Football The Newest Partisan Divide

Interesting column in NYT on how Football is losing ground in blue states.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/upshot/football-the-newest-partisan-divide.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&abt=0002&abg=0

Hopefully we can stay on football aspect and not get too political.

 

The NYT never met a trend story it didn't like ...

My guess is flag football remains popular for youths, even in the blue states. It's like Arena Football, just without the local nightclub bouncers and C-section-scarred cheerleaders on the field.

 

I think that The NYT fashions itself as playing an important roll in this
perceived divide.

 

I think the reasons are tjat Blue States are more urbanized and have higher non-white populations. I think that in urban areas there is less attention paid to high school football. The typical athlete does not ge tthe ego gratification of being on the team that he would in a smaller town. I think as result fewer kids are going out for football.

I also think that the increase in minority populations has lead to this decline in participation. My sons attended a former football powerhosue in Northern Virginia. The school is now roughly 50% white. The rest of the student population is roughly divided between black, Hispanic, Asian and mideastern kids. The latter three groups tended, on average, not to go out for football, because of a lack of cultural awareness and because they were on again on average, smaller. I ahve never seen a Hispanic domianted school with areally good football team.

And speaking as a parent of a son who was basically the biggest kid in his class I did not want him going out for football. I did not want him to be under pressure to gain weight. I am fat and I don't want to do anything to encourage my son to get heavier.