By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – According to Greek mythology, Zeus entrusted a magical box with Pandora, the first woman on earth, with instructions that it must not be opened. When she did, it released all the evils of humanity – disease, death, sorrow and strife among the curses – and the seven deadly sins on the world. Compared to the Biblical story of Eve, it sounds very familiar.
It’s not a happy story, rather a cautionary tale. Once opened, the contents could not be recaptured. It’s an exact metaphor for the impending decision by the Indiana High School Athletic Association, with a push by the Indiana state legislature, to forever alter the transfer landscape for high school athletes.
The proposal before the IHSAA, with passage expected by the executive committee on Friday, is a “first-time transfer” bylaw that would allow student-athletes to change schools for athletic reasons. What has always been viewed as illegal, unethical and perhaps even amoral, will now be accepted practice. In today’s lax society, that sounds very familiar.
Ever since sports started in Indiana high schools, transfers (especially those directly influenced by shady recruiting) have been a problem. The IHSAA, in the past, was very strict concerning its policy, but that has softened over the decades and especially during the last 15 years, with over two dozen bylaw adjustments during that span. The looming change would allow an athlete who transfers, prior to their senior year, full eligibility, cleared to play regardless of the reason for the move.
Restrictions would remain on a second transfer, on athletes switching schools as a senior, and athletes transferring in-season. A 30-day “non-compete” clause would impact those athletes.
This change comes with the introduction of House Bill 1064, which removes language from Indiana code about transferring for athletic reasons. That bill already passed the House and is expected to pass the Senate as well. The IHSAA’s hand has been publicly forced by the Statehouse. It seems either the lobbyists representing the IHSAA among the lawmakers did not win the argument, or perhaps the IHSAA, with little choice to avoid the inevitable, quietly got what it wanted, a way to shift blame. Government becomes the villain in this story. And politicians have such a great track record of fixing unbroken things . . .
Sounds good? What could possibly go wrong? Possibly, probably, plenty.
Don’t forget the basic principle regarding education-based athletics, a phrase the IHSAA loves to espouse, and rightfully so. Sports should be viewed as its own classroom, learning life lessons while competing. But participation is not a guaranteed right. It’s an earned privilege, the chance to represent the school and community. Perhaps it’s old-fashioned or Indiana-centric to think this, but very few places identify with the success of the local high school quite like the Hoosier state. It’s their kids, our kids, wearing a school jersey with pride, competing with family, friends and loyal fans cheering them. They celebrate the wins, they feel the losses. Sometimes the tough lessons include how to lose with character and grace, rather than just winning and collecting trophies.
Each year, the IHSAA adjudicates thousands of transfer requests. This past year, over 90 percent of those were granted full eligibility, especially with a principal’s waiver that allowed the schools involved to resolve the issue. Most of the rest received limited eligibility, just over 1 percent were declared ineligible.
Of course, the unhappy 1 percent means lawsuits, appeals, investigations and attorneys. Unseemly business, unfortunate headlines when a sympathetic ear is tickled and public relations flow the wrong direction. The arrogant stance, prevalent in most places, seems to be “rules are great until they adversely impact my wants.”
So let’s play the devil’s advocate. What’s the worst that could happen with super-relaxed transfer abilities? Remember the rule of unintended consequences.
First, the formation of “super teams.” AAU sports have been an uncontrollable bane for decades, with the collecting of the best possible, available talent for costly travel teams (which are rampant among every team sport except football). Those athletes, and parents, form a bond. Right now, athletes can start their high school careers as freshmen wherever they choose, so the “influencing” begins in junior high, or before. Unhappy with your high school’s roster or coach? Join your summer buddies, get the AAU gang together and chase a title. Or move down the road to a neighboring school. That happens all the time. It will get worse.
Second, the displacement of athletes who grew up in a local school system. What happens when an athlete who was born and raised in a community, came up through the feeder system, loses his spot when a more-talented transfer “outsider” moves in? Will that bond the community tighter or create a fissure?
Third, the departure of coaching talent. Notice what has happened in the NCAA, with coaches who can no longer stand the transfer portal and NIL cash fiasco. High school coaches and athletic directors will be forced to become glorified sports agents with no commission, worried about who might depart, locked in an arms race of facilities to attract “talent”. The headaches would not be worth the comparatively small salary they receive. Schools, already facing teacher shortages and budget crunches with the new tax and funding situations, would turn more and more to “lay” coaches. They form their “super teams” and win for a short term, then vacate the job. It becomes a ridiculous cycle.
If the college “transfer portal” is the standard, why stop there. When does a high school athlete start demanding NIL money? The slope gets slippery in a hurry.
Forgotten the most is the true student-athlete. It’s not about the lucky 7 percent who go on to play a college sport, it’s the blue-collar 93 percent that participate for the love of their game, for the chance to be a part of something, before they go on to college studies, military or industrial careers.
The worst case of all? High schools could decide the problems outweigh the benefits, while already facing budget issues because of tax revenue, thus they are pushed toward eliminating sports. The death of high school sports has been predicted for the last 20 years, with all the budget issues and charter schools. One day, to save money, they could leave sports to the AAU dark side. Chaos.
Recruiting has been, and will continue to be, a problem, and it’s not just a private school issue. All across the state, there are teams with athletes who jumped from one program to another. Everyone knows who they are, where they came from, why they left. Everyone knows where the inmates run the asylum, forcing coach firings with the threat of leaving. That will only get worse when the asylum doors are thrown open.
Is it too late? It seems to be. The state politicians have voted, the IHSAA decision looks inevitable, even if that committee might find it unpalatable, holding the nose with one hand while casting a ballot with the other to portray solidarity, after losing the will to continue the cost-prohibitive fight in court. Hope was also one of the contents released from Pandora’s box, so hope remains that this systemic change is not the next, and potentially most dangerous, great step toward the most unfortunate of all endings.
To voice concerns, contact your local state representative.
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