Opinion: So much for fair play

Dear Editor,

What is behind the push to merge high school sports teams in New York State? We know our governor wants school consolidation and this may be just one part of his agenda to make this a reality. I don’t suppose how the various communities feel about this matters much in Albany, but I suspect it does to those affected by it. Losing whatever control people still have over making decisions that affect them and their children is not something many people embrace. Bigger is not necessarily better.

Up until now schools have competed in sports using a formula that took into consideration the number of students in each school to determine “fairness” in competition. Based on student population a maximum was assigned to the schools with the smallest enrollments all the way up to the largest. They were broken into five classifications, with “D” being the smallest and “AA” the largest. This gave each school no obvious advantage over another. 

However, now something has come along that does give a significant advantage to some. It encourages schools to merge and negates the old formula based on student populations used to determine classification. As a result, they are able to compete in the same classification as before, even though their student numbers exceed the old maximum allowed. This applies to “D,” “C” and “B” schools and the “tool” that makes this possible is a new rule that, somehow, manipulates the numbers by 20 percent, 30 percent or 40 percent for those “D,” “C” and “B” schools who choose to merge. So much for “fair play.”

Public schools are already at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with catholic and private schools, who are not limited to district boundaries and can literally recruit any athlete they want. Now those who invest in their own kids and build their own programs are at a crossroad. Is this the “new” American way? Do we discourage independence, perseverance, dedication, sacrifice and loyalty to embrace government subsidy? I hope not. 

If combining the student numbers of schools who merge sports teams and having them play in the classifications, based on the old formula, makes “too much sense,” how about this? The point system to determine playoffs already encourages teams to play better competition, so shouldn’t extra bonus points be awarded teams who defeat merged teams who have been allowed to remain in their old classification? It still isn’t “fair,” but it does provide a chance to earn extra playoff points. 

Doesn’t everyone love stories of the “underdog” who overcomes nearly impossible odds or goes down in a “blaze of glory” trying (Rocky, Miracle, The Alamo). I can live with this, as long as it is understood that this new system is heavily weighted in favor of those schools that choose to merge.

 Knowing in advance that many of their victories will be “tainted” by the stain of “favoritism” should be their “cross to bear,” as a result of the unfair advantage given them, and the fact they were willing to trade their independence for it.

Sincerely,

Doug Graves

Tioga Center, N.Y.