Nebraska High Schools Face Alarming Trend of Forfeiting Sports Seasons as Participation Plummets

LINCOLN, Neb. – Several high schools across Nebraska are facing a concerning trend as they forfeit their football seasons, raising eyebrows among fans. One notable case this week came from Grand Island Senior High School, which announced the cancellation of its girls varsity basketball games. The school cited a lack of participation, with no juniors or seniors joining the basketball team this year. Instead, they plan to focus on developing younger players, allowing reserve and freshmen teams to compete.

The announcement took many by surprise. Nate Neuhaus, an assistant director for the Nebraska School Activities Association, acknowledged that this is an unusual situation in the realm of high school sports. “This is probably something new in the basketball world,” he noted, highlighting that it’s rare to see a team forfeit before the season has even started.

Neuhaus explained that while a handful of smaller schools typically forfeit games each season, the number is concerning. “We’ve seen six or seven different football forfeitures already, and it points to a pattern,” he said. For instance, Southern Valley High School ended its football season in early October, and Neuhaus emphasized that while this is expected from smaller Class D schools, it’s alarming when larger Class A schools like Omaha Benson also call it quits early.

There are multiple factors contributing to this trend. Neuhaus noted a sharp decline in participation across all sports in Nebraska. “Student-athletes today have many more opportunities and options than in the past,” he stated. This leads some individuals to choose activities that interest them more, rather than committing to a sport.

Other reasons for forfeiting seasons include losing records, injuries, sickness, and academic struggles. Neuhaus acknowledged the challenge of addressing these issues since every community faces its unique difficulties. He added, “The reality is that education-based extracurricular activities look very different than they did five, ten, or even fifteen years ago.” While the reasons behind this trend remain unclear, efforts are underway to better understand the situation and find ways to engage more student-athletes in their schools’ sports programs.