By DR. LARRY MOSES
No one asked me but… There has been a major controversy brewing over high school athletics in Nevada. The concern is over the fact that a private school in Las Vegas has been dominating the major sports in the large school division of the Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association (NIAA). The contention is this domination is fueled by the recruiting of athletes in a manner that is not legal for the comprehensive public high school. It is also alleged that the private school has resources that are not available to the public school programs.
The Clark County School District representatives are demanding the withdrawal of Bishop Gorman from the NIAA, making them ineligible for a Nevada State championship. This is due to what they believe is an unfair Gorman advantage because they can legally recruit athletes throughout the city, state, and nation.
The officials at Bishop Gorman deny that recruiting happens. I could explore the fallacy of this but I will not. I could also ask if there is any school shopping and recruiting among the public schools, but I will not.
The public schools further complain that the private school is able to finance their athletic programs, from alumni donations, on a scale not available to public schools. I could ask: Do the public schools have no alumni and what keeps a public school in Nevada from tapping its alumni in the same manner? But I will not.
The NIAA is a statewide organization that is supported by its affiliated members and is tasked with the role of setting rules and regulations that govern the running of high school athletic programs. The membership fees as well as the role of the NIAA are spelled out in the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS 386) and in the Nevada Administrative Code.
NAC 386.655 states the following, “If a school enrolls less than 600 pupils during a school year, the annual dues for the membership of the school in the Association for that school year is $850. If a school enrolls at least 600 pupils during a school year, the annual dues for the membership of the school in the Association is $1.50 for each pupil who is enrolled in the school for that school year. …Each school shall pay the annual dues specified in subsection 1 not later than August 1 of each year. The Executive Director may require a school to pay a penalty in an amount determined by the Board if the school fails to pay the annual dues for the school later than August 21 of that year.”
It must have been a slow day in the legislature if they had nothing better to do than establish regulations for athletic programs in secondary schools. Heaven forbid they might have spent the time finding a way to fund an academic program for the state.
All that being said, let me propose a different tack for those who don’t like the private school taking the championships in Nevada. Instead of forcing Gorman out of the NIAA, simply withdraw all Clark County schools from the association. Each year the district sends hundreds of thousands of dollars to the NIAA through dues and gate receipts from division and state playoff games, let’s keep that money home.
There are nearly forty high schools in the Clark County School District. Not only is that more than enough for a league, it is enough for a meaningful county championship. The district already sets its own eligibility rules and regulation, some stronger than those set by the NIAA.
When there is a division or state contest held in Clark County, the local coaches and administrator run them for the NIAA. Not only would the district save the dues that run well over $100,000 dollars a year, they could keep the gate receipts for the events. There would be a further savings on transportation and lodging costs as there would be no need to send teams, bands, administrators, and school supporters north every other year.
The district was instrumental in the development of a new division within the NIAA that has placed the district’s small rural schools at a disadvantage that will almost assure they will never again play for a state championship. This was designed to save the district travel money and restrict the amount of classroom time lost.
The very school officials who are crying about the disadvantage they face against Gorman are asking schools of 600 students to compete with schools of 2500 to 3000 students. The hypocrisy of this is amazing.
I will guarantee you that the Bishop Gorman and state championship issue will not affect the people of Moapa Valley and Mesquite because we have played our last state championship game as long as we are forced to compete in a league with the large schools in Las Vegas. It is a brave thought that our youngsters will “suck it up” and do successful battle against overwhelming odds, but not very realistic.
Let us add another interesting twist to the discussion of Nevada State Championships. The state football champion of 3A schools this last year was a California school. It is not unusual for a California school to win a Nevada 3A State Championship.
Further, the 3A championship may be awarded the inmates of a prison school. Young men who have violated many of the tenants of the NIAA and have landed in a reformatory play on teams that compete in the NIAA and are eligible for a state championship. Some of the wayward youths are from the California penal system.
I have no objection to these youngsters competing with NIAA members. I do, however, object to them being eligible for a state championship. A youngster in a public school who takes a sip of alcohol is ineligible for up to a year, yet a youngster convicted of selling drugs can be playing for a state championship.
Talk to the track parent whose child is beat in the hundred-yard dash by a young criminal from California. How is that fair? At least the Gorman youngsters live in Nevada and have met the citizenship requirements of the NIAA.
My solution would be to withdraw CCSD schools from the NIAA and set up a public school county championship. This would result in the savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for a district that says it doesn’t have enough money to pay its teachers a living wage.
Thought for the week…A winner never whines.
– Paul Brown
