It’s safe to say that September was interesting when it comes to life in the FHSAA.
And I’ll just go ahead and ask: What do you think about the new playoffs proposal that was up for a vote late in the month?
A lot of it goes back to teams making it into the playoffs with losing records – last year a 1-9 side made it into the playoffs as a district runner-up – which was how the system worked. The district champ and runner-up have been playoff eligible since 2003. Districts would stay from 5A to 8A but go away in the lower four A’s. Districts would go away, and the top four squads would get in on a points system. The only change from proposals in the past is that the idea of getting bonus points for “playing up” would go off the board.
As a level of comparison, in Georgia there’s a points system for playing up. In recent years, teams in the smallest classification have backed away from playing up since they’re penalized when they lose to a higher-class side. Teams that used to do it don’t anymore.
The other topic that has, somewhat, been at the forefront of high school football conversations is IMG Academy, who they are, and what they’re doing.
No, they’re not playing for a title. They’re a dues-paying member of the FHSAA, and they’re more a barnstorming side than anything else. And I get it. Just look at their schedule: Grayson (Loganville, Georgia), Centennial (Corona, California), Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Oklahoma), St. John’s (Washington, D.C.), Southern Lab (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Long Beach Polytechnic (Long Beach, California), St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland), and Bishop Sullivan Catholic (Virginia Beach, Virginia).
But when Georgia and Texas decide that they don’t want you around anymore, that’s big.
When the all-star team of all-star teams wants to come to town, my only thought is that they’re there to take your all-stars back home with them and nothing more.
Do I understand that there are those businesses (And do not misunderstand: IMG Academy is a business, a BIG business as part of a beautifully integrated vertical model) that act in one way – as a “for-profit, sports boarding school” as the New York Times called them in 2015 – and one way only?
You bet, but my view is that the Academy wants to take their business model and expand it horizontally as well as vertically, going to more sports and reaching younger athletes for their later years.
And that’s the beauty of this republic. Build a business, have a plan, and be more successful than the other guy. Knock out the corner grocer if you’re the big chain and solidify your flanks in the marketplace.
I get it.
But taking a for-profit model and going head-to-head with individual schools?
I don’t see all 50 states locking out IMG for opponents over time, but it might me more difficult for them to knock out the corner grocer if things continue the way they are.
Let me know what you think about everything going on these days by following me on Twitter (@OSGNelson) and on Instagram. Also, be a part of the conversation by telling us here at In The Game what you think on our Facebook page and 140 characters at a time as well (@inthegame_mag).
Play it safe, everyone! I’ll talk to you soon.
ITG Web Content
A New Ballgame
Written by Jon Nelson
Photo by Cindy Bolling
