The Quiet Decline of JV Sports

By Molly O’Brien ’26

Milton Academy’s junior varsity sports programs, once essential forges for future varsity stars, have quietly crumbled into a developmental afterthought, leaving a widening gap where a clear competitive pipeline used to be. What was once a natural developmental step between freshman- and varsity-level teams has thinned out in recent years, leaving some Milton JV sports teams without upperclassmen and many teams without a clear pipeline to the varsity level.

In several sports, JV rosters now consist almost entirely of underclassmen. Across programs like field hockey, baseball, lacrosse, and hockey, teams are now limited to a single JV level without a separate freshman group to build from. In Softball, the result is a system where younger athletes are grouped together without the layered progression that once defined Milton’s athletic structure.

That shift has been especially visible in the field hockey program. Over the past four years, the program has moved from maintaining both a dedicated freshman team and a JV team to fielding just one combined roster. What was once a two-tiered entry point into the program has collapsed into a single team, reflecting broader participating challenges and reshaping how athletes develop within the sport.

Another major shift has accompanied the decline of JV structure: the weakening of its role as a pathway to varsity. In previous years, the progression was relatively straightforward: athletes would develop on freshman teams, refine their skills and game understanding on JV, and, somewhere along the way earn a spot on the varsity roster. The system depended on continuity, where coaches knew their players, players understood the program, and improvement was visible over multiple seasons.

Now, that pipeline is far less predictable. In many cases, varsity rosters are increasingly shaped by incoming recruits and athletes with extensive club experience. Players who arrive at Milton already competing at high levels outside whether that be through clubs or at other high schools, are better positioned to secure varsity spots, narrowing opportunities for those who have spent years working their way up through the school’s own system.

The shift does not just affect roster decisions but changes how JV is perceived. If athletes no longer see JV as a realistic stepping stone to varsity, its value becomes harder to justify. Similarly to varsity teams, JV teams can have commitments of up to six days a week, potentially taking away athletes’ ability to participate in other extracurricular activities both inside and outside of Milton. In a world where every step feels calculated for college decisions, a JV commitment seems like the logical first thing to go. If the path forward to varsity is unclear or unlikely, continuing to play may not feel worth the time and effort. In a college-driven environment, where students feel pressure to define themselves through a clear identity, the question of why to continue to play on a JV team becomes harder to ignore. If a student does not see themselves, or is not seen by others, as a high-level athlete, continuing on JV can feel like existing in an in-between space with little recognition or purpose.

As a result, JV teams lose both numbers and experience. Upperclassmen, who once played a key role in stabilizing JV rosters and mentoring younger teammates, are increasingly absent. Without them, teams skew younger, and leadership capacity can suffer. The absence of JV players who could feasibly find themselves on varsity rosters further weakens the connection between JV and varsity, reinforcing the sense that the two levels operate independently rather than as parts of a single program. There may also be a social dimension to the decline. Within a highly competitive academic and extracurricular environment, playing a sport at the JV level can carry a stigma that did not exist as strongly in the past. For upperclassmen in particular, the pressure to either compete at the varsity level or step away entirely can be significant. Continuing on JV may be seen as a sign of stagnation rather than development.

Without a strong JV program, varsity teams risk losing reliable sources of developed, talented, and program-specific players. While recruiting may fill gaps in the short term, the process does not fully replace the benefits of athletes who have grown within the school’s own system.

Rebuilding that pipeline would likely require a deliberate effort to reestablish JV as more than a placeholder level. That could mean creating clearer opportunities for advancement, encouraging multi-year participation regardless of level, and addressing the cultural perception that discourages athletes from getting involved. For now, JV sports at Milton remain in a state of transition: they are still present but no longer serve the central developmental role they once did.

Without a strong JV program, varsity teams risk losing reliable sources of developed, talented, and program-specific players. While recruiting may fill gaps in the short term, the process does not fully replace the benefits of athletes who have grown within the school’s own system.

Rebuilding that pipeline would likely require a deliberate effort to reestablish JV as more than a placeholder level. That could mean creating clearer opportunities for advancement, encouraging multi-year participation regardless of level, and addressing the cultural perception that discourages athletes from getting involved. For now, JV sports at Milton remain in a state of transition: they are still present but no longer serve the central developmental role they once did.