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OMAHA, Neb. — Plunging participation in girls basketball led one of Nebraska’s largest high schools to cancel its varsity team for the year. The decision by Grand Island Senior High School — the state’s third-largest with more than 2,600 students — reflects a national decline in participation in the girls sport, even as the popularity of women’s basketball behind the likes of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese has sent record numbers of fans flocking to arenas or tuning in on TV. Schools across the country have made similar choices, but that hasn’t made the move any easier for those passionate about Grand Island basketball. “We’ve seen the train coming. I mean we’ve been sitting on the tracks forever. But frankly, people just didn’t want to do the heavy lifting that was required,” said Jeremy Jensen, a former Grand Island mayor and high school soccer coach who wishes more had been done to build a sustainable girls basketball program. What happened in Grand Island? The high school in the largely blue-collar city of 52,000 about 120 miles (190 kilometers) west of Omaha decided to cancel its varsity and junior varsity teams this year after no juniors or seniors went out for the sport. The team suffered a series of lopsided losses, and with many young athletes choosing to specialize in one sport and other activities competing for girls’ time, the school decided to focus on developing young players instead of putting a team of freshman and sophomores on the court. Still, the school’s decision was jarring at a time when college and professional women’s basketball has been surging in popularity, partly due to the phenomenal success of WNBA Indiana Fever guard Clark, who set records at the University of Iowa. Kansas State University women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie said more viewers doesn’t necessarily mean more players. “Certainly in college, all of our games are on TV, easy for people to find, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re playing the sport,” Mittie said. “It just means they’re interested in watching it.” A declining trend Since Clark was born 22 years ago, participation in girls high school basketball has dropped nearly 20% and the sport has fallen from most popular to number four behind volleyball, soccer and track and field, which all have seen double-digit surges in participation, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. Even as the basketball numbers have dropped, total participation in high school sports has grown, with more than 3.4 million girls competing in high school sports last year. Losing takes a toll In the past few years in Grand Island, Jim Ward watched every player on his oldest daughter’s middle school team quit basketball in high school, either to focus on another sport like volleyball or wrestling or because they lost interest. During that time, the high school girls team was losing games by margins of 70 points or more. The team lost 43 of its last 44 varsity games and has not won more than three games in a season since 2016-17, with its last winning season in 2009-10. “If you’re Grand Island going into Omaha facing some kids that are going to go D-1 (Division I) and you can only keep up with them for the first half of the first quarter, would you want to play longer?” asked Ward, who serves on the booster club board and has a daughter on the team in 10th grade. Kelli Jefferies knows success is possible in Grand Island because she led the school to its only state championship in 1979 as a player and racked up 231 victories over 33 years as coach before stepping down in 2012. But Jefferies said she understands the current struggles. “When you’re not really able to compete and be competitive, you can see why kids don’t want to do it anymore,” Jefferies said. “That’s not fun for everyone, for coaches and players and anyone involved.” Costly competition The problems in Grand Island and elsewhere run much deeper than a losing record. In some communities it can be hard for girls to find opportunities to compete and learn the game when they are young. Many families can’t afford to invest the thousands of dollars and countless hours required to play club basketball to prepare them to compete in high school, putting them behind in development. As teams get competitive earlier and earlier, girls might quit the sport if they are cut in grade school. Families in Grand Island who want their kids to compete at the highest levels of club sports must drive about two hours twice a week to Lincoln or Omaha for practices and again on the weekends for tournaments if they are not traveling farther to other cities. Can the sport recover? Grand Island’s current coach, Kathryn Langrehr, works with middle schoolers and offers free basketball clinics at all the city’s elementary schools to help build a pipeline of players for the sport. But rebuilding could be challenging, especially given the pressure on kids to specialize in just one sport. “It kind of speaks to the world that we’re living in with club sports and specialization of sports, where kids want to participate or are only able to participate in one activity,” said Jon Dolliver, who oversees basketball at the Nebraska School Activities Association. Volleyball in particular grew tremendously as the sport became much more visible on television and social media and the U.S. emerged as a world power. The sport is especially popular in Nebraska, where Creighton University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the state system’s flagship campus, are ranked in the collegiate top 10. Nebraska fell short in the national semifinals on Friday. Last year, 92,003 people filled Nebraska’s football stadium to watch a volleyball match, setting a world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event. Brandon Traudt’s daughter was a strong basketball player in middle school after growing up alongside her brother Isaac, who now plays for Creighton, but she always preferred volleyball. She will soon pursue that passion at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. “I think girls just naturally — especially in the state of Nebraska — gravitate towards volleyball,” Traudt said. “Volleyball is just very, very good in this state.” Maybe the popularity of the WNBA and players like Clark could change the trends, but Ward, the Grand Island dad, can envision an 8-year-old telling her parents she wants to play basketball only to be told there is no time for that with volleyball and dance. “I think the Caitlin Clark thing — it’s tough to say if this third grader sees it that she’s just going to quit volleyball and start playing basketball now. I don’t know,” Ward said. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
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Judge rejects request to sideline a San Jose State volleyball player on grounds she’s transgenderJESSICA Simpson is said to be on the brink of filing for divorce from her husband Eric Johnson, and their split could become a messy legal battle over her reported $200million fortune. According to sources, Jessica and Eric are living separate lives , but co-parenting their three children. The couple tied the knot in 2014, six years after he announced his retirement from the NFL . He is said to be worth around $10 million after playing for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints. Jessica is thought to have amassed a lot more money over the years from her music career, brand deals, and fashion business. Divorce attorney Andrew Zashin, Founding Partner at Zashin Law , gave his opinion on the case, having dealt with high net worth splits. Jessica Simpson He said the situation could turn into a "dumpster fire," if they don't have their priorities straight and hire good counsel to avoid court and unnecessary publicity. Andrew said, "In my world, a 'good' lawyer is not a gladiator but a creative problem solver who tries to find 'win-win' situations wherever possible and preserve the parties' wealth and even help to pass it along to future generations. "Other times, cases just explode and become salacious circuses. "Whether any particular case becomes acrimonious depends on many factors: the parties desire to keep everything quiet, who their lawyers are, etc. Most read in Celebrity 'DRAINED BANK ACCOUNT' "Some cases turn nasty simply because one party wants to make an issue out of something for their own sake; other times, it's because the mistreatment has actual legal significance. "But it is always a possibility and one that I try very hard in my practice to contain. "I have a saying 'I don’t do revenge.' If someone wants to make a case nasty for their own sake, they usually end up extremely disappointed and spend a lot of money to get nowhere." Jessica hinted at feeling wronged in a recent cryptic post while recording music in Tennessee . She posted a photo of herself in the studio, with the caption, "This comeback is personal, it's an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve." Jessica and Eric have not been wearing their wedding bands for months, and have not denied reports they are no longer together. The U.S. Sun reached out to their reps for comment. Lawyer Andrew went on, "There are two pieces of advice I would give each of them individually. "The first is to be 'intelligently self-interested' - meaning, be smart about the fights you consider having. "I have seen people fight for their own sake only to end up shooting themselves in the foot financially. "Second, both need to seriously keep in mind that if their marriage really is going to end, they are going to be parents forever and a good divorce can be far better than a bad marriage for kids. "For Jessica specifically, I would tell her to be prepared to part ways with more financially than she might want to and to know what is truly important to her." It is estimated Jessica's net worth stands at around $200 million , although it could be significantly less after she borrowed money to buy her business back . PARENTING BATTLE Jessica, 44, revealed on an episode of The Real two years ago that she "drained her bank account" and borrowed against her home to save her "billion-dollar brand." Despite this, she's still believed to have millions more in the bank than her former spouse and they are not thought to have signed a prenuptial agreement. Eric has been more of a stay-at-home dad in recent years since retiring, whereas Jessica is still often focused on her career. The former couple share three children ; Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie, five. Jessica has been recording her new album in Nashville , but Eric is believed to be permanently based in Los Angeles , where their kids go to school. Asked if her traveling could affect any divorce that may come , Andrew said, "It could, but divorce often changes people and their outlook on what they are willing to do. "I cannot tell you how many times I have seen the workaholic spouse completely change track when their marriage falls apart because they are simply unwilling to be away from the kids when they are no longer in the marital partnership. "Of course, here, if Eric and Jessica chose to remain in their current locations, I think crafting a workable parenting schedule gets more complicated, but certainly possible. "Jessica is going to have to make some decisions about what she needs or wants to do and how she is going to make that happen." Andrew went on to explain, "Whether someone is the primary income source during the marriage doesn’t necessarily translate to parenting. "One spouse may earn most of the income but be an extremely involved and fantastic parent. The couple is said to be living separate lives but have not filed for divorce. Jessica Simpson finalized her divorce from Nick Lachey in 2006 and went on to date the likes of John Mayer and Tony Romo. She then met former footballer Eric Johnson and the pair went public in 2010, with him popping the question just months later in November. They welcomed their firstborn, Maxwell, in 2012, followed by Ace in 2013, before finally tying the knot in 2014. The couple then had their third child, Birdie, in 2019. She previously gushed about the star and said they "rarely fight". But rumors of a separation have been ripe for several months, after the star was seen without her wedding ring. She also failed to mention Eric on their 10th wedding anniversary, and he has not appeared in any romantic social media posts. The last time she shared snaps with her husband was during Easter break with her children, but they were not standing together. They are yet to shut down rumors they are separated and reps for the pair did not respond to comment calls from The U.S. Sun. "Could Eric try to make a play for holding all the parenting cards? Sure. But he would really need a damn good reason for taking that position. "The overwhelming majority of divorces with kids involved end up with a shared custodial arrangement, particularly on decision-making." Andrew said without a prenuptial agreement, they would likely have an equal division of marital assets. "Defining what those are is often one of the biggest issues in any divorce case," he said. "It can be tricky because things that would theoretically be off the table (assets owned before the marriage) might now have a marital part to them if any increase in value was caused by either spouse's efforts during the marriage. "As for what else he could ask for, the most obvious thing would be alimony/spousal support." Rumors of a split began to circulate after Jessica failed to mention her husband on social media for their 10th wedding anniversary back in July. One insider previously told The U.S. Sun that divorce has allegedly been on the cards for a long time. Read More on The US Sun "Jessica and Eric have had problems for years, even before the pandemic," they said. "It's sadly no surprise they could be heading for divorce."
Croatia's President Zoran Milanovic will face conservative rival Dragan Primorac in an election run-off in two weeks' time after the incumbent narrowly missed out an outright victory on Sunday, official results showed. The results came after an exit poll, released immediately after the polling stations closed, showed that Milanovic, backed by the opposition left-wing Social Democrats, had scooped more than 50 percent of the first round vote and would thus avoid the January 12 run-off. Milanovic won 49.11 percent of the first round vote and Primorac, backed by the ruling conservative HDZ party, took 19.37 percent, according to results released by the state electoral commission from nearly all of the polling stations. Such a strong lead for Milanovic, whom surveys labelled a favourite ahead of the vote, raises serious concerns for Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's HDZ. The election comes as the European Union and NATO member country of 3.8 million people struggles with biting inflation, widespread corruption and a labour shortage. Among the eight contenders, centre-right MP Marija Selak Raspudic and green-left MP Ivana Kekin followed the two main rivals, the exit poll showed. They each won around nine percent of the vote. Croatia's president commands the country's armed forces and has a say in foreign policy. But despite limited powers, many believe the office is key for the political balance of power in a country mainly governed by the HDZ since independence in 1991. "All the eggs should not be in one basket," Nenad Horvat, a salesman in his 40s, told AFP. He sees Milanovic, a former leftist prime minister, as the "last barrier to all levers of power falling into the hands of HDZ", echoing the view of many that was reflected in Sunday's vote results. The 58-year-old Milanovic has been one of Croatia's leading and most colourful political figures for nearly two decades. Sharp and eloquent, he won the presidency for the Social Democrats (SDP) in 2020 with pledges to advocate tolerance and liberalism. But he used the office to attack political opponents and EU officials, often with offensive and populist rhetoric. Milanovic, who condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine, has nonetheless criticised the West's military aid to Kyiv. That prompted the prime minister to label him a pro-Russian who is "destroying Croatia's credibility in NATO and the EU". Milanovic countered that he wanted to protect Croatia from being "dragged into war". "As long as I'm president no Croatian soldier will wage somebody else's wars," he said this month. Milanovic regularly pans Plenkovic and his HDZ party over systemic corruption, calling the premier a "serious threat to Croatia's democracy". "I'm a guarantee of the control of the octopus of corruption... headed by Andrej Plenkovic," he said during the campaign. For many, the election is a continuation of the longstanding feud between two powerful politicians. "This is still about the conflict between the prime minister and president," political analyst Zarko Puhovski told AFP. "All the rest are just incidental topics." Primorac, a 59-year-old physician and scientist returning to politics after 15 years, campaigned as a "unifier" promoting family values and patriotism. "Croatia needs unity, global positioning and a peaceful life," he told reporters after casting his ballot in Zagreb, adding that he would later attend a mass. Primorac repeatedly accused Milanovic of "disgracing Croatia", a claim that resonated with his supporters. ljv/bc