Those were the days… There used to be a time in high school sports when you played games against your conference opponent you knew that all the kids on the football or basketball roster lived in the town or school district._ Not anymore…those were the days.

There used to be a time during the annual nine day gun season where groups of hunters, sometimes entire families, organized larger deer drives after the “morning sit”. Not anymore…those were the days.

There used to be a time when summers were primarily for bailing hay, fishing, family reunions, vacations, and camping. _ Not anymore…those were the days.

There used to be a time when buying baseball cards coupled with hard as a rock bubble gum was a common hobby._ Not anymore…those were the days.

There used to be a time when high school coaches spent more than three to five years as a Head Coach. Not anymore…those were the days.

There used to be a time in high school when playing a pick up baseball game with fellow grade school kids did not have any adult umpires or fans present._ Not anymore, those were the days.

There used to be a time where parents trusted and respected coaches, regardless of wins and losses. Not anymore, those were the days.

There used to be a time when “making varsity” was something to be proud of and not an expectation._ Not anymore… those were the days.

There used to be a time where participating in high school sports did not require kids to pay a fee._ Not anymore, those were the days.

There used to be a time when the only time youngsters put on a uniform was when they started playing high school sports._ Not anymore…those were the days._ There used to be a time when playing a football, basketball, _ or baseball game with your friends meant outside in the backyard, the high school playground, or at some back field._ Not anymore…those were the days.

There used to be a time when people listened to sports on the radio, read box scores in the Sporting News, and waited with great anticipation to watch the sports highlights_ on local television stations. Not anymore…those were the days._ There used to be a time when a person had to get up off the coach to change the tv channel._ Not anymore….those were the days (maybe not this one)._ There used to be a time when it didn’t take a computer to pretend you were Harmon Killebrew, Bart Starr, Fran Tarkenton, or Jim Taylor._ Not anymore…those were the days.

There used to be a time when seemingly every Wisconsin small town had a weekly newspaper._ A local publication where an abundance of sports stories found their way into scrapbooks made by Mom and Dad._ Not anymore…those were the days._ There used to be time when their was not fantasy sports, no 24 hour sports channels, and endless talking head sports analysis._ Not anymore…those were the days._