January 2021 - 21

.TIED
.a. Finding Staff for Events - The second-most concerning
issue in 2020 also saw a decline back to its five-year average
ranking. Garnering 79.6 percent of responses, finding staff for
events saw a five percent dip from 2020 as events came to a
complete standstill back in March and reduced capacity events
were slowly rolled out across the country.
The spike up in 2020 was noted by some by " bulldozer
parents. " As one respondent stated, " Bulldozer parents are
always an issue. I'm not sure what the answer is to get more
people wanting to be involved in helping with athletics. If
parents help you, many times it seems like they expect their
student-athlete to receive preferential treatment in their sport. "
But in 2021, the level of concern matched the rankings in
previous surveys, with fourth in 2019, fifth in 2018, sixth in
2017, and seventh in 2016, respectively.
b. Athlete Participation Decline - Usually among
the top 10 most-concerning issues among athletic
5
administrators, declining participation saw a rise in 2021.
With a five percent decrease to 79.6 percent, participation
decline is back at the forefront of the collective mind of
athletic administrators.
" [There has been] a continued decrease in participation.
For example, in just five years our football program has
dropped from 135 players at three levels to 85 players at two
levels, " one administrator said.
Some administrators attributed the participation decline in
high school athletics to the rise of sports specialization and
the importance placed on club sports. " It seems to me that
Clubs need to work with state associations to develop a plan
where everyone can share these students. With the change
in scheduling this year with COVID, I already have coaches
worried that their spring sports athletes will choose to play
with their club teams over their high school teams. It would
be nice if the clubs would encourage their players to play for
their high school teams, " another administrator said.
What's On Your Mind: A 6-Year Snapshot
Here's our annual ranking of the most concerning issues for high school athletic directors compared with how
they ranked in previous years. Percentages represent athletic directors who said they were at least moderately
concerned about that particular issue.
Categories
1. Health & Safety of Staff & Students
2. Reduced School Funding
3. Facility Sanitation & Maintenance
4. Finding Qualified Coaches
5T. Finding Staff for Events
5T. Participation Decline
7. Legal/Liability Issues
8. Additional Responsibilities
9. Athlete Specialization
10. Problems with Parents
11. Improving Communications
12. HR Issues
13. Keeping Up with Tech
14. Expectations & Roles in Securing
Private Funding
15. LGBTQ+/Race Issues
16. Student-Athletes Transferring Illegally
17. Competition from Club Programs
18. Eligibility Issues
19. Public Sentiment on Athletic Spending
20. Job Security
2020-21 2019-20 2018-19 2017-18 2016-17 2015-16
93.2% NR
85.4%
3
83.6% NR
84.7%
79.6%
79.6%
74.2%
71.8%
68.6%
63.1%
62.1%
56.7%
54.8%
54.3%
1
2
7
8
5
10
4
6
9
13
11
53.9%
52.4%
50.4%
40.3%
40.2%
39.2%
12
14
18
15
16
20
NR
3
NR
1
4
7
9
5
7
2
6
10
11
12
17
15
16
14
18
19
NR
3
NR
1
5
8
7
4
3
6
10
9
12
16
13
14
11
15
18
29
NR
2
NR
1
6
10
4
5
7
3
9
8
14
15
11
12
17
16
18
20
NR
2
NR
1
7
10
3
5
4
6
9
8
11
12
18
13
15
14
17
NR
NR: Not ranked
COACHAD.COM 19

http://www.COACHAD.COM

January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2021