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Michigan Improves Ranking in 12 Sports as NFHS Participation Survey Returns
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 4, 2023
Despite ranking 10th nationally in high school-aged population, Michigan ranked eighth nationally for participation in high school sports during the 2021-22 school year and moved up lists in 12 sports as the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) conducted its national participation survey for the first time since 2018-19.
Michigan’s participation ranking was based on a number of 271,423, with 114,999 girls and 156,424 boys taking part in high school athletics, and included sports in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association does not conduct postseason tournaments. The totals count students once for each sport played, meaning students who are multiple-sport athletes are counted more than once.
Michigan previously also ranked both eighth overall in participation and 10th overall for high school-aged children from 2016-17 through 2018-19, the population rankings according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates from those years. The NFHS did not conduct its national participation survey during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, although the MHSAA continued to collect participation data from member schools during that time.
A total of 18 sports bested the state’s overall national participation ranking of eighth in 2021-22 by placing seventh or higher on their respective lists. Twelve Michigan sports improved in national ranking from the last national survey in 2018-19, while the state fell in the rankings of five sports.
Michigan’s best showings were in boys bowling – where it continued to rank second nationally in participation – and also girls and boys alpine skiing, where Michigan also ranked second. Girls bowling participation moved up to third nationally from fourth in 2018-19, while boys ice hockey and girls tennis participation ranked fourth and boys tennis and girls and boys golf participation all ranked fifth nationally. Other Michigan sports ranking seventh or higher on the national participation lists were girls and boys basketball (both sixth), girls competitive cheer (sixth), girls (sixth) and boys cross country (seventh), football (sixth), boys track & field (sixth), girls volleyball (sixth) and wrestling (seventh).
Michigan’s participation in baseball (eighth), boys lacrosse (eighth), softball (eighth), girls track & field (eighth), girls soccer (ninth), girls and boys swimming & diving (both ninth) and boys soccer (10th) also met or exceeded the state’s national rank in high school-aged population.
Although the national total of 7,618,054 participants in 2021-22 was down four percent from the 2018-19 figure of 7,937,491, high school sports appear on the road back after schools in many states were unable to offer programs in normal fashion during portions of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years.
The 2021-22 total is composed of 4,376,582 boys and 3,241,472 girls, according to figures obtained from the 51 NFHS member state associations, including the District of Columbia.
Among the top 10 boys sports in participants nationally from 2018-19, golf was the only sport to register an increase during 2021-22 – up just under four percent with 148,585 participants and surpassing tennis as the eighth-most popular sport. Golf was one of the few sports to increase on both sides of the ledger as girls participation was up one percent to 80,829 participants.
Volleyball continued its rise in popularity among girls sports and was the only top-10 sport to register an increase from three years ago. With 454,153 participants, volleyball is only 2,500 participants behind track & field for the No. 1 participatory sport for girls nationally.
Texas topped the list of state participation with 846,161. Texas was one of 14 states that enjoyed a gain in participation since the 2018-19 survey. California retained the No. 2 position with 762,823 participants despite a drop of more than 60,000 from three years ago.
Other changes in the top 10 involved Ohio moving to No. 3 with 378,354 participants, followed by Pennsylvania (315,097), Illinois (314,839), New York (313,404), Florida (291,504), Michigan (271,423), New Jersey (264,139) and Massachusetts (215,848).
The participation survey has been compiled in its current form by the NFHS since 1971 through numbers it receives from its 51 member state associations, including the District of Columbia.
The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Ind., is the national leadership organization for high school sports and performing arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,500 high schools and 12 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 7.9 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings, sanctions interstate events, offers online publications and services for high school coaches and officials, sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; offers online education courses for coaches, administrators, students, officials, performing arts educators, parents and others; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.3 million spectators each year.
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Rep Council Wrap-up: Spring 2014
May 15, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
More tools to assist administrators in managing student transfers, including stiffer penalties for students switching schools for athletic-related reasons and for adults influencing those decisions, highlighted actions taken by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association during its annual Spring Meeting, May 4-5, in Gaylord.
The Spring Meeting of the 19-member legislative body of the Association’s more than 1,500 member schools is generally the busiest of its three sessions each year. The Council considered 17 committee proposals and also dealt with a variety of eligibility rule, postseason tournament and operational issues.
The Council built on changes to the MHSAA transfer regulation adopted at its 2013 Spring Meeting that increased the period of ineligibility to 180 days for a student making an athletic-related transfer, detailing more activities – centered on athletes following their non-school coach to a new school – that would lead automatically to the longer period of ineligibility even if not reported by the school losing the student.
Most notably, the maximum penalty of ineligibility for students and suspension for coaches partaking in undue influence was increased from up to one year to up to four years.
When a transfer is the result of parents’ divorce, or follows a student’s 18th birthday or enrollment as a residential student in a bona fide boarding school, school administrators will be required to attest on the MHSAA’s Educational Transfer Form that the transfer is not significantly related to or motivated by athletics.
These changes to the transfer regulation go into effect for the 2014-15 school year and come in addition to changes adopted at the Council’s Winter Meeting in March, addressing the increase of international students enrolling in MHSAA member schools outside traditional foreign exchange programs.
Beginning this fall, international students on either F-1 or J-1 visas, in order to be immediately eligible for athletics, must meet a residential exception or have been placed in a school through an Approved International Student Program (accepted for listing by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel {CSIET} and approved by the MHSAA). International students placed through an Approved International Student Program will be immediately eligible for a maximum of the first two consecutive semesters or three consecutive trimesters at any secondary school in the United States, after which the student is ineligible for interscholastic athletic competition at any MHSAA member school for the next academic year. International students who do not meet one of the residency exceptions recognized by the MHSAA or are not enrolled through an Approved International Student Program may become eligible to participate at the subvarsity level only. Incoming freshman international students no longer will be automatically eligible.
Here is a summary of other actions taken by the Representative Council at the Spring Meeting which will take effect during the 2014-15 school year:
- In cases of serious injury or extended illness, including concussion or suspected concussion and symptoms of sudden cardiac arrest, students may be re-examined not only by a physician (MD or DO) but also a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner. All may provide the written release necessary for an athlete to return to practice or competition. Previously, only physicians held that authority.
- Students who have completed their 12th-grade season in a sport may participate in one all-star contest in that sport, subject to specific conditions, without losing their remaining interscholastic eligibility in other sports. However, participation in a prohibited or second all-star event in that same sport will result in a loss of eligibility in all sports for up to one year
- Illinois was added to adjacent states Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin, and Ontario, that do not fall under the mileage limitation for interstate competition. MHSAA member schools are not allowed to compete in any interstate meet, contest or scrimmage which involves travel of more than 600 highway miles round-trip for any participating team, unless those teams are only from Michigan and one or more of these contiguous states/provinces.
Sport Matters
- In baseball and softball, school uniforms may be worn by graduated seniors (with no remaining eligibility) who are selected to participate in all-star games conducted directly by the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association and Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association.
- In football, during subvarsity contests, the clock will start on the official’s ready-to-play signal rather than the snap following a change of possession.
- In girls lacrosse, a student or team is allowed to participate in a multi-team tournament in which the total allowable playing time for any team is no more than 150 running minutes (current total is 120 minutes) with no more than 25-minute running-time halves. This event will count as one of 18 regular-season contests.
- In girls and boys swimming and diving, dates of the Lower Peninsula Diving Regionals have been moved from Tuesday of the week of Finals meets to Thursday prior to Finals weeks.
Operations
- Ticket price increases from $7 to $8 were adopted for the following sports and MHSAA Tournament rounds: Baseball and Softball Semifinals and Finals, Bowling Finals (Team on Friday and Singles on Saturday), Girls Competitive Cheer (Friday and Saturday sessions), Girls Gymnastics Finals (Team on Friday and Individual on Saturday), Boys and Girls Lacrosse Finals, Boys and Girls Soccer Finals, Boys and Girls Track & Field Finals, Team Wrestling Semifinals and Finals and Girls Volleyball Finals. The cost of the three-session Team Wrestling Tournament pass was increased from $15 to $18, and ticket costs for three Ice Hockey rounds also were increased – Quarterfinals tickets from $5 to $6, Semifinals tickets from $6 to $8 and Finals tickets from $7 to $10, with the Semifinal and Final 6-session passes increased from $25 to $35. However, the 2014-15 school year will mark the 12th consecutive with no increases in MHSAA Regional tournament ticket prices for football and boys and girls basketball and the 11th consecutive year without increases at the District level of those tournaments. Tickets for both levels of all three sports will remain $5.
The Council also reviewed reports on membership, with 752 senior high schools and 725 junior high/middle schools in 2013-14; eligibility advancement applications, which totaled 14 for the year; the use of Educational Transfer Forms, which dropped 20 percent this year; school violations, attendance at athletic director and coaches in-service workshops, officials’ registrations, rules meetings attendance and officials reports submitted for the past three sports seasons. The Association’s $10.1 million budget for the 2014-15 school year also was approved.
The Representative Council is the 19-member legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.