Chapter 7: High School and Youth Sports

National federation of State High School Associationations (NFHS)

- Participating in youth sports has many benefits

- Promoting weight control
- Problem solving skills
- Self esteem
- Social competence
- Academic achievement
- Reduces rates of juvenile arrests
- Teen pregnancies
- School dropout

- School and youth sports are the most influential sport programs in the U.S.

History:
- Youth athletic participation predates the signing of the Constitution and formation of the
U.S.
- Native Americans played “lacrosse” because they used sticks that resembled bishop’s
cross shaped crosier
- Europeans brought tennis, cricket, and early versions of baseball
- Africans brought javelin, boxing, and wrestling
- Formally organized athletic participation run under secondary education institutions did
not emerge until the mid- nineteenth century

School Athletics in the Nineteenth Century:

- Horace mann (1838) said outdoor recreation space was becoming scarce and children
were at risk of physical deterioration
- Many schools began to promote baseball as a solution to social problems (ill health and
juvenile delinquency)
Private schools
- First to provide athletic participation opportunities
- Charles Beck, instructor of gymnastics, first known physical education instructor in the
U.S.
- Promoting “muscular Christianity”- created gentlemen that were morally and physically
able to take on the challenges of modern life
- Campus based club teams focused on intramural type of play- formed the early models
of competition in the U.S.
- Gunnery High School, Connecticut (1859)- became the first school to feature games
against outside competition in athletic programs that were actively encouraged and
promoted by administration
- Fedrick Gunn required baseball and “encouraged and almost compelled every kind of
rational exercise as part of his scheme of character building”
- St. Paul’s school of New Hampshire- hired the first full time faculty member specifically
to coach team sports
- Phillips Exeter Academy, New Hampshire- appointed the first permanent faculty member
as director of athletics
- Educators at established public schools were much slower to embrace the value of
exercise and play compared to their private school counterparts
- Players at the collegiate level organized the games
- Interscholastic students: seen by students as outlet for physical activity, helped develop
communal ties with classmates and alumni
- John Dewey theory: encourages games helped the hasten the incorporation of athletics
into school curricula

School Athletics in the Twentieth Century

- First two decades of the twentieth century , youth sports were popular vehicles were
newly formed secular government organizations sought to combat the proliferating ills of
urban life
- Social and political efforts of educator aligned with the Progressive movement- touted
athletics as a tool to prepare for the rigors of modern life and democracy and to
assimilate immigrants into American culture
 - Progressives promoted child welfare by advocating for increased playground space
(development of year- round) play spaces in Los Angeles
- Progressives promoted formalized public school athletics as an antidote to regimented
physical education curriculum based on the German tradition of body- building through
repetitive exercise
- Emerging city, state, and parochial school athletic associations coordinated competitions
in baseball, track, and rifle shooting- emphasized sportsmanship and academic integrity
- Athletics were critical to educational experiences, government funded educational
institutions eventually assumed the administration and provision of the vast majority of
athletic participation opportunities for youth in the U.S.
- Post World war I- school sports for men were promoted as a source for physical training
for the armed forces without directly encouraging militarism
- Sport was a means for social skills (cooperation and discipline) - valued by ethnically
diverse and industrial society
- Sport participation boosted student retention and graduation rates
- Educators had concerts about abilities to administer and teach athletics since the 1890s
- Dudley Sargent, James Naismith, Amos Alonzo Stagg made contributions to toward
meeting burgeoning instructional and curricular development needs
- 1924- state associations managed high school athletics in all but three states

Non School Youth Sport organizations

- Athletics promoted by nonschool agencies emerged in various locations in the U.S.
nearly simultaneously
- Prominent private agency to promote youth athletics- Young men’s Christian
Association (YMCA)
- Clergyman george Williams founded YMCA in England 1844
- Wanted to attract urban youth to Christainity through athletics in the U.S. (1851)
- National athletic league under Dr. Luther H. Gulick
- Young Women;s Christian Association (YWCA) established and began offering
calisthenics in the Boston branch in 1877
- 1930s- 1950s, YMCA branches opened in suburban areas that allowed female
members to join, local policies
- Family memberships were made available in effort to retain and attract members
 - 1960s- organization’s leadership faced the issue of whether to reestablish its
Christian evangelical elements and rift away from promoting its athletic programs,
even when the exercising membership grew
- The YMCA chose to emphasize individual values and growth, helped with
individual personal fitness goals
- Great Depression caused private companies and businesses to cut back on
athletic participation opportunities they sponsored before the economic downturn,
government agencies had to fill the void
- Works progress Administration (WPA) provided funds and labor foe field and
playground construction
- Local government fostered participation- Little League Baseball (1939), Ameteur
Softball Association (1933)

Governance:
- Local, state, national governing bodies are organized to run championships, coordinate
athlete eligibility, disseminate instructional information, and implement certain coaching
and administrative certification programs
- Governing bodies create and maintain stated rules and guidelines and apply them to all
affiliated athletic programs equitably and consistently

National federation of State High School Associations

- Nonprofit organization headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana
- National coordinator for high school sports, music, debate, theater, student council
- NFHS encompasses 50 states, DC, and affiliated members
- Coordinates certification for officials, issues playing rules for 17 boys and girls sports,
prints officials manuels and case books, magazines, supplemental books, teachings aids
- Holds national conferences and competitions
- Acts as advocate and lobbying agent for school based youth sports
- Maintains high school Hall of fame
- 3 components of organization:
- Legislative body- National council, made up of one representative from each
member of state, one vote, meeting twice a year
- Administrative responsibilities- 12 member board of directors, elected by national
Council from the professional staffs of the member associations
 - Board of directors approves annual budget, appointsexectutive director,
establishes committees for conducting association business
- Has a paid administrative and professional staff- Robert Gardner (executive director)
- Professional organizations
- NFHS Coaches Association
- NFHS Officials Association
- NFHS Music Association
- NFHS Speech, Debate, and Theatre Association
- National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators association (NIAAA)- operates as a non-
NFHS affiliated professional association for high school athletic directors
- Replicated at the state level by state associations

State Associations
- Nonprofit organizations, organizes state championships and competitions
- Final authority in in determining athlete eligibility
- Determines criteria for selection of event participants, event management, and general
rules pertaining to regular season competition

National Youth League Organizations

- Focus administrative efforts on promoting participation in a particular sport among
children
- Little league Baseball- best known youth athletic organization in the U.S.
- Carl Stotz (1939) Pennsylvania
- Convinced three local businesses to donate $30 to purchase uniforms in
exchange for team name rights
- Governance structure 4 levels:
- Local
- District
- Region
- International
- Each league program is organized within a community that establishes its own
boundaries that register players
- Board of directors guides the leagues and operations
- Registration fees- uniforms, equipment, maintain fields
 - Every child must play every game
- District administrators reports to the regional directors, five (California,
Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, texas
- Four internationally (Canada, japan, Poland, Puerto Rico)
- run by the CEO- report to a board of directors comprising eight district
administrators elected to rotating terms by their colleagues at the periodic
International Congress
- CEO- Stephen Keener

Career Opportunities
School Athletic Director/ League Director
- responsibilities - hiring, supervising, evaluating coaches, coordinating contest
management, hiring and paying off officials and event staff, setting departmental/ league
training and disciplinary policies, determining departmental/ league budgets, overseeing
all associated fundraising, determings and verifying game schedules and athlete
eligibility, transmitting publicity, public relations
- Youth league directors perform their duties on a completely voluntary basis
- Without compensation or work release
- School athletic directors have less direct involvement with athletes and perform their
duties less publicly
- Responsibilities- risk management, insurance, employment issues, sexual harassment,
gender equity, and fundraising
- Coaches face complex human resources management issues, deal with constant and
extreme pressure to perform successfully, long and irregular hours for low or no pay
- Knowledge of injuries, physical training, equipment, bus driving skills
- Trainers and physical therapists critical for school and youth sports operation
- Require medical personnel and emergency medical transportation at football games and
high risk contact sports

Officials and Judges

- Officials and judges are vital proper administration of school and youth athletics
- Share public scrutiny associated with coaches and administrators
- Employed by schools and leagues, independent contractors
 - Control over game situations, authority to postpone and cancel games, control rough
rough and violent play
- Work on part time basis, compensation does not cover full time
- Submit proof of income from the IRS for tax purposes
- Employment opportunities
- NFHS
- NCYS national Council of Youth Sports
- NYSCA
- Program coordinators, directors of marketing, communication directors, financial
business managers perform important functions

Application of Key Principles

Management
- Highly organized youth athletics suggests that activities create increased pressure to
win and rob children to initiate their own play and competition
- Joey Blethen
- Director of parks and recreation South carolina
- Opted to eliminate tackle football for participation age 7 to 12
- Ages 5 to 11 can only play flag football
- Flag football is the fastest growing sport among children age 6 to 14
Performance Evaluation and Supervision
- Coaches have a responsibility to ensure a safe environment by ensuring proper
equipment, physical examination, fit to participate, forms of documentation
- Organizing drills, minimize physical mismatches, safe practices, cancel practice for bad
weather, monitor that playing in proper way, no dangerous manner
Financial Concerns
- Families can not afford to pay for athletics
- Time limit is a grater issue than funds
- Some families feel mistreated because they pay the full price while others uses sponsors
and volunteer options
Marketing
Expanding the relevance of Track and Field
- Americans do not use the metric system
- Track and field only uses metric system
- More precise, fewer ties with results

Expanding participation Opportunities

- National federation of State High School Association (NFSA)- grow participation
opportunities for nontraditional youths, homeschooled, special education students
- Home School Legal Defense association (HSLDA)
- Wade Labecki- deputy director for Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association
(WIAA)
- Homeschooled students play under the same rules as district students, need full
load classes, age requirements, clean discipline records

Ethics
Coaches as Predators
- Jerry Sanducky
- Child sexual abuser
- Assistant football coach at Penn State
- Guilty of repeatedly sexually assaulting 10 boys, disadvantaged homes and
backgrounds
- Graham Spanier (university president) Joe Paterno (Head Coach) were fired after
failing to report it law enforcement
- Youth coaches have close relationships with players, hold position of trust and
authority
- All sports organizations, managing school and sport programs, impacted by
Sandusky case
- California, Washington, West Virginia, Pennsylvania- introduced bills “mandatory
reporters”
- Fines , felony charges, prison ctime
- National Council of Youth Sports- 200 youth sports organizations, adding
background checks
League issues
Student- Athlete eligibility
- Maine principal’s Association (MPA)
- Indiana faithfull- transfer student from Australia but American citizen played and violated
the “fours eason rule”
- Participated in eight consecutive semesters, transferred for sophomore year
- Did not play remaining 5 games after reported error by school
- Parents filed lawsuit claiming that their son was discriminated against
- Main Human Right Commission voted to not support Faithfull’s claim of discrimation
based on country of origin
- Sued sending it back to trial court
- 2012- lifted by the state judge the temporary restraining order, in favor of MPA
- Executive Director Richard Durost said Cheverus High School would forfeit their title if
MPA won
- Ended up forfeiting after voting 11-0 Interscholastic management Committee
- Stripped of two titles
- Faithfull played additional seasons at St. Thomas More then Wofford College
- Lost year of intercollegiate activity due to extra year of high school
- Lost time as junior, dropped out and moved back to Australia
- Draws students from around the world to compete against public schools, leads to
friction in fairness in eligibility rules and procedures