LHSAA Principals Vote To Keep Split In Multiple Sports
The vote is in, and the principals of the LHSAA voted to keep the split they created in January, which would affect basketball, baseball, softball, and of course, football.
It was another chaotic day of debate and multiple proposals, but in the end, the same split they put in place a few months ago barely passed (56.5 percent of the vote, according to The Advertiser's Trey Labat). The rural/metro split proposal stole a little bit of the vote, but the principals decided to stay the course and spread the split from football to the other realms of high school sports.
There is fierce opposition and support when it comes to the split. Some public schools say the split helps create fair competition, while others say it drives a wedge in the core of competition and creates more headaches than benefits.
Teurlings High School Principal Mike Boyer had some select words about the decision, again according to Labat's report (linked above).
There has been no communication to the schools from the LHSAA on what Booker's proposal will actually look like. The fact that they're going to have contract problems, the fact that they're going to have venue problems, the fact that they're going to have sponsorship problems. So once again, the leadership led them to a blind vote.
With so many proposals and different ideas clouding the air, can you blame the congregation for going with the status quo?
There are going to be nine playoff brackets in the state of Louisiana (five non-select, four select), and nine different champions crowned. Logistically, it's a nightmare for everyone involved, and the long term financial affects are beginning to manifest in the form of sponsorship struggles. If the money starts to bleed out of the state, the life line for sports in Louisiana will become endangered.
It's summertime and schools are out, which means there is time for the principals to sit down and think things over for a bit. The vote dropped from 63 percent in January to 56.5 percent this time around, so maybe next time they sit down they will change their path.
Right now, the road ahead is obscured, and it's hard to see an easy journey to fixing the LHSAA's problems.