Overall, participation in sports at Park High has declined, although a few sports have seen increased numbers.The football program has been the most visibly affected, causing
many issues for the whole team. Athletes get more playing time, but this increases the risk of injury.
The number of participants may be down, but the opportunities to play have never been greater.Changes to state law and MHSA rules allow homeschooled students and eighth graders to try out, yet. Park High is still lacking numbers in some sports.

Aside from the decline, there has been an increase in students playing golf. A lot of students have taken interest in the sport and joined the varsity and junior varsity teams. 20 boys and eight to ten girls played for the team this year. Generally, golf and soccer seem the most popular. The numbers are up in golf and they continue to grow. The highest number of students they had were 23 this year, and 7 in 2016-17 as the lowest.

The greatest decline in participation can be seen in the football program. “We’ve struggled on the scoreboard for football over the years,” said athletic director Scott Rosberg. “When you don’t have that kind of success, it’s hard to get kids interested,” he commented, so winning and/or losing could definitely be a factor. From 52 players in 2014-15 to this year’s low of 22, the lack of participation has caused Park High to resort to non-conference play the past several years.
On the bright side, flag football is being introduced to younger kids to get them interested early. The popularity of flag football is already clear considering how much the girls enjoy signing up for the Homecoming powderpuff football games. The popularity has grown because it’s not as much of a contact sport as regular football and therefore results in less injuries and collisions. This makes football fun for younger kids and everyone in general, and is a much safer alternative.

Our school tries to have a good sports program and get kids involved as much as possible. Rosberg said, “We at least have a strong program in terms of what we’re offering kids, trying to help them have a great experience.”