IHSA needs to live up to its mission
Gosh, do we ache for simpler times.
High school sports is supposed to be one of those treasured passages of life. For so many athletes and their followers, it is just that.
Games that matter, but thankfully games beyond the glitz and dollars and commercialism of both major college and pro sports. Games that teach competition, but also sportsmanship and life lessons.
We've always approached high school sports coverage that way. For the most part, the thanks for that goes to Bob Frisk, our legendary assistant managing editor for sports, an icon in the suburbs and an honored member of more prep sports halls of fame than we can count.
Bob has taught many things, but his most important lesson throughout the decades is this: This isn't pro sports, and it isn't major colleges. These are kids working hard but still growing up.
And because of Bob, we publicize stars but also role players who give great effort; we avoid lionizing youngsters to keep them living in reality; and we don't go negative. We don't quote coaches ripping players in print. We don't build stories that make a goat out of a player who fumbled on a crucial play. As Bob says, these are kids working hard but still growing up.
High school is supposed to be about high school, about memories and relationships that will live a lifetime.
If anyone should know that, it's the Illinois High School Association.
Its mission is described in its constitution as this: "To provide leadership for the development, supervision and promotion of interscholastic competition and other activities in which its member schools engage. Participation in such interscholastic activities offers eligible students experiences in an educational setting which may provide enrichment to the educational experience."
Well, we're here to tell you, the IHSA has fallen hard off track. And it's an outrage!
We know, because over the weekend, the IHSA refused to allow our photo staff -- and those of other newspapers -- access to the state football finals in a disagreement over the sale of photo reprints.
It did so at the last minute. Despite reassurances all fall that it never would. In violation of the spirit of talks with the Illinois Press Association that appeared to show movement toward resolving a "rights" dispute over photographic coverage of high school sports.
Without any warning to us.
The reason? The IHSA wants control. Why? Beyond its own self-importance, because the IHSA envisions a Big Ten Network of its own.
Just take a look at its Web site. Not only is the IHSA signing exclusive rights agreements for sporting events that in reality are owned by you -- the public -- but it has its own online "store." And you can bet the IHSA plans for it to grow.
And when all of that happens, the real losers won't be newspapers. Or even parents and fans and other students who turn to us for coverage.
The real losers will be the student-athletes the IHSA is intended to protect, the student-athletes who suddenly will live in a world of excess too soon.
Frankly, when it comes to treating prep athletes right, Bob Frisk does it a heckuva lot better than the IHSA.