Page 17 - 2020 IHSAA Annual Report

2019–20: The Year in Review

“High School Sports Pushed Out of Bounds The world-wide coronavirus pandemic has
by the Pandemic” shouted one newspaper not only had a profound effect on high school
headline in March. “Virus Puts High School sports, but it has affected every aspect of life in
Sports on Hold” said another. The effect of the every community in America. All the changes
coronavirus on high school sports in Indiana caused by it may not be known for years. But
continues to be well-documented. Losing the education-based athletics have always been
revenue that the basketball tournament and an integral part of high school curriculums,
spring sports would have generated has been a and they always will be. And the IHSAA will
major hurdle for the IHSAA to overcome, but continue to protect and promote them in every
no more so than for every other state associa- possible way.
tion in America. In fact, a case could be made
that because of the foresight and dedication of On August 1, 2020, Paul
IHSAA board and staff members decades ago, Neidig (right) succeeded
a reserve investment fund has been instru- Bobby Cox as the 9th
mental in providing options for future funding commissioner of the
that many other states do not have. IHSAA.

Point in fact, the IHSAA has always operated
with an eye toward the future, and it still
is today.

Speaking of which, IHSAA Commissioner
Bobby Cox retired on August 1, 2020, a plan
which he had announced months earlier, and
the Board of Directors welcomed Paul Neidig
as the Association’s ninth commissioner.

Historians have noted that as society has
evolved, so has the IHSAA. Through the last
17 decades, the policies and procedures of the
IHSAA have been a direct reflection of what
was happening in Indiana, the United States
and the world at identically the same time.
Never has that been truer than during the
2019-20 school year.

WINTER TOURNAMENT ATTENDANCE FIGURES
Sport 2018-19 2019-20 Increase/Decrease % Change
Boys Basketball (sectionals only) 236,370 247,444 11,074 4.69%
Girls Basketball 155,609 162,518 6,909 4.44%
Gymnastics* 3,364 2,613 -751 -22.32%
Boys Swimming and Diving 19,156 22,316 3,160 16.50%
Girls Swimming and Diving 18,814 20,758 1,944 10.33%
Wrestling 90,719 94,035 3,316 3.66%
Winter Total 524,032 549,684 25,652 4.90%
* Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the IHSAA Gymnastics State Finals were contested without spectators.
Only gymnasts, their coaches and essential event personnel were allowed in Worthen Arena.

As the charts on these two pages illustrate, attendance for nine fall and winter sports in 2019-20 was
higher than the previous year, including an 8.5% increase in football.

INDIANA HIGH S CHOOL A THLE TIC ASS OCIA TION Annual Report 2020 17