As financial concerns increase among Michigan’s schools, the suggestion is sometimes made to decrease high school sports seasons by the same percentage across the board – e.g., by ten percent.  Those making the suggestion may be looking for cover to have the MHSAA mandate what any and all schools and/or their leagues already have the absolute authority to do locally.

In a statewide organization as diverse in all respects as ours, it is more difficult to find consensus than it is at more local levels.  We find some communities in favor of shortening seasons in terms of weeks, not contests.  We find other communities in favor of reducing seasons at subvarsity levels, not varsity.  There are those who favor reductions in non-revenue producing sports while leaving revenue producing programs alone; but what generates net revenue in one community may not do so in another.

The MHSAA’s position is that all these ideas have merit in some situations and should be debated and decided at local and league levels.  Meanwhile, the MHSAA will continue to pore over its Handbook regulations and MHSAA tournament policies and procedures to identify areas which might carry costs for schools with negligible education or health benefits for students.

While not all of our sports committees seem to have gotten the message and some continue to advance proposals for bigger tournaments and longer travel, MHSAA staff and Representative Council are on “high alert” to do no harm, for example, to adopt no policy changes that would expand MHSAA tournament travel and no non-essential rules changes that would add to costs for member schools.