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The Challenge:
It's Interscholastic Competition - or Bust

Play 4

Introduce Other Forms of Play

Playing varsity can be great. Wearing the school colors and representing your school is a uniquely American experience and the stuff of teenage dreams. But interscholastic competition isn’t the only form of play that can meet student needs. Options include intramural sports – classmates playing against classmates – and club sports led by students. These formats, while popular on college campuses, are often underprioritized in high schools. That’s unfortunate because they can offer many of the same benefits – exercise, teamwork skills, mental health and a sense of belonging.

These alternate forms of play are important to keep in mind, especially at schools where roster cuts are common for interscholastic teams. When 80 students try out for varsity basketball, and 15 make the team and 10 get real playing time, the supply of experiences is not meeting the demand for them. Maybe there’s not enough gym space to create teams for all interested students, but schools can be more intentional about introducing them to attractive options.

That includes sports they may not have thought about which costs little to host and can accommodate large numbers of students. Like Ultimate frisbee, which requires minimal equipment and no referees. Players negotiate and make the calls. That’s not a bad skill to develop as students move into adulthood and must work with others in our diverse, competitive and polarized society to create shared solutions to shared problems.

The sport menu could include pickup play, action sports,+ adapted sports, Unified sports, dance, and fitness activities. Math and reading curricula have changed through the years; sport options remain largely the same. The demand for new options was made clear in our national survey: More than 1 in 3 students expressed interest in strength training, 1 in 4 want biking, and 1 in 5 want skateboarding, yoga and dance. PE teachers and athletic directors can help develop, and connect students to, these activities by either expanding course offerings or connecting the students to community-based programs. In our national search, we found several schools that do an exemplary job at that, from creating bike clubs to hosting yoga classes to opening the gym each Friday for all-student free play.

However schools get there, they need to embrace the “something for all” approach proposed by Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).²⁷ Address the perception of some students, parents and administrators that any form of play other than interscholastic competition is inferior. That starts with supporting activities that students consider fun or meet other expressed personal needs.

Knock down that barrier, and the opportunities to serve students expand measurably.

Note: Students in charter schools were more likely to report they want more sports options, especially swimming and football. Among all Black students, the most requested sport was gymnastics (13% vs. overall average of 7%).

WHO CAN HELP

Local School Districts

Equity and inclusion are priorities of most school districts. Communities of color often have a smaller sport menu of options.²⁸ So, encourage PE teachers and athletic directors to work together closely to identify alternate sport options. They share facilities and students, but too often there is minimal coordination of efforts. Connect the silos.

Policymakers

All forms of play must have policies for how students with disabilities can access these opportunities. Many students with disabilities receive door-to-door transportation that lacks flexibility around sports or other activities before or after school. Require that Individual Education Plans include transportation for sports, whether it’s interscholastic, intramurals or some other activity.

Membership Organizations

State athletic associations can create flexible policies allowing – and incentivizing – schools to offer club sports for both nontraditional activities and existing interscholastic sports. About half of the athletic associations already oversee performing arts, so the opportunity exists to expand their sports and physical activity offerings. Organizations like the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (mountain biking) offer ways to start leagues and help coaches.

Business & Industry

Apparel and media companies, gyms, sports leagues and others can invest in introducing alternate forms of play – the more local the better (to align with company green initiatives, as local requires less travel). Imagine grants for intramural leagues, yoga, dance, and strength training classes. Brands may be rewarded with product loyalty by reaching a larger segment of the student population than only through interscholastic teams.

Sports Organizations

National Governing Bodies of sports, pro sports leagues and teams, and universities can work with youth sports+ organizations to develop alternate forms of play at younger ages. These habits  start early. Create programming and invest money in untraditional activities connected to the sports of their choice that could keep youth engaged by the time they reach high school.

Note: White students had higher interest levels in outdoor activities and climbing. Black students were most likely to be interested in dance (28% vs. 19% overall).

FINDING SUCCESS

As Washington D.C. homicide rates increased and with students in remote learning during COVID-19, Dunbar High School PE teacher Alex Clark started the Stay Prime biking program to keep students active and out of trouble. About 60 students take weekly rides to landmarks around the nation’s capital. Program partners teach bike safety and bike repair. School administrators find that biking, which occurs less in urban environments than other communities, helps students cope with their emotions after losing a loved one. D.C. Public Schools is now fielding a cycling team from students across the city, giving students more options to bike beyond a weekly ride.