It may appear that I am drifting a little off topic today, but I actually think it has a lot to do with what 9 Kid Fitness is all about. Those of us who are my age were some of the first females to really benefit from the opportunities that sports opened up to women in college and beyond. Although I did not (nor do most) go on to play college athletics, organized sports continue to have an impact on our lives in a positive way. And many of us now have kids playing high school and college sports. I am worried that the athletic pursuit for young women (and men) might be squeezed out or at least impacted by what is happening with college football.

We have been hearing a lot lately about the possible realignment of many of the bigger college sports conferences. Although I am fairly (if not totally) ignorant about all that’s going on, I do understand that what is driving a lot of it is the popularity of football in terms of fan support and TV revenue. Just like most Americans, I like football, but as a cross country coach and as a parent of “non-football sport” athletes, I also have to wonder how it will ultimately affect the other sports, and frankly amateur athletics in general. At a recent cross country meet I started to wonder about all of this when I saw a young man run like the wind. [Read more…]