way, lacrosse is taking on the traditional bastions of youth sports. Newly released figures from the National Federation of State High School Associations show participation declines in football, baseball, softball and both boys and girls hockey and basketball.
These legacy sports are being dethroned by such upstarts as lacrosse, soccer and cross country. And a new champion of high school sports has emerged — boys and girls track and field, which claims the highest combined total of athletes in Minnesota.
Interviews with students, parents and experts show that traditional sports are being abandoned for being too dangerous, too costly or even too dull. Although there are exceptions, many teens are migrating from team sports into more personalized sports.
“No doubt about it. Team sports are suffering, and individual sports are gaining,” said Dev Pathik, CEO of Florida-based Sports Facilities Advisory and Sports Facilities Management, which manages construction of sports complexes.
Jody Redman, associate director of the Minnesota State High School League, said the shifts are partly due to inherent limitations of team sports, which limit the number of athletes who can play.
“In volleyball, you have six kids on the court at one time. That means maybe 15 or 26 on the team,” Redman said. “But track and field is open to as many as can participate.”
