@PitchingFan & @PTWood Then clearly geography is a factor. We're in Nebraska which is in almost no way comparable to the hot bed and/or SEC areas you are pulling from. The top 15 here and the top 15 in your neck of the woods are apples and oranges. When you're good enough to play for an SEC team, you're good enough not to suffer when playing other sports right up until graduation. Kids around here have to be MUCH more active/louder to get noticed and build a brand.
I fully appreciate that kids lose a lot when dropping sports. It totally sucks. But playing a college sport is so rare that I think giving up some things in high school is worth it for most. You lose a lot, but if it means you get to keep playing any GAME past HS, I'd argue it's worth it. For many - outside of hyper elite athletes where the SEC is dying to have you - the gains associated with whittling sports down as you get closer to graduating HS, is the smartest choice if you want to keep playing. For every kid that is a shoe in to play a college sport, there are a lot more who have to fight tooth and nail just to make it happen and can't afford to leave any stone unturned.