Sorry, but I do not understand the logic of a plan being tossed around by the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (athletic directors) to reduce class sectionals (boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball) from four classes to three classes.
Give me a reason, guys and gals.
One reason, they say, is that the new plan will eliminate most mid-week sectional games. In other words, sectionals would consist of four teams. Two games, likely, would be played on Fridays and the championship game on Saturdays.
That might reduce the time athletic directors would need to spend in the gyms, but, come now, a four-team sectional? How exciting!
Another reason is to reduce travel expense. Some sectionals, since class sports, no longer are in schools’ backyards.
That’s true in some sectionals; not true in others. How could Noblesville, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield and Hamilton Southeastern have it better than they do today playing together in one local sectional along with Zionsville?
Save travel expenses? Here in Hamilton County, except with Hamilton Heights, athletic directors have formed conferences which have fans (and teams) driving the state to play games. Not only varsity games, but freshman and junior varsity games. Sheridan, in conference play, seldom plays close to home, except for, of course, home games. Noblesville, Fishers, Southeastern and Westfield drive many, many miles during the school year traveling to Lafayette, Harrison and McCutcheon.
No, I’m not suggesting we reform conferences. No, I’m not suggesting going back to a Hamilton County league such as we had in the 1950s and before. I’m only suggesting that to throw travel into changing sectionals is something which makes no sense to me.
It’s a different world today, folks. Please stop comparing today’s sectionals to those held years and years ago. In today’s world, crowds for high school athletic events, including basketball, will never be what they once were.
Today, basically, there are two groups of high school athletic fans. Check that. Two groups of basketball fans. Say what you want, those who are talking about three classes instead of four are looking at basketball.
One group is parents. Parents aren’t concerned about driving a few miles to watch their kids play. If you think not, check out what’s happening in the summer when parents are investing loads of money and traveling the nation to watch their young men and women play on travel teams and AAU teams.
There are so many sports (boys and girls today) that parents who are out three, four nights a week watching their kids play aren’t likely to get out again on Fridays and Saturdays for high school basketball games. Most in this group will not attend basketball sectionals if they’re played across the street from their homes.
The second group of fans today are people who are pure high school sports fans. There aren’t as many as in years past. Check it out at your place of business. What are people talking about around the water cooler, or in the lunch room? High school basketball? Or, the Colts and the Pacers.
The IHSAA needs to develop ways to bring back interest in high school basketball. To bring more fans to sectional tourneys. I don’t believe the answer is a four-team sectional.
