Leading off today: The NCAA passed a rule two years ago that essentially put an end to exhibition basketball games between college and AAU teams. The reasoning made sense: There was the perception — undoubtedly accompanied by reality in certain cases — that schools arranged the games (with accompanying financial considerations) as a payback for recruits delivered by AAU coaches.
Clamping down was the right thing to do, and major-college programs were inconvenienced only slightly; they now open the season by feasting on one or two Division II opponents without fearing the effect on the post-season tournament chances.
Now, Rick Carpiniello of The Journal News reports that some popular high school events from the past are going by the wayside because Section 1 and the New York State Public High School Athletic Association are developing guidelines for events run by outside agencies.
Some victims of the change include the Westchester Elite Hardwood Classic, the Red Fox Shootout and the Dutchess Coaches tournament.
"Anybody other than a school which wants to run an athletic contest has to get approval as an outside agency from the section in which the contest is being played," Section 1 executive director Greg Ransom told Carpiniello. "At our NYSPHSAA summer meeting in August it was emphasized that around the state — not just in Section 1, but around the state — there seemed to be a little too loose structure on giving approvals to outside agencies. . . . And they said, 'Please get some policies in place and make sure that kids are not being taken advantage of and that organizations are not profiting by using our kids.'"
With that in mind, Section 1 has declined to approve some events, not because organizers were doing something wrong but rather because Section 1 officials did not have enough information.
All in all, it's understandable that the NYSPHSAA and the respective sections want to be cautious. But here's where the libertarian streak in me begins to show:
The stated desire to assure that "organizations are not profiting by using our kids" is more than a little troubling. The NYSPHSAA itself generally does OK at the box office during tournament season and fares especially well when Section 3 teams make it to the state football finals in Syracuse or Section 2 basketball teams advance to Glens Falls. A cynic wonders who gets to draw the line on which organization gets to make a profit.
I'm all for protecting kids and, for that matter, the schools and organizations like the NYSPHSAA from potential harm. But as long as the kids are not being hurt, the individual
