No TV coverage for DII games?

[shakinthefat]

ahapplet wrote: I laughed when I read your reply to my post. We are celebrating the 200th birthday of our "small town" this year and my family has lived here since almost the beginning. Some of my extended family is on the same farm my great, great, great, great, grandfather acquired. When I pointed this out to my son, he said, "I guess that means we just never made it out.'' But you know it's not a bad life here and we are celebrating a state championship this morning. And oh by the way, we have a few successful alumni as well, but no private schools. I love Tennessee as well.

 

You have gotten way off track.

Listen-I think its great you live in a nice little Tennessee town where the high school there just won the state championship.

Knowing your family still occupies land from the 17th century is great.

But that has no bearing on rotating the championship games next year.

 

I was born and raised in a farming community just outside of Nashville in the 60's. In the early 70's the Davidson County school district began to bus. So kids in my little Tennessee town had to get on a yellow school bus and travel 30 to 45 minutes into the city of Nashville for Jr. high school and high school. Our high school was turned into a middle school for inner city kids to attend. Our little community was no more.

Count your lucky stars that the little town you live in has not seen the high school turned into a middle school. And your kids don't travel miles from your community to attend a comprehensive high school.

By the way, during this time is when middle Tennessee private schools other than MBA, Father Ryan, Harpeth Hall began to flourish.

I guess we did make it out of our little town due to circumstances beyond our control.

 

The TSSAA needs to be fair when scheduling championship games. It doesn't matter what side of the tracks you come from.

[ahapplet]

I enjoy reading your boards and the complaints especially. Replying to the posts my comments generate is the most fun of all. At least I've got you thinking. Division II is a new and sometimes strange world to me, because we have no private schools in our entire county. I am learning about a very different sociological group from my own and it is a fascinating study. I would like to see the above mentioned match-ups, however.

You seem to enjoy our complaints and find humor in our responses. You also indicate that your town is enjoying a state championship today. Imagine you have the good fortune to pick up another one next year...and two more in the next three years. You have a good football program, you follow the rules, and all is well with the world. And then the TSSAA by majority vote consigns your school and a handful of others, spread throughout the state, into a separate division. Your travel costs go up, your scheduling alternatives dwindle, and your state championship pool consists of almost enough teams to have made up two districts in the '70's. Would you maybe find yourself just ever so slightly resentful?

 

That's what happened to us. We did nothing wrong; we violated no rules. If you want to count BA's issue, a tempest in a teapot over which numerous courts were unable to agree, fine. Punish them. But Ensworth and JP II were stuck here before they ever fielded a varsity football team, much less had an opportunity to commit a transgression of any sort. MBA played football for eight decades without any allegation of impropriety, Ryan for at least six. I know of no complaints against Baylor, McCallie, CBHS or MUS. Likewise, these schools had no monopoly on state football championships in the period of state playoffs from '69 until the split. (Odd how nobody complained about recruting or the allegedly wide pool from which we had to choose then. In Nashville, AAA coaches relished playing MBA and Ryan. That was in the age of spines; sadly, that day has passed.)

 

Your amusement at our temerity in complaining about a fundamentally unjust act says a great deal about you. Sadly, none of it is very flattering.

 

I am amused by your complaints. The students who attend the schools you mentioned are very fortunate and the parents who can afford to send them to these schools obviously care very much for their children. Life isn't fair and many of the kids on our team can't afford the championship sweatshirts, much less the tuition fee your schools would charge. Many kids on our team, and their parents would have a lot more to complain and worry about than the TSSAA doing them wrong. Thank you for your insightful comments. You are an excellent writer and I enjoy your posts.

[ahapplet]

ahapplet wrote: I laughed when I read your reply to my post. We are celebrating the 200th birthday of our "small town" this year and my family has lived here since almost the beginning. Some of my extended family is on the same farm my great, great, great, great, grandfather acquired. When I pointed this out to my son, he said, "I guess that means we just never made it out.'' But you know it's not a bad life here and we are celebrating a state championship this morning. And oh by the way, we have a few successful alumni as well, but no private schools. I love Tennessee as well.

 

You have gotten way off track.

Listen-I think its great you live in a nice little Tennessee town where the high school there just won the state championship.

Knowing your family still occupies land from the 17th century is great.

But that has no bearing on rotating the championship games next year.

 

I was born and raised in a farming community just outside of Nashville in the 60's. In the early 70's the Davidson County school district began to bus. So kids in my little Tennessee town had to get on a yellow school bus and travel 30 to 45 minutes into the city of Nashville for Jr. high school and high school. Our high school was turned into a middle school for inner city kids to attend. Our little community was no more.

Count your lucky stars that the little town you live in has not seen the high school turned into a middle school. And your kids don't travel miles from your community to attend a comprehensive high school.

By the way, during this time is when middle Tennessee private schools other than MBA, Father Ryan, Harpeth Hall began to flourish.

I guess we did make it out of our little town due to circumstances beyond our control.

 

The TSSAA needs to be fair when scheduling championship games. It doesn't matter what side of the tracks you come from.

 

Fat, you got more off track. I was replying to the type of poster that makes Division II posters look like snobs, implying that public school parents, students, and small town Tennesseans are not as capable of making money or as well educated as Division II supporters. TSSAA is not going to put you on Saturday night until you have more teams in your Division. Twelve (? )teams equals no power and I would really like to see the match-ups I listed above. Alcoa vs. MUS or MBA or Ensworth....what a game. Why not come back to Division I? Oh and by the way, most of the Division II posters including you and Woodruff seem like nice guys and it is fun talking to you.

[BigSneaky]

Why not come back to Division I?

Private schools did not want to leave D-1 in the first place. The TSSAA forced them out after much urging and scheming by Riverdale's principal and football coach Hulon Watson.

[tigersfan]

No matter how many--or how few teams are in Division II they deserve the same consideration and same respect as any other team in the TSSAA. This argument is a valid one. Is Division II given a discount on TSSAA fees for playing their championship on a crappy night? Of course not! Does the TSSAA charge less at the gate to get into the game? No again! It would seem that the TSSAA couldn't care less--as long as they get what they want --money! I don't understand why the championship game for Division II couldn't be held the week following Division II playoffs--in a central location (who cares if it is different from Division I's location?)--in a Division II town--on a Friday or Saturday night.