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Tommy Druen: Take the time to go to a game Previous Column: The value of a good night's sleep By Tommy Druen The late winter of 1985 had a pretty lasting impression on me. It may have been 37 years since I was in 1st grade, but I can tell you so many highlights of trips to Bowling Green and then Lexington within a couple of weeks. That was the year Metcalfe County High School, my alma mater, went to the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen, boys' basketball tournament. Among my memories was a sign in Edmonton that said something along the lines of "Last one leaving, turn out the lights." It may have been humorous, but it wasn't far from accurate. It not only was the biggest week in the school's history, which only had slightly over 300 students, but also the biggest week in Metcalfe County's history, which at the time was approximately 9,000 people. Not only did school shut down, but so did all the local government offices and most of the businesses. It seemed like the whole county went to Lexington. These weren't bandwagon fans though. For as long as I can remember, people in Metcalfe County went to the high school basketball games, both the boys and girls teams. The gym was packed and it really was a microcosm of the county. It didn't matter if you had a connection to a kid on the team or not, you were there to cheer them on. It was a matter of community pride. When I left for college, I got out of the habit of going to high school games. My love of basketball was still there, but I found myself at the Centre College games. And, after graduation, when I moved to Georgetown, I went to quite a few of the Georgetown College games. After several years though, I found myself going to a Scott County game and expecting a massive crowd. The county was about five times as large as what I had grown up in and Scott County High was a perennial powerhouse, coached by the all-time winningest coach in Kentucky history. This was about 2010 and, well let's just says I was surprised by the lackluster crowd. What I would soon find out was that this wasn't unique to Scott County. In fact, it had spread across most of the state. Attendance at high school sporting events had dropped dramatically, even at my home school that used to be filled from floor to rafters. And, this trend isn't unique to Kentucky. Indiana loves their high school basketball just as much as we do, yet a recent study shows their attendance has dropped by close to 70% over the last 30 years. Nor is it reserved for basketball. Texans love high school football with an unbridled passion. But even in the Lone Star State, attendance has dropped sharply during that same period. So what has caused the drop off? There are hundreds of theories. Some are the addition of other sports and activities, giving students choices. Some blame the added pressures of test scores, meaning more homework. There are theories that the economy causes teens to work more than in years past. Others fault the proliferation of television stations and the internet, allowing for more entertainment options that what is going on locally. I recently read a Wall Street Journal piece on the decline of girls' basketball throughout the nation. It seems counter intuitive. Women's basketball is at an all-time high of popularity. WNBA attendance is up and the recently completed season had the highest television ratings in the past 15 years. Yet, many high schools, even of decent size, cannot field full rosters without middle schoolers added to the roster. The article posited several theories, from the technical that students are specializing in sports more to the anecdotal of some girls just don't feel like basketball uniforms are as "cute" as volleyball or soccer. Once again, though, this isn't reserved to basketball. Since 2000, Texas has seen a drop in over 5% of the number of students playing football. Whatever the reasons, the simple fact is that fewer high schoolers are playing sports, and fewer people are going to their games. My concern is how this affects a community. Schools have been the center of a community for generations. And yes, people went to games to cheer on the teams, but adults were also there to see friends, catch up on the news, etc. Teenagers were there for the same reasons, plus foster young love. And the youngest kids were there to get filled with the spirit and idolize people not that much older than them, just like my 7 year old self did. Without that community bond, it just drives us further into places where people live next to each other, but aren't really neighbors. We're in the middle of football, volleyball and soccer season. Basketball will be starting up sooner than we expect. Softball and baseball will follow in the spring. Take the time to go to a game. Take your kids, regardless of age, if you have them. Step out of your normal routine and back into a set of bleachers, if only for one game, and let's find that school and community spirit once again. Tommy Druen is a native of Metcalfe County, with roots in Adair County going back to the 18th century. He presently lives in Georgetown, Kentucky and can be reached at tommydruen@gmail.com. This story was posted on 2022-10-01 15:08:05
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