<br><br><div> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">It may seem like an impossible contradiction. At a time when women's basketball is making headlines and breaking television ratings records, the base of the pyramid is silently crumbling. <strong>USA</strong>.</p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">A new report has raised alarm bells: Girls are abandoning high school basketball at a dizzying rate.</p> <span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-md irr-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit irr"> </span></span><span class="content-html"><span class="intext-md hidden-xs hidden-md"> </span></span></span><span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-xs roba-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit roba"> </span></span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">What started as a suspicion was confirmed with the data in hand. According to the <strong>National Federation of State Secondary School Associations (NFSHSA)</strong>participation has fallen at least 21% since 2000. But other sources, such as the National Sporting Goods Association (<strong>NSGA</strong>), paint an even more dramatic picture: a 45% drop in the number of female players between 12 and 17 years old.</p> <span class="dynamic-ad-module "/><span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-xs irr-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit irr"> </span></span><span class="content-html"><span class="intext-xs hidden-xs hidden-md"/></span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">From 3.1 million practitioners in 2001 to just 1.7 million in 2024. What is happening in the courts?</p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>The disaster map: Texas and Indiana, unrecognizable</strong></p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">The blow is not uniform, but it is especially painful in states that breathe basketball. The “bleeding” of players left frightening figures in the traditional strongholds of the sport:</p> <span class="dynamic-ad-module "/><span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-xs roba-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit roba"> </span></span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>Kansas: </strong>They lost 43% of their players.</p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>Louisiana and North Dakota: </strong>They exceed the 40% drop.</p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>Indiana: </strong>The birthplace of high school basketball ("Hoosier Hysteria") saw 39% of its girls disappear.</p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>Texas:</strong> The giant went from having more than 70 thousand players in 2000 to less than 45 thousand today (-36%).</p> <span class="dynamic-ad-module "/><span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-xs roba-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit roba"> </span></span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">Although in some places like <strong>Florida</strong> the <strong>Arizona </strong>Total numbers have increased slightly, the report clarifies that this is simply due to more schools now reporting data, rather than an actual increase in per capita interest.</p> <span class="content-related content-border related-double " data-gtm-element-container="modulo-noticias-relacionadas"> <span class="module-supra-title"> <span>Also read</span></span> <span class="related-double-module-container "> </span><span class="related-double-module-container "> </span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>The Mississippi "Miracle":</strong> The only one who has the recipe</p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">In the middle of this ocean of red numbers, there is an island of hope that confuses analysts: Mississippi.</p> <span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-xs roba-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit roba"> </span></span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">There, participation increased (2,819 more players), and this happened even with fewer schools reporting data. What's your secret? <strong>Rickey Neaves</strong>executive director of the state association, points out <strong>SHOVEL </strong>two keys that the rest of the country should copy:</p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>The mirror effect: </strong>The sustained success of women's college basketball in the state over the past three decades has inspired new generations.</p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>Peace between sports:</strong> Instead of forcing athletes to choose, there has been historic cooperation between AAU volleyball coaches and high school basketball coaches.</p> <span class="dynamic-ad-module "/><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">While other states see their gyms empty, the question remains: is this an irreversible cultural change or is there time to recover basketball's lost generation?</p> </div><script type="script/gg"> gg.didomi.doWhenConsent(!window.didomiBypass, 'c:facebooka-frU9M5JY', function () { console.log('facebook-ad-def'); !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '682047071976590'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); }); </script>