Is 5 classifications too many?

[NWTennSports]

I am in complete, total and absolute agreement that we have way too many classifications. 5 in public and 8 overall is idiotic. Someone mentioned that Los Angeles has more people than Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville combined. Try this: New York City has a bigger population than our entire state!!! Let's face it: Tennessee is a rural state (seven Saturdays each fall, Neyland Stadium is the state's 5th-largest city), and when you start separating in such a fashion, you start eliminating natural rivalries. .... I agree with the idea of four classes and bringing privates back in with the publics and doubling their enrollment so they would have to compete in 3A and 4A. But, this would also have to be the case for basketball. Right now, three public classes might actually be one too few. .... Also, a four-class system might hurt really small football-playing schools, forcing them to drop the sport. We already have numerous schools not playing football. Maybe the state should begin an 8-man classification for those really small schools who are not competitive even in the 5-class format. .... Hey, but don't bet on any of it happening too soon. Those first-round blowouts with 200 fans in the stands mean nothing to the Lords of the TSSAA, who take their cut of the money right off the top. They don't care if their schools lose a little money, as long as they are driving nice cars, living in nice houses and sending their children to private schools in the Nashville area. .... Before we have real classification change, we'll need regime change in Heritage.

[Ro8432]

I disagree. That would be putting teams with less than 350 students such as Oakdale-with maybe 170-against teams with 3 or 4 times as much. Isn't fair to the smaller schools.

[xxxsessive]

I liked it better the way that it used to be with three classes. I played at Harriman in a region composed of Harriman, Kingston, Rockwood, Loudon, Lenoir City, Anderson County and Scott County. Maryville and a lot of other schools 2A. The only problem I would have is private schools would have to be 3A, Brentwood Academy dominated AA.