A Wall Street Journal article published today touches on high school football participation trends, and its findings could lead readers to some new conclusions.

The data reveals football is more popular than ever from a participation standpoint over a significant swath of the country.

On a national level, football remains the most popular boys’ high school sport, the article said, adding high school football has twice as many participants as any other sport.

Twelve states have more athletes playing high school football than they have over the past decade, predominantly in the southeastern portion of the U.S.

For example, in Alabama, the number of high school football players has increased by more than 40 percent over the last decade.

Where does the future of football participation stand?

The Wall Street Journal stated that according to estimates provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of boys aged 15-19 has fallen 4 percent in the last decade. Once that is taken into account, the total proportion of high school-aged boys involved in 11-player football has remained roughly constant over the last decade.

images via wsj.com

That being said, the number of high school athletes who have chosen to participate in football has fluctuated, depending on the region.

In Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas, participation in football has increased 6.2 percent since 2006-07.

Oklahoma, Utah and New Mexico have also reported a growth in football participation numbers.

According to the Wall Street Journal article, several northern states, such as Michigan, New Jersey, Vermont, Minnesota, and Iowa have reported lower participation.

However, Ben Blackmon, a parent, and football coach told the Wall Street Journal, “I think as a parent you have to weigh risk and reward. Allowing your kid to play football is going to teach them so much about life, how to be tough, how to overcome adversity, how to deal with other people, how to deal with diversity in your locker room. More than any other sport.”

Over the past decade, football leagues have implemented several rule changes, equipment improvements, and numerous studies and articles have been published. While some states have experienced decreased football participation, several others have grown.