2000-2009: A Decade of Change
Northern Illinois Sports Beat's “Decade Retrospective” - featuring top athletes
from each sport, Top 10 State Championship efforts, Top Five Football
Championship efforts, Top 5 Schools of the Decade, Top 5 Coaches of the
Decade, and Top 10 Controversial moments of the Decade ...
(Writer's Note: We regret to inform you that our opening feature tonight, Harvey Korman
and Tim Conway: Together Again, is canceled. Apparently we did not know that Korman
died over a year ago. We here at Northern Illinois Sports Beat apologize for the
inconvenience.)
Northern Illinois was counting down the seconds until 2010 a short while ago – those
seconds being the last seconds in a decade marked with plenty of change in the high
school sports scene.
The first decade of the 21st century is much like the 1970s when it comes to high school
sports. The seventies was a decade of institution: a classification system between big and
small schools, girls athletics, football playoffs and the addition of the Chicago Catholic
League.
One of the changes of the 1970s was revisited this decade, as class expansion went even
further. Another one of the biggest issues of the decade has to do with a certain way of
life, as religion played a role in major developments of the decade. We didn't see this in
the 1980s or 1990s.
As the Illinois High School Association experimented with ways to keep the competitive
balance throughout Illinois, they became looked at more as a governing body of the
state's prep athletics. Like our own government, the IHSA and its ideas have been either
well-received or criticized by the general public. It's that transparency – through their
website and their relations with the media – that has allowed more fans and parents of
high school athletes to get involved in how high school sports work.
This decade has continued to see the growth of so-called “helicopter parents” that
become involved in their child's participation in athletics. The most significant time these
parents are active is when it comes to the supervision of the team. There was one stretch
during this decade when we saw many parents become active in the direction of their
child's programs.
Aside from plenty of “behind-the-scenes” work in the high school sports of the area, there
were still many great accomplishments from the athletes and teams of the area. More
state championships were won during this decade than the past one – and most of that
has to do with class expansion. The argument about whether or not a post-expansion
championship is hollow or not is still being debated.
Along with the new opportunities for success, our knowledge of high school sports teams,
players, and coaches has become more greater through the work of the media. As
traditional media outlets cut back on items that are repetitive through other means, the
emphasis on local news became greater during the decade. This allowed for more human
interest stories and expansion of other pieces not necessarily found in a newspaper. The
Internet, too, became involved in the story of high school sports. Local radio and regional
television (Peoria, Rockford and the Quad Cities) have also stepped up their coverage of
high school sports during the decade.
This is the story of the 2000s: A Decade of Change.
Northern Illinois Sports Beat's “Decade Retrospective” - featuring top athletes
from each sport, Top 10 State Championship efforts, Top Five Football
Championship efforts, Top 5 Schools of the Decade, Top 5 Coaches of the
Decade, and Top 10 Controversial moments of the Decade ...
(Writer's Note: We regret to inform you that our opening feature tonight, Harvey Korman
and Tim Conway: Together Again, is canceled. Apparently we did not know that Korman
died over a year ago. We here at Northern Illinois Sports Beat apologize for the
inconvenience.)
Northern Illinois was counting down the seconds until 2010 a short while ago – those
seconds being the last seconds in a decade marked with plenty of change in the high
school sports scene.
The first decade of the 21st century is much like the 1970s when it comes to high school
sports. The seventies was a decade of institution: a classification system between big and
small schools, girls athletics, football playoffs and the addition of the Chicago Catholic
League.
One of the changes of the 1970s was revisited this decade, as class expansion went even
further. Another one of the biggest issues of the decade has to do with a certain way of
life, as religion played a role in major developments of the decade. We didn't see this in
the 1980s or 1990s.
As the Illinois High School Association experimented with ways to keep the competitive
balance throughout Illinois, they became looked at more as a governing body of the
state's prep athletics. Like our own government, the IHSA and its ideas have been either
well-received or criticized by the general public. It's that transparency – through their
website and their relations with the media – that has allowed more fans and parents of
high school athletes to get involved in how high school sports work.
This decade has continued to see the growth of so-called “helicopter parents” that
become involved in their child's participation in athletics. The most significant time these
parents are active is when it comes to the supervision of the team. There was one stretch
during this decade when we saw many parents become active in the direction of their
child's programs.
Aside from plenty of “behind-the-scenes” work in the high school sports of the area, there
were still many great accomplishments from the athletes and teams of the area. More
state championships were won during this decade than the past one – and most of that
has to do with class expansion. The argument about whether or not a post-expansion
championship is hollow or not is still being debated.
Along with the new opportunities for success, our knowledge of high school sports teams,
players, and coaches has become more greater through the work of the media. As
traditional media outlets cut back on items that are repetitive through other means, the
emphasis on local news became greater during the decade. This allowed for more human
interest stories and expansion of other pieces not necessarily found in a newspaper. The
Internet, too, became involved in the story of high school sports. Local radio and regional
television (Peoria, Rockford and the Quad Cities) have also stepped up their coverage of
high school sports during the decade.
This is the story of the 2000s: A Decade of Change.
| Northern Illinois Sports Beat http://www.northernillinoissportsbeat.com |
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