As noted earlier in the Confidential, several schools have had problems sustaining sports teams this fall because of low participation.

MHSAA executive director Jack Roberts points out a possible reason for this problem in his latest blog entry at mhsaa.com:

A depressed economy combined with escalating “pay-to-play” prices is taking a toll on participation, especially in lower profile sports and subvarsity level programs.  It’s no surprise that families are disinclined to pay $200 or more for a spot in a JV tennis program.  And what a shame; for this is just the kind of place where the educational process of school sports can be at its best.

Here at the Confidential, we would like to know what you think.

Do you know of any schools that have had to cut programs because of “pay-to-play”? How has “pay-to-play” affected your district? What solutions do you have for the problem?