Change is inevitable and, for the Michigan High
School Athletic Association, comes in at least these ways.By John E. (Jack) Roberts
Excerpts from an MHSAA Update Meeting,
October 15, 1997, Pontiac, Michigan
Change is inevitable and, for the Michigan High
School Athletic Association, comes in at least these ways.
There will be external forces. For example, litigation
and legislation will challenge our policies and procedures and, even when
we prevail, cause us to change some thought processes or operations.
The Representative Council will cause change;
and with six new members for 1997 and as many as six new members over the
next three years, we should expect new ideas. For example, reclassification
of tournaments, two to four new tournaments and as many new inservice programs,
for example, a workshop for booster club leadership and an inservice for
instructors of officiating courses for high school and college students.
Change will also come from the inside. For example,
we have a new building which has led to new policies and procedures and
staff assignments. We will soon have some retirements and that will lead
to reorganization of staff.
And technology is changing us both from outside
and in. For example, soon all of our publications will be on our web site,
someday up-to-date lists of officials will be available, and right now most
of the MHSAA forms can be downloaded on the Internet .
So change is all around us and greatly affecting
us.
But while we will change many things, we must
not — and this is the heart of this message — we must not change
the soul of school sports.
Coaches come and go, athletic directors come
and go, principals come and go, superintendents come and go, school board
members come and go, MHSAA staff come and go, leagues come and go, classes
and divisions of tournaments come and go. All are impor tant. But they are
not the soul of school sports.
What is? The core values — concerns such
as scholarship, sportsmanship, safety, and the scope of our program.
By scholarship we mean scholarship in high school,
not scholarships to college. We mean that academics come first. We mean
that athletics supports the educational mission of schools
and completes the education of many students.
We mean that interscholastic athletics is educational athletics, not merely
recreational sport and not primarily for entertainment. We mean scholarship
in high schools, not scholarships to college. And those who see this differently,
and those who want to change this, they threaten the soul of school sports.
They can’t be allowed to change us.
By sportsmanship we mean the atmosphere that
surrounds our events. We mean the conduct of players, coaches and spectators;
and right now the major challenge is the spectator. We have all the rules
we need for high school athletes, and the best behave d athletes in Michigan
on any level are those who participate in our high school programs.
Right now, the challenge is in the stands. Athletes
would be ejected from this day of competition and the next for using once
the words and gestures that fans use routinely, and they threaten the soul
of school sports. They can’t be allowed to change us.
By safety we mean the health and welfare of participants.
We mean protecting them from injuries. We mean providing first aid and emergency
care. We mean promoting healthy lifestyles. By safety we mean nothing less
than annual physical exami nations and nothing less than coaches who know
CPR. We mean healthy weight control policies in wrestling and, for all of
our athletes, nutrition education and the teaching of life skills to help
students avoid drug abuse, including tobacco and alcohol use. And anyone
who would put honors before health, or championships before caring for kids,
they threaten the soul of school sports. They can’t be allowed to change
us.
By scope we mean the limitations of our program.
How many, how long, how early, how late, how far? School sports — educational
athletics — addresses t hose questions more than sports on any other
level by any other sponsor. How many games is too many? How far is too distant
travel? Without apologies, we put borders around our program to avoid the
excesses that come other programs, including to prog rams involving much
younger children.
We attempt to avoid extremes and abuses. We
attempt to avoid directions which inflate egos and turn out athletes who
leave us thinking they’re the center of the universe and that the world
should serve them rather than vice versa. And those who would relax too
far amateur and awards rules, travel limitations, prohibitions against all-star
events and national championships, they threaten the soul of school sports.
They can’t be allowed to prevail (even if they is the National Federation
of State High School Associations). They can’t be allowed to change
us.
The soul of school sports is local, where you
work. The soul of school sports is amateur. It’s educational.
Let changes abound all around us, but not to
the core concerns of scholarship, sportsmanship, safety and the scope of
our programs.
Some time ago, I watched a National Geographic
television show about the North Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful photography. One
scene was of icebergs flowing in one direction while other icebergs flowed
in the opposite direction. The explanation given to the viewer was that
the icebergs moving in one direction had very shallow bases and were being
carried along by the shallow surface currents of the North Atlantic Ocean.
While the other icebergs, moving in the opposite direction, had
very deep bases and were being moved along by
the deeper and more powerful and unchanging currents of the North Atlantic
Ocean.
In athletic administration, there are lots of
superficial, don’t-really-matter issues. Athletic administrators —
educators — must look for the deeper, more powerful and unchanging
issues, sink deeply into them and let them carry us through the dail y controversies
and temporary hot topics.
Thomas Jefferson said, “In matters of style,
swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
We must stand firm, even against a rushing current, when the issues really
matter.
Legendary Alabama football coach Bear Bryant
was once lecturing his team about the importance of going to class. “I
don’t want no dumbbells on this team,” said the Bear. “If
there’s a dumbbell in this room, I wish he would stand up.” At
which point, star quarterback Joe Namath stood up.
“Joe”, exclaimed the Bear. “How
come you’re standing up? You’re not dumb.”
Answered Namath: “I know, coach. I just
hate to see you standing there all by yourself.”
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s stand up and
stand like a rock for the issues that really matter in educational athletics.
And let’s stand together.
Thanks for caring. Thanks for coming.