Data: MaxPreps; Graphic: Naema Ahmed/Axios
High school football has already kicked off in thousands of towns across America, and more will join them soon. Elsewhere, entire regions of the country have postponed the season.
The state of play: Seven states have begun playing games, and 10 more are set to do so by the end of the week.
- Another 17 states are scheduled to kick off in September or October, while 16 states — plus Washington, D.C. — have moved the season to the spring.
How it works: Though states have the autonomy to make these decisions for themselves, they do so with guidance from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which "is in touch on a daily basis with state associations," executive director Dr. Karissa Niehoff tells Axios.
"The NFHS is by design different from the NCAA. We do as much as we can at a national level to provide leadership, guidance and resources, but we don't make decisions on a state by state basis that they're required to follow."Every state association has its own sports medicine advisory committee, as well as departments of education and health agencies that help inform school superintendents. ... From a national level down to a school-based level, there are a ton of people involved in the process."
Dr. Karissa Niehoff