should private schools be taken out of single A?

[BDURHAM]

Pantherman,

 

Interesting points but I think your thesis could be the basis of a counter argument.

 

You wrote:

Is it all about who wins the title or about what we learn about life? Nobody is gonna care who won the 2003 Blue Cross bowl thirty years from now. What is gonna matter is the ones who love the game for what it is and pass that on as a hope of maybe learning something about life and friendships.

 

If it is purely for the "love of the game" then why does it matter if privates play privates and publics play publics? The game will be played and the fruits of the experience will be enjoyed by the participants.

 

Private supporters on these boards often dismiss the NCAA classifications as a standard for classifying high school athletics. Yet, APSU cannot compete against UT-K. UT-C cannot compete against UT-K. Some privates in the NCAA can dominate (Notre Dame), and some cannot (Vanderbilt).

 

The evolution of private school athletics in Tennessee has changed the football landscape. Look at the number of private schools winning championships in the recent Spring Fling.

 

Anyone who chooses to enroll their sons and daughters in a private school have made a conscious decision to not participate in public education. If you consider high school football to be "educational athletics," then you must live by your convictions.

 

If people do not want to sit in the classroom with public school students, then why do they want to play against them on the athletic fields?

Edited May 31, 2003 by StanTrott

[pantherman]

Stan,

 

As long as football has been around it has always been about playing other football teams. Not classifying them into groups and then playing. Yes we have different levels based on size and location but I feel we should never split based soley on public/private. We lose the competiveness between teams and athletes when we say...."ok this team is a private team so you public schools can't compete at their level so you have to schedule teams that are more torwards your talent level". I don't know about anyone else but that would hurt my pride saying I am not good enough to be on the same field and compete against another school. Let's keep things in perspective and let the teams play to see who is better. Like I said; just because a team has the higher score at the end of of the game doens't necessarily mean they have achieved more than the team who lost; score wise.

[TheEgoHasLanded]

Let's also keep in mind that we are awarding 8 state champions each year.

 

If Texas awarded the same number of state champions in ratio that we do...they would have between 25 and 30!

[muffin]

OnLine,it takes no one very long to figure it , all you have to do is listen to what people say that are involved with private schools.Next take a look at the schools,nice fields,training complexs,weight rooms,indoor hitting cages all state of the art,then look at a public school and see if it a comparison.

[BDURHAM]

Okay, no classifications. Everyone plays everyone.

 

Presupposition: As long as football has been around it has always been about playing other football teams.

 

Okay, why doesn't Cumberland still play Georgia Tech? Why doesn't Tennessee Tech play Notre Dame?

 

Why shouldn't CPA play BA and MBA? Why doesn't Boyd Buchanan play McCallie and Baylor? Why doesn't Bishop Byrne play MUS and Christian Brothers?

 

Tell me why every private school doesn't play every private school? Could it be that privates are seeking to play public schools of similar or less caliber? Other than CPA playing Riverdale and a very few other examples, I haven't seen many other small privates playing 5A public schools. Why is that? Furthermore, I don't see small private schools playing the Super 7 private schools. Why is that not happening?

 

The logic of everyone playing everyone has to cut both ways. The small privates don't want to play the larger privates any more than the small privates want to play large publics.

 

Pantherman, can you explain this syndrome in the private schools -- of small privates not playing everyone, including the best private school teams?

Edited June 1, 2003 by StanTrott

[pantherman]

I think most teams schedule based on the drive, cost of travel, and other teams willingness to play each other. I am not in a position to say why some teams schedule weaker opponents and why some schedule tougher ones. What I DO feel is wrong would be a split. Why doesn't Georgia Tech still play Cumberland you ask....well if I had to guess I would say due to the money issue mostly. Knowing college athletics it seems that is the main reason they figure into scheduling NON-CONFRENCE opponents. Wait did I just say conference? Yeah I did...like I said we should have regulations on conferences like we already have. Why doesn't Lewis County play Goodpasture....or Riverdale for that matter? I think in both areas we have problems where teams schedule opponents that they feel they can compete with and be successful even if they don't win. I think like most who want the public/private split you have a problem with privates that I don't understand. And that is fine. We are all subject to our opinions and there will prolly be a split reguardless of what I think. But what I fear the most is putting sports into a political arena where all that is looked at is who is champion at the end. Sports is so much more than winning. I enjoy seeing all opinions and this will be my last post in this debate. I just hope and pray that we who no longer can actually get on the fields or courts and compete think about the kids and why they play the game to begin with.

[supersteve17]

Stan,

FYI -- Boyd Buchanan is playing Baylor next football and basketball seasons. They have also played McCallie and GPS in Basketball for several years. They have played Rhea County, East Ridge, Tyner, Lipscomb and other schools that are of higher classification (public and private) for several years. Their softball team plays all the big-time programs every year. Their baseball team has also upgraded their schedule over the last five or six seasons.

 

I'm not saying every small private school plays this type of schedule but you asked why BBS doesn't play these teams. I'm saying they do!

[TheEgoHasLanded]

Stan,

 

Harding Academy has played MUS the last two years. Harding has 215 boys, MUS has 550, so almost three times the enrollment.

 

Briarcrest Christian Academy has around 270 boys and has played Christian Brothers a School that has over 700 boys for the last 5 or 6 years! They also play MUS, beat them this year, and MUS has more boys than them.

 

BGA beat MBA earlier this year in OT, despite losing last year 38-0.

 

Bishop Byrne played ECS in football this year, ECS is a bigger school and is not in their division.

 

SBEC played ECS in football the last two years and has gotten beaten pretty good (42-14 this year I think?)

 

ECS has beaten Father Ryan the last two years in football even though Ryan is D2-AAA.

 

The private schools are forced to play the larger private schools in D2...I don't know what classification you are talking about in particular, but you brought up D2 schools so here you are. Bishop Byrne and SBEC do not have to play those schools but choose to. I don't know why the TSSAA forces us to play the D2-AAA teams, but we play them, and in some cases we beat them.

[yellowdog]

I don't know why the TSSAA forces us to play the D2-AAA teams, but we play them, and in some cases we beat them.

If I remember right, it was the DII committee, made up of only DII schools, that decided to have DII-AA play DII-AAA in football. TSSAA staff had nothing to do with it.

[TheEgoHasLanded]

I didn't even know there was a DII committee...could you enlighten me on them...where they meet, who they are composed of...etc?

 

Thank you

[yellowdog]

I didn't even know there was a DII committee...could you enlighten me on them...where they meet, who they are composed of...etc?

Bobby Alston of MUS could supply you with all of that information. I don't know the specifics on the committee, but have read about them online in various news accounts. That is where I found out about them, and Mr. Alston was quoted in one of the articles.

[pujo]

I think were getting a little off of the topic, should the private schools be left in 1a. I think we have pretty much agreed they should not, the question is ,where should they go, I think 3a is where they should be.