Last year, I attended one of the more informative and interesting events (in my opinion) on campus. The event was a town hall type discussion forum on issues in high school sport, and the panel itself was filled with people who live and breathe high school sports. Current and former Athletic Directors dotted the panel, as well as the head of CMU's Sport Management department. The idea behind the conference was not to necessarily solve the issues right then and there (impossible with the current financial situation), but moreso to identify and decide how these issues could be resolved.
The panel arrived at a few unanimous issues with high school sport. Lack of funding, lack of participation, and lack of cooperation from the academic side of the school districts has many AD's with their back against the wall. Forced by budget cuts to make hard decisions on dropping programs and benefits for athletes, these men and women are repeatedly asked to do more with less.
The question begged by the panel members was who is affected by these sorts of issues, and the answer is everybody. Student athletes are forced to choose between which sport to focus on, or may have to drop a sport they've been playing their whole life entirely. Coaches don't receive pay raises yet are given little resources to do their job. Many of them end up paying for their own supplies out of pocket. Parents are asked to do more, as some schools cut transportation to games and meets, as well as potentially paying a fee for their child to even participate in sport.
The panel was an eye opening experience for me, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Their are real issues in the world of high school sport. and as these issues continue to expand, they will reach upwards into the beloved world of college and professional sport, which I can only hope will draw attention from those who can help down to where help is needed most.
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