Did your high school football team have a no-cut policy? Mine did. Every student could join, regardless of their skill level, experience, or understanding of the game. We had around 50 to 80 players practicing from July to October, which was amusing because the soccer players would often look at us like we were crazy. In contrast, sports like soccer, basketball, and baseball had cuts or tryouts and only allowed their top players to participate. The only other teams that had a no-cut policy similar to football were cross country and track and field.
Reflecting on it now, it seems unreasonable since we only had three buses for all the players, coaches, and cheerleaders, which was quite a lot for one team. I’m unsure how my high school managed to supply all that gear for players who mostly sat on the sidelines while only the best ones got to play. Why would a football team need 80 players when only 25 got to play?
There was quite a bit of bullying as well; the star players would often take advantage of those who rarely got to play, making them fetch gear, water, and other equipment. From July to October, with half the team just standing around unable to play, what was the purpose?
From what I’ve observed, they seemed to have abolished this policy during or after COVID because it had become unmanageable. Coaches often overlooked bullying or were unaware of what was happening on the sidelines. My school was one of the few that had a no-cut policy for football. Other schools had teams of around 25 players and one bus. When they visited us, they were surprised to see 80 players on our team, most of whom were sitting out while the same 25 played. The others were geared up but essentially just there for appearances.
This took place between 2016 and 2019. Additionally, they had students selling gold cards and transporting groups of kids to different neighborhoods. People often questioned why we had so many players, and the explanation was usually about how some kids made the cuts for soccer and were recognized as star athletes. They would point out that a sports team shouldn’t operate like a recreation center or an after-school club. Unfortunately, that’s how our school’s football program functioned. Many kids showed up for practices and games but rarely got to play. When bullying or issues arose, the coaches often seemed surprised or indifferent.