Girls basketball remains one of Wisconsin’s most tradition-rich high school sports, but behind the bright gym lights and packed winter schedules, participation numbers tell a quieter and more concerning story.

Statewide, participation in girls basketball has been declining for more than a decade, a trend that mirrors what is happening across much of the country. While the sport still enjoys strong followings in many communities, fewer girls are choosing to continue playing into their high school years. The reasons are complex, layered, and increasingly difficult for schools—especially small, rural ones—to ignore.

“This is a nationwide trend that has been discussed in many forums across the country,” said Melissa Gehring, assistant director of girls basketball for the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA). “If we could pinpoint one primary reason, we would address it head on to alleviate the concern. However, there are multiple factors that seem to be playing a part.”

Those factors, Gehring said, often begin long before a player ever puts on a high school jersey.

“When interviewing girls that started playing when they were younger and are no longer doing so at the high school level, certain themes persist,” she said. Among them: early selection of “the best” players in elementary school, pressure to play year-round beginning at very young ages, and a season that stretches across multiple holidays, often cutting into family time.