The Facts About Sports Community Collaboration
For high schools and colleges, sports have always been the linchpin of community.
They create opportunities for individual students to work together, they create challenges for teams to overcome, and they create pride for the members of a team and all who follow them when they achieve their goals.
But over the past decade, the world of interscholastic sports has changed. With the rise of the digital age, alternatives to traditional community building opportunities such as social networks and video games are competing for the attention of potential players. Meanwhile, the increase in availability of sports knowhow is driving families and fans to become increasingly involved and interested in interscholastic sports—or more importantly, expect the same engagement with interscholastic sports as professional sports.
Here are some of the more interesting facts:
75% of fans don’t see the big plays in person
The economy has twisted and turned over the past decade and the approach to work life balance has changed with it. The global reach of internet technologies and social networks have removed the traditional 9-5 workday and, as a result, parents and fans are finding it harder and harder to make it to the games of their favorite player. Meanwhile, society has continued to increase the pressure on the parent to be present at the activities of their child. These competing pressures, can be a source of frustration for everyone involved.
Most coaches spend 70% of their time NOT coaching
Coaches are struggling to find time to coach. They face increasing pressures from increasingly aggressive and involved parents, are continually facing shrinking budgets for their programs and have an increasing workload related to cumbersome technology. In any given season, coaches often lose up to 40 productive hours to these pressures that would otherwise be spent working with players and creating unity.
Interest in High School Sports rose again for the 22nd straight year
More students than ever are playing high school sports but the rate of growth is slowing. Although budget demands and the distractions of a connected world may be factors in the slowdown, there is plenty of evidence that high school and college sports are a growing interest nationwide.
In 2013, Over 50% of States Cut Education Funding
At both the college and high school level education budgets are being cut nationwide. The impacts are being felt everywhere and athletic programs are no exception. Although many agree that sports are one of the most important extracurricular activities for young people, with declining revenues cuts must still be made.
What’s Next for Interscholastic Sports?
Although the above may sound ominous and overwhelming, StatEasy has built an answer that can solve for all of it. Our safe, social sports software for schools:
- Automagically synchronizes stats and video taking a high technology burden off the coaches.
- Produces interactive practice and game footage to engage players beyond the practice extending the reach of the coach and giving parents meaningful supportive ways to continue to work with their player.
- Provides a protected social network where players families and fans can exchange comments and highlight reels of their favorite plays or players.
- Brings technology and social engagement back to interscholastic sports at no charge to the program by making subscription packages and content downloads available to families and fans.
To learn more about our revolutionary software, sign up for a live demo, attend a webinar or download our content creator to start engaging your players and fans now.
