As basketball season begins, the court is quiet at Mountain Gap Middle School in Huntsville, Ala., where the athletics department was forced to cancel the girls’ basketball season due to low participation numbers. Girls who are interested in playing basketball will be allowed to try out for another team in the Huntsville City School District.
According to WAFF 48, the Mountain Gap girls’ softball team is under a similar threat for the spring season.
“Here we go again. Girls basketball has declined each decade,” said Tim Miller, a former 11-time state champion basketball coach turned athletic director at a neighboring school.
Miller told WAFF 48 that when he began coaching girls’ basketball 30 years ago, he could easily fill three teams. Now, he can’t fill two.
Becky Plott is an athletic director at a neighboring school, and she blames early sports specialization for the declining girls’ basketball numbers.
“Too many kids are specializing too early and thinking they’re going to go to college and play sports, and it doesn’t work out for everybody, but it’s hard to tell that to parents,” Miller said. “We’ve got to get our coaches, got to get our players into the elementary schools and start talking to these kids.”
According to Fox54, District 3 School Board member Andrea Alvarez brought attention to the canceled season online. After outcry from parents on social media, a spokesperson for Huntsville City Schools released a statement saying, “As with many school districts, athletic offerings can vary from year to year based on student interest and participation," the spokesperson said. "In instances where there are not enough students to form a team, the sport may not be offered at that school for that season."
