Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim C
Cameron:
I respect your answer but follow my logic.
If you go to the Mast Head of High School Today you will see that I am on the publication committee and I am on the committee to represent ALL CONTEST OFFICIALS. That's the only reason I am qualified to be on the magazine.
That being said many of us at an administrative level feel that high school sports may be in trouble.
8,000 high school "futball" players have left high school teams in the mid-west to play Club Sport (AAU type) soccer.
More and more players are taking their AAU basketball skills to non-traditional venues.
High school football must change from to simply a contact sport OR insurance companies will no longer cover the damages of head injuries.
Many high school baseball coaches in Oregon have given up there life long dream of coaching high school baseball because the pressures of fund raising to keep their sport alive has damaged there home/family life.
Cameron I hate to see where things maybe headed but we need to keep an eye on the direction things are headed.
Thoughtful reply Cameron and I appreciate it.
T
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Tim- While I obviously take issue with your characterizations of 3 person officiating, I think the larger point you raise is very interesting and respect your position with NFHS's publication.
As a graduate student in my sports management program I had the opportunity to travel to the Netherlands and Germany and study the European model of sport. The club model is very different from the scholastic model and addresses many of the financial concerns you seem to be talking about related to high school sports.
I'm not suggesting that's the best model for us here in America but if the conversation you want to have is "can we afford high school sports" then that's something we should be looking at.
Having worked briefly in both high school and college athletic administration I do have some first hand knowledge of athletic budgets and related issues. And IMO to characterize using 3 person vs 2 person basketball officiating crews as a cost prohibitive factor within the larger context of athletic budgets is very short sighted and in most cases, simply not true.