A Will To Play

There’s more at play than a simple change in demographics when it comes to the latest struggling East End football program, this time at Hampton Bays High School, which, for the first time in 47 years, will not field a varsity football team this fall.

Southampton will go without a varsity football team as well this year, while East Hampton, which has struggled to field its own team in recent years, will compete with just 24 players from its preseason roster in the bruising ranks of Division III, widely considered the best in Suffolk County.

The debate about the waning popularity of football in this area has gone on for quite some time. There’s no doubt that football is punishing on the body and requires a significant commitment to strength and conditioning work; steady reports about the brain condition CTE among former players has undoubtedly had an influence on parents and student-athletes alike in rethinking participation.

There has also been plenty of opinion, especially in the often dark world of social media, that blames changing demographics alone for the challenges faced by these football programs, including a larger Hispanic population and an influx of wealthy second-homeowners who have made the East End their primary residence.

As is often the case with social media, it’s an overly simplistic view. There is clearly a larger Hispanic population on the East End than there was a generation ago, but not every person of Hispanic descent is solely interested in soccer — just as not every transplant from New York City is interested in only golf, tennis or swimming. Meanwhile, as football has struggled, coaches and athletes here have built the best club swim team in New York State — on the back of one of the best junior lifeguard programs in the country — and a number of Suffolk County golf champions and state championship-caliber soccer teams have emerged as well. Football, it seems, is ailing, but not scholastic sports in general.

East End schools this fall will offer seven sports besides football: boys and girls volleyball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls cross country, boys golf, and girls tennis, swimming and field hockey. These sports also have to compete with surfing, skateboarding and travel leagues that provide athletes the opportunity to play sports like baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse, among others, year round. Living, as these kids do, in a world-class summer resort destination, means the culture of football has never been as pervasive as it is in other parts of the country.

The result for this still-changing East End population, at least for those with enough resources, is a perfect storm of activity that pulls children in many different directions, including, increasingly, away from the sport of football. Trying to pinpoint one specific reason why this is happening is a fool’s errand; it’s likely, to borrow a football metaphor, an all-out blitz of various reasons.

For student-athletes who still love football, it’s undoubtedly a disappointing trend for them and their families. But instead of cries of shame over another struggling football program, let’s look on the bright side. While adding sports may spread thin the pool of talented athletes, and perhaps compromise the competitiveness of certain programs, public school districts are required by law to pay equal time and resources to all programming, giving as many students as possible an opportunity to stay active, and to compete. Those efforts should continue across all sports — including football, should there be a will to play among students and coaches.

An argument can be made that the addition of more sports is a factor in the decline of football. But the decline of football doesn’t mean that fewer kids are playing sports. We can mourn the loss of a once-marquee sport while also celebrating that it allows other sports and athletes to step into the community spotlight.

The bottom line is that even in a world where there is so much distraction, kids are still invested in the unique and character-building shared experience of being part of a team, bringing pride to their school and their town, and working hard together for a common goal. Whether that’s happening on the gridiron, on the soccer pitch, on the tennis court or in the swimming pool, it’s worth celebrating.