Opinion: Neglected and overlooked: The decline of JV sports and its impact on high school athletics

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Published: 10-23-2024 6:32 AM |
Andrew Stone lives in Concord.
In recent years, JV sports have become a shadow of what they once represented in the high school sports world. What used to be a critical stepping stone for athletic development has been relegated to a fourth-rate experience, often treated with less significance than even middle school A and B teams.
The JV games don’t seem to matter anymore. There are no standings, no playoffs, and for many schools, no end-of-season celebrations. The athletes who make up these teams, who work just as hard as their varsity counterparts, are left playing without the structure or recognition they deserve.
In some programs, JV teams are even forced to play with reduced rosters so varsity teams can hold extra players on the sidelines, “just in case.” Those varsity players, ironically, often don’t hit the field, but their mere presence at varsity practices siphons off development opportunities from the JV athletes. This approach not only hurts the JV teams but the entire athletic program. These sidelined JV players are the future of the varsity teams, but without proper attention and development, they have little motivation to return for another year.
It’s no secret that the number of athletes in high school sports has been dwindling for years. If schools continue to treat JV teams as afterthoughts, we’re only going to see those numbers shrink further. Athletes at every level should feel like they’re part of something bigger, like their hard work matters and their season has a purpose. To relegate JV teams to irrelevance is to undermine the future of any varsity program.
This issue is even more frustrating when you consider how other levels of sports, from professional to recreational, manage to respect their athletes at every stage. Professional sports have multiple levels of competition with developmental leagues, and recreational leagues often have travel teams with several divisions. Yet JV teams? They’re stuck with old middle school uniforms, playing on subpar fields, with little to no fanfare. Where’s the excitement? Where’s the investment?
The disheartening reality is that these kids made a team, they worked hard, and they deserved to be seen. But with no announcers, no scoreboards, and no school pride behind them, they’re left to wonder if any of it even matters. End-of-season banquets don’t recognize their efforts, and the governing bodies ignore their progress. It begs the question — are schools no longer interested in building a long-term athletic program? If JV players feel neglected, why would they stick around for the next season?
It’s a dangerous trend that needs to be addressed. The solution is simple: treat JV like the essential developmental stage it is. Give them a reason to improve, to play, and to strive for varsity. Every level of sports deserves recognition, competition, and a sense of purpose. If we don’t start treating JV with the respect it deserves, we risk losing an entire generation of athletes who just might walk away from the game forever.
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