Does anyone involved with the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association ever listen to the people they govern? They must use the same hearing aids as our professional politicians. You know, the hearing aids that are turned off. Why is it that the people who oversee and administrate state high school athletics seem to forget who they are supposed to be serving?
This is not a new phenomenon. The MPSSAA has been operating under the banner of political correctness for quite some time, more motivated by fear of lawsuits than by what's best for the athletes in the arena of competition. Over the years, decisions have been made governing playoff mechanics that seem, to me, to be based more on what's the most hassle-free thing to do as opposed to how can we make conditions better for competition.
But, Coach, weren't you a part of the problem when you yourself spent several decades on the MPSSAA Track and Field Committee?
Correct. I was one of eight district representatives in track and field, representing the Western counties (Garret, Allegany, Washington, and Frederick) in the 1980s and 90s, so I did have an inside view of the workings of the executive/legislative/judicial power vested in the various sports committees.
The executive director of the MPSSAA has the responsibility of heading each of the committees and acting as a liaison with all the county superintendents and, ultimately, with the state superintendent of schools, who appoints him/her to the position. Understandably, an executive director may feel like he is walking on eggs, and so may opt for the least controversial pathway to follow.
Each sports committee acts as both the legislative and judicial arm of the troika. It may have changed since I have left serving, but it was pretty obvious then that certain counties/cities had more clout than others. Often, decisions were made by having to lobby to enlist the support of the more influential members who I always thought of as "The Big Three": Prince George's County, Montgomery County and Baltimore County/City. What was best for their schools would have to be good enough for the rest of the state. Sometimes I felt like a voice crying in the wilderness.
So, do you want some cheese with your whine, Coach?
Just giving you a little background before I get to the crux of the column.
Many of my coaching and sportswriter associates remain baffled year after year, season after season, by the way the MPSSAA administers tournament play in several team sports, most notably, soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. I'll use basketball to illustrate some of the absurdity that exists. Every team qualified for the playoffs. Everybody feels good. "OK, we only won one of 20 games, but we're going to the Big Dance." Swell. But because of some bizarre seeding setup, only the top four teams in each region are seeded, while all the rest are thrown into a hat and randomly scheduled. How would you like to be the fifth-place team in the region with a 15-5 record, having to play a 2-18 team on their court? The squad with the better record doesn't even get the benefit of playing at home. They get on a bus and travel an hour to thump the daylights out of the Sisters of the Small but Slow. How is that mismatch healthy for either team?
It's not only the seeding that's a problem. How about if the officials for the games were (here's a concept) neutral? OK, OK. I'm not saying that all refs are "homers," but why not give the games some semblance of fairness by bringing in neutral refs? Additionally, the seeding took place this year before teams had completed their schedules, thereby making those games meaningless as far as the tournament placement went. To many schools, being in the playoffs is a goal for which they have toiled long and hard. Don't our athletes deserve the best, fairest conditions to play under?
Any suggestions, Coach?
How about if you want to include all teams in a region in a playoff, that you seed them top to bottom, based on record or even a point system? And do the seeding on the Saturday after the last Friday play date? In regions of more than eight schools, you can have play-in games for the Nos. seven and eight seeds so the team that hasn't won a game can play against an opponent closer to their own ability. Then, if they win, they can advance to play the higher seeds. Play the region quarterfinals, semis, and finals on a neutral court, preferably at one site, using neutral officials.
The MPSSAA has the responsibility to provide leadership in making Maryland high school sports the best that they can be. Isn't it time that they start listening?
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