Road to title is private property

[Bighurt]

I read the print version of this article in Friday's paper and thought it was a terrible article. Then, I read the online version of this article and found that the print version heavily edited. This is actually a fair and balanced view of this issue. Whoever edited Tom's story for The Tennnessean did him a disservice.

 

Please read the real article online - Road to title is private property and then form your opinion.

[SwamiSays]

The online version is much better. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

Something I noticed on the very back of Sunday's Tennessean Sports page. FRA Girls Soccer won the state championship. Congrats to them, but it was an advertisement, not a story, and was fully the bottom third of the page. While FRA is definitely not considered an athletic powerhouse, I wonder how much that ad cost, and what is its purpose? Did the Tennessean not report enough on the story and get them enough exposure? Maybe I've missed it before, but do other schools(public or private) take out ads like this?

[big red big blue]

It's a disappointing article, in my opinion, that pretty much states the obvious without attempting to explore any reasons for "why." For example, why do they cite that Glencliff was the last metro Nashville team to appear in the 5A title game in '99? Glencliff has been removed from the public/private debate since D2 was formed in '97. What do they have to do with this discussion? I think a legitimate question is "why have no metro Nashville schools been to a 5A title game since '99? while Rutherford and Williamson County teams have thrived?" But that is an article we will never see.

 

Lincoln County's AD is also quoted. Again, Lincoln County hasn't faced private schools in 10 years. Why is his opinion pertinent? And when Lincoln County was competing against the financial-aid granting private schools, they were dominating 3A with a 15-0 state title winning team in 1990. I can't see how they suffered at all from competition with private schools.

 

I think the data and facts overwhelmingly support the idea that small public schools are at a disadvantage vs. small private schools. But I think Supersteve, wherever he is, captured that a lot better on here several months ago than the author of this article did.

 

 

Satterfield is a clown, as usual.

[fiftyfifty]

The online version is much better. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

Something I noticed on the very back of Sunday's Tennessean Sports page. FRA Girls Soccer won the state championship. Congrats to them, but it was an advertisement, not a story, and was fully the bottom third of the page. While FRA is definitely not considered an athletic powerhouse, I wonder how much that ad cost, and what is its purpose? Did the Tennessean not report enough on the story and get them enough exposure? Maybe I've missed it before, but do other schools(public or private) take out ads like this?

 

If you are from Nashville and have to ask, did the tennessean report enough on the FRA girls. then quite possibly you are missing something. I can hardly find anyone that thinks the tennessean does a decent job reporting high school sports. You can call it an ad if you want to, but I will call it giving attention to a job well done by the parents of these girls. There is nothing wrong with that. And by the way, FRA is a power house in girls soccer and darn proud of it. I hope no one is proposing how people spend their hard earned money. I have state championship experience. I did not place the teams picture in the paper after winning state, darn, wish I had thought of that. They certainly deserved more attention than the tennessean ever gives anybody in high school sports. If you don't believe my post, call Franklin Road Academy and they will be glad to answer why the team picture was in the paper. Those darn private schools. FRA stayed in DIV I, stop giving financial aid to athletes, and they still won the state championship. What is a public supporter to do? I know, I know, you are neutral on this issue, you were just curious, thus your questions on your post. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

[SwamiSays]

If you are from Nashville and have to ask, did the tennessean report enough on the FRA girls. then quite possibly you are missing something. I can hardly find anyone that thinks the tennessean does a decent job reporting high school sports. You can call it an ad if you want to, but I will call it giving attention to a job well done by the parents of these girls. There is nothing wrong with that. And by the way, FRA is a power house in girls soccer and darn proud of it. I hope no one is proposing how people spend their hard earned money. I have state championship experience. I did not place the teams picture in the paper after winning state, darn, wish I had thought of that. They certainly deserved more attention than the tennessean ever gives anybody in high school sports. If you don't believe my post, call Franklin Road Academy and they will be glad to answer why the team picture was in the paper. Those darn private schools. FRA stayed in DIV I, stop giving financial aid to athletes, and they still won the state championship. What is a public supporter to do? I know, I know, you are neutral on this issue, you were just curious, thus your questions on your post. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

 

 

I agree about the Tennessean. They do a horrible job with high school athletics.

I am not, however, very neutral. I sent two through a top academic private school. FRA is a great school. Its girls soccer has been fantastic in recent years. However, they are not considered an elite athletic school. I just thought with one of the other posts talking about money issues in both public and private, it is a little funny that the Tennessean does an article downing privates, and yet takes their money to run an ad on what should have been an big story and should not have cost FRA or parents or anyone else anything.

[flatline17]

I agree about the Tennessean. They do a horrible job with high school athletics.

I am not, however, very neutral. I sent two through a top academic private school. FRA is a great school. Its girls soccer has been fantastic in recent years. However, they are not considered an elite athletic school. I just thought with one of the other posts talking about money issues in both public and private, it is a little funny that the Tennessean does an article downing privates, and yet takes their money to run an ad on what should have been an big story and should not have cost FRA or parents or anyone else anything.

 

 

How is FRA not an elite athletic school? They are top 5 in state championships won since 2000 in every classification in the whole state. Sounds elite enough to me, just because their football is weak doesn't mean the rest of their sports are weak.

[BigG]

Funny... when they complain about privates getting people from other areas, they don't mention Marvyille, Alcoa, Oak Ridge public schools.

[SwamiSays]

How is FRA not an elite athletic school? They are top 5 in state championships won since 2000 in every classification in the whole state. Sounds elite enough to me, just because their football is weak doesn't mean the rest of their sports are weak.

 

 

This isnt a debate about whether or not FRA is an athletic elite or not. Start another thread for that if you want.

Ask anyone who knows much about high school athletics and elite programs. FRA will not get mentioned. Good? Yes. Elite? No.

[fiftyfifty]

How is FRA not an elite athletic school? They are top 5 in state championships won since 2000 in every classification in the whole state. Sounds elite enough to me, just because their football is weak doesn't mean the rest of their sports are weak.

 

They are elite in spite of Swami's opinion. Alas, always a hidden agenda. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

[flatline17]

This isnt a debate about whether or not FRA is an athletic elite or not. Start another thread for that if you want.

Ask anyone who knows much about high school athletics and elite programs. FRA will not get mentioned. Good? Yes. Elite? No.

 

 

Thanks for telling me what to do, I don't need another parent. You can deny FRA elite status in your mind all you want, but the fact of the matter is that they have 9 state championships in 6 years. That's more than every school in the state with the exception of Harpeth Hall, Ridgeway, BHS, and the machine Baylor. Just because the "big" sports like basketball and football aren't winning state championships does not mean that the rest aren't.

[big red big blue]

Funny... when they complain about privates getting people from other areas, they don't mention Marvyille, Alcoa, Oak Ridge public schools.

 

 

along similar lines, the author writes, "What these teams are competing for is a dream coveted by thousands of Tennessee high school boys and their coaches, but ultimately embraced only by a small percentage."

 

the implication of course is that private schools (the minority) are denying huge numbers of players the opportunity to win a title because of their inherent unfair advantages.

 

but what about 4A? Every single year, 3 of the final 4 spots are accounted for by the same schools--Maryville, Hillsboro, and Melrose. So isn't it "unfair" that so many hundreds of kids who play in 4A dream of winning a state title, but ultimately will be denied the opportunity to do so by one of these 3?

[SwamiSays]

They are elite in spite of Swami's opinion. Alas, always a hidden agenda. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

 

 

bulldog, what is your problem with me? Apparently I have somehow stepped in your toes. I apologize if I have, but I really dont see how. I have come to expect a response to my posts on this thread from you and it is, for whatever reason, negative and slanted against the fact that it is I that have said it, not necessarily what I have said. I have read others saying very similar things, and yet there is no response from you. But when I say it, away you go. So whats the deal?

I have no hidden agenda, I only make observations and ask questions, just as anyone else does on here.