Will tssaa ever stop being crooks?

[TheCommissioner]

5 minutes ago, Director said:

This is interesting topic and can be viewed many ways. 
This is the main source of income for TSSAA. That 50% number needs to be adjustable when schools are losing money.

In this scenario that is presented $3200 on busses is excessive. That tells me these were charter busses used for comfort and convenience. That is not there responsibility to cover excessive cost. Team meals are also not the responsibility of the TSSAA. 
both of these cost should be funded by the school, booster club, parents etc.

With that said, I totally understand the want for these added amenities. I would want it for my child also.

I also believe a school should never go in the hole for this either. 
This is where I draw the line to expenses, if your in the hole because of base expenses it should be taken out of TSSAA’s  50%.

At no time should they profit off of a schools loss.

My recommendation is to petition the TSSAA and let this be handled on a case by case basis.

 I personally have an issue with the travel to Chattanooga, a city that is not centrally located and not very accessible to all.

just my .02

 

Your points are valid.  The case I have heard presented on the need for charter buses is for safety.  School bus drivers are trained/drive daily short routes where these games are longer distances.  The coaches make a case for the need for professionals drivers.  And yes when I played we rode the big yellow bus and the driver was a family friend.  I was seen/understand both sides.   

[wholder]

This is from 2020:

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation
Bernard Childress (Executive Dir.)	$192,869
Gene Menees (Assistant Director)	$133,549
Mark Reeves (Assistant Director)	$125,673
Richard McWhirter (Assistant Director)	$123,324
Matthew Gillespie (Assistant Director)	$113,520

Edited November 8, 2022 by wholder

[wholder]

2019:

Bernard Childress (Executive Dir.)	$188,836
Gene Menees (Assistant Director)	$129,256
Richard McWhirter (Assistant Director)	$123,224
Mark Reeves (Assistant Director)	$121,683
Matthew Gillespie (Assistant Director)	$109,259

[Indians1989]

33 minutes ago, FOOTBALLROCKYTOP said:

I don’t think it was a waste at all. He’s telling facts. They are crooks. There is No way TSSAA should be making more money than the 2 teams playing each game. Some guys from our local school told me they also won’t let them Broadcast their own teams games without paying $500 or maybe even $1000. Not really sure about the amount but charging a team any amount is being a crook. Not sure what can be done but I’m sure something can be if all schools stand together.  

some guys from are local school told me them my their indians wheel when it all

win you when games and fans show up youre team steal makes a bunch of money

may bee you should be worreed about more fans showing up in stead of com planing on hear

[cbg]

3 hours ago, fooseball95 said:

This is copy and pasted from Walker Valley head coach. 
 

 

Long post but worth the read imo…

 Friday night Walker Valley Football played the Karns Beavers. It was a great crowd, incredible atmosphere. We made $10,000+. This week we will write a check to the TSSAA for $5,000 or so. That’s 50% of the gate. So thankful to raise all that for the TSSAA. Can’t wait to do it again Friday.

Walker Valley Football and Karns Football will then split the other $5,000. That’s $2,500 for us and $2,500 for them. I’m sure Karns had travel expenses that were about the same as ours this week. We will spend $3,200 of two buses and $800-$1,000 on food. That is a net -$1,500.

So we lose money by making the playoffs. Meanwhile, there were 110 games Friday. If $10,000 was the average gate last week then the TSSAA made over a half a million dollars in one night. Even if the average gate was $6,000 then they made well over a quarter of a million dollars.

By comparison (other states association cut)

Louisiana 10%
Georgia 13%
North Carolina 15%
South Carolina 20%
Alabama 24%
Florida 25%
Mississippi 30%

TSSAA takes more than twice as much vs most southeastern high school associations.

I could go on but what’s the point. It’s not going to change. But it needs to be pointed out. It needs to be questioned. We could us the extra income. In the end, I would rather lose all the money and continue to win and move to the next round. But we deserve more. 

Who paid the officials?

I have been told that in Alabama they take less gate money from the playoffs, but they have a high school coaches convention that you are required to attend.  At the convention the winner of the Iron Bowl is the keynote speaker.  If a coach fails to attend the conference, there is a fine large enough that makes it worth attending.

[ILB1999]

2 hours ago, fooseball95 said:

This is copy and pasted from Walker Valley head coach. 
 

 

Long post but worth the read imo…

 Friday night Walker Valley Football played the Karns Beavers. It was a great crowd, incredible atmosphere. We made $10,000+. This week we will write a check to the TSSAA for $5,000 or so. That’s 50% of the gate. So thankful to raise all that for the TSSAA. Can’t wait to do it again Friday.

Walker Valley Football and Karns Football will then split the other $5,000. That’s $2,500 for us and $2,500 for them. I’m sure Karns had travel expenses that were about the same as ours this week. We will spend $3,200 of two buses and $800-$1,000 on food. That is a net -$1,500.

So we lose money by making the playoffs. Meanwhile, there were 110 games Friday. If $10,000 was the average gate last week then the TSSAA made over a half a million dollars in one night. Even if the average gate was $6,000 then they made well over a quarter of a million dollars.

By comparison (other states association cut)

Louisiana 10%
Georgia 13%
North Carolina 15%
South Carolina 20%
Alabama 24%
Florida 25%
Mississippi 30%

TSSAA takes more than twice as much vs most southeastern high school associations.

I could go on but what’s the point. It’s not going to change. But it needs to be pointed out. It needs to be questioned. We could us the extra income. In the end, I would rather lose all the money and continue to win and move to the next round. But we deserve more. 

He cites the Georgia take:  13%.  

GA membership costs between $1111.00 and $1215.00 for a large school,  A large school in TN costs $250.00.

 

And last year, Georgia made $417,000 in fines of member schools.  

 

Every association makes their money.  

 

This is a silly argument.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rlh]

49 minutes ago, Director said:

This is interesting topic and can be viewed many ways. 
This is the main source of income for TSSAA. That 50% number needs to be adjustable when schools are losing money.

In this scenario that is presented $3200 on busses is excessive. That tells me these were charter busses used for comfort and convenience. That is not there responsibility to cover excessive cost. Team meals are also not the responsibility of the TSSAA. 
both of these cost should be funded by the school, booster club, parents etc.

With that said, I totally understand the want for these added amenities. I would want it for my child also.

I also believe a school should never go in the hole for this either. 
This is where I draw the line to expenses, if your in the hole because of base expenses it should be taken out of TSSAA’s  50%.

At no time should they profit off of a schools loss.

My recommendation is to petition the TSSAA and let this be handled on a case by case basis.

 I personally have an issue with the travel to Chattanooga, a city that is not centrally located and not very accessible to all.

just my .02

 

Haul your  butt all the way from South Pittsburg to Cloudland on a school bus and knock heads, and then get back on school bus and ride home.  Then get  back to me on that. That is about 275 miles and 4.5 hours one way.  That was last years semifinal game in 1a.

[rlh]

35 minutes ago, Indians1989 said:

some guys from are local school told me them my their indians wheel when it all

win you when games and fans show up youre team steal makes a bunch of money

may bee you should be worreed about more fans showing up in stead of com planing on hear

Well, you don't get to always play home even if you are the eventual state champion.  See my previous post.  Furthermore, even if it had been at SP.  TSSAA would got half.  SP would have split with Cloudland and paid the officials. Maybe they aren't crooks, but they are shake down artists.

[rlh]

38 minutes ago, wholder said:

2019:

Bernard Childress (Executive Dir.)	$188,836
Gene Menees (Assistant Director)	$129,256
Richard McWhirter (Assistant Director)	$123,224
Mark Reeves (Assistant Director)	$121,683
Matthew Gillespie (Assistant Director)	$109,259

That Chilly man retired, but he wasn't worth half that much. 

[rlh]

If they went to 4 Classification in Div 1 and 2 in Div II, it would actually net them as much money as this system. 

[cbg]

1 hour ago, Blaze45 said:

The sad reality is that the TSSAA cleans up on the gate during football season, and like most schools that makes up about 90% of the operational budget for all the other sports as well. I don't care to watch cross country,  Soccer, baseball, softball, golf and so on, but those sports combined don't draw in nearly as much revenue as football. This is what keeps people paid and TSSAA a float year round. 

The old timers will tell you that when the current TSSAA office was built in the mid 70's in Hermitage, Tennessee the chief source of revenue came from basketball and not football.  Why should anyone just now become concerned about the T$$AA when this has been going on for 50+ years?  Like I have said many times before, if you have educators (employees of the TSSAA and the Board of Control) running the TSSAA you are going to have major problems.  Who in their right mind would allow someone that couldn't run the church bake sale to operate a company with revenues of several million dollars?  If you want to clean up the TSSAA you must find a way to put a businessperson in charge, not someone with a teaching certificate that has zero business experience.  I would pay the expense for my corporate CFO to be able to do a thorough and complete financial audit of the TSSAA.  I feel very confident in the fact that he would find numerous things that have been done incorrectly over the last few years and continue to be done incorrectly.  FYI, the first thing that he would do is take away all TSSAA credit cards and any TSSAA cars that they may be using.  If they are using personal automobiles and claiming mileage that is fine, but they must keep a mileage log.  If they are saying that the vehicle is being used on official TSSAA business for more than 50% of the miles that is a major red flag that could result in a visit by the Internal Revenue Service.  

Edited November 8, 2022 by cbg

[strongx]

47 minutes ago, wholder said:

This is from 2020:

Key Employees and Officers	Compensation
Bernard Childress (Executive Dir.)	$192,869
Gene Menees (Assistant Director)	$133,549
Mark Reeves (Assistant Director)	$125,673
Richard McWhirter (Assistant Director)	$123,324
Matthew Gillespie (Assistant Director)	$113,520

Have you seen what some coaches make? It’s all about the kids?