There's no joy to be taken in any of this, but read all about it-

http://johnsoncitypress.com/Detail.php?C...E&ID=63960

I'm not sure the picture really goes with the story, but regardless.

Interesting, however, that Crockett and Boone are talking about cutting every sport BUT basketball and football.

And while Boone generally has competitive football programs, Crockett is usually garbage in both hoops and football.

Yet they realize the identity and the tickets that can be sold for those sports, while they also realize that volleyball isn't exactly going to put them on the map.

It is truly unfortunate and hopefully no further cuts will have to be made at any of those schools. It rests with the County Commission, and though you can spend good money after bad and not get results in education, the cuts they're making don't seem to fit that mold.

But isn't it ironic that Boone and Crockett may actually cut soccer and golf?

I would rather not see that happen.

Therefore, I am using this forum to call out Fred Warren and Scott Calabrese to help those programs raise money to sustain themselves. The amount of money the schools are talking about saving- $80,000- would seem to be able to be raised from the private sector.

We're told that Summers-Taylor are big soccer boosters. Well, here you go. Is there something preventing Boone and Crockett's home field from being decked with Summers-Taylor advertising?

The fact local high schools are talking about dropping sports that ETSU is promoting shows how out of touch the Bucs' athletic administration is with the area's wants and needs.

They need to drop football and keep golf, track, and tennis. I hope Dave gets on the horn and gets them straightened out.

It looks like he took a play out of Paul Stanton's book - not the "drop the non-revenue sports" play because that one isn't in Stanton's book, but rather the "threaten them with high-profile cuts" in hopes of keeping the funding in place. The state legislature called Stanton's bluff and he actually delivered, hoping to put the blame on them, which of course backfired. It looks like Dykes is attempting a similar maneuver, hoping the commissioners will be afraid of a huge public outcry if they make the cuts. History shows the public probably won't end up blaming the commissioners when the smoke has cleared.

Perhaps they are planning to institute AP Pharmacy classes?

He can't make a blanket statement about football and basketball not being on the block because they are revenue producing... these schools are not exempt from Title IX and they will not be able to touch the girls sports especially if football is kept in place... high schools are the worst offenders of Title IX and I think they might need to wake up and realize that federal law trumps any political ploy for funding...

That's a very sad thing, but it's where we are economically right now. Girls can play football and scholarships are not involved. There are no rules in the TSSAA stating that girls can't participate in football at the high school level. Things were so bad at the spring fling for Cherokee High School (Ryan Lawson's alma mater) that their softball team ran out of money and didn't have a place to stay or food to feed the team. It took several businesses donating money, food and places to stay to make sure they were taken care of.
So, private sector fundraising, cookie dough sales, selling those discount cards that you see with merchant offers on them (John Battle is getting ready to sell theirs, it has some INCREDIBLE offers on it, you'll make your money back on the purchase in the first month.) So, it's up to the people to help right now. Take the initiative to keep it going (See Appalachia High School), otherwise, this really will be the trend.

This might be the trend if the Washington Co Commission falls for it. Otherwise, this is a political stunt, plain and simple. I'm sure if other people took a hard look at their budget they could find plenty of other "wasteful" areas to cut rather than those sports. It's rare with such a large organization to find that the budget has already been cut to the bare minimum. Heck, they're building new schools in the county! And they're saying they can't afford to pay the bills they've got? Come on!

Again, Lover, why I am calling out the ETSU administration to help them with fundraising.

Hey, ETSU wanted these sports to be of interest to the region. They can't back out of their commitment if they wish to truly be a regional institution.

washington county spends $23 million on schools and $48 million on a new jail in the same fiscal year, then complain when the school needs funding for the new schools to open. The county would rather incarcerate than educate. Their priorities are out of line much like etsu.

Yes this is a political ploy designed to garner public attention, but it worked. We are talking about it on here now. At least the director in washington county knows where the bread is buttered in sports and doesn't drop one of the two money making sports.

Diesel fuel is close to five bucks a gallon. Just the travel costs for high school teams has officially gone through the roof, nevermind the cost of decent equipment, uniforms, and having a trainer/EMS services at every sporting event.

In my hometown, all high school athletes (including football and basketball) have to pay a $100 participation fee plus basically support themselves. For instance, the bowling team has to buy their own shirts to bowl in and get to the games by themselves.

If they want to keep athletics and do have a budget crunch (which I dont doubt), they can always get creative like this.

Girls can actually be exempted from being allowed to play football. Under Title IX, it's a contact sport and not subject to integration. It doesn't matter that there are no scholarships involved, it's the guage of financial support pubically and privately. There's not much to argue about here. Johnson City schools tried this a few years agon until they were reminded that they'd been pretty lucky that they had escaped any Title IX complaints in the past and probably didn't want to deal with cutting sports!!

The other thing raised about paying-to-play and participation fees has it's own inherent problems with discriminating socio-economically, so if a school engages in this practice, I really hope they do fundraising to help all of the kids that are interested in playing get the money regardless of the family situation. I'd would hate to think that a future Zakee would have been prevented from playing because of a financial situation in high school.

Show me where it is. I know we're comparing apples to oranges, but the VHSL will allow girls to play football, as well as partcipate in wrestling. There was a girl at Lee County that won regionals when I was in high school, she was also a hottie. The school itself can make rules stating that a certain gender can't participate in a sport (see cheerleading and volleyball), but I'm pretty sure the state doesn't have that rule.
It really and truly is up to the merchants to sign on for the discount cards, the people to buy and use the cards. Buy the cookie dough, the fruit sales at Christmas, everything.
As far as the fee goes, maybe it wouldn't hurt to put in a NOMINAL extra-curricular activity fee in the school systems to help with all aspects, not just athletics.

"Show me where it is. I know we're comparing apples to oranges, but the VHSL will allow girls to play football, as well as partcipate in wrestling. There was a girl at Lee County that won regionals when I was in high school, she was also a hottie. The school itself can make rules stating that a certain gender can't participate in a sport (see cheerleading and volleyball), but I'm pretty sure the state doesn't have that rule. "

It's in the Federal law. You DO NOT have to allow girls to play boys sports that are considered "CONTACT" and football, is contact.
If a school allows females to try out and participate in those sports, they have opened the door, but they don't have to. They also have to ensure that those women aren't discriminated against once the door is open (ALA Duke University). So if a school opens it, great, no reason why girls shouldn't get that opportunity but it's a pandora's box that most school systems/university programs don't open. The state can have all the rules it wants but it can't trump the federal statutes.

Anyhoo... the participation numbers will the the prong for Title IX compliance in this test for compliance, so two girls on the football kicking squad won't cut it... They really will need to back off most of this talk.

From what I understand the leadership and their support staff didn't include the actual need for staff, furniture, and all the necessary things that go in to those new facilities... in the budget they didn't project for those costs???? And no one on the Commission caught the fact that there would be a natural increase for the associated costs of these new facilities. Bozo's all the way around, so maybe they were actually reading from the etsu book...

Why does anyone care about two crappy schools like that?


Roll Tribe Roll!

Federal law is overstepping its' bounds in that situation. STATE SUPPORTED high school athletics are regulated by the state, otherwise Kara Lawson (WNBA player) wouldn't have played middle linebacker in high school. I'm glad they have that law, because they'll look like morons when it gets challenged by the right person and they lose. The same goes for cheerleading at the high school level. Boys should be allowed to that, it's an opportunity to get a guys' education paid for if they can deal with the humility of being a male cheerleader.
And DB, as soon as you guys can out of the first round of the playoffs and/or not get your ass beat by a 4A school in a SCRIMMAGE (Maryville), then talk about DB.

You know, with all this talk about discrimination, it seems to me obvious that the ETSU football players were discriminated against.

But really, you want to talk about a bad sports town.

It's one thing when a college drops football. It's another when suburban communities in a supposedly growing area are talking about dropping sports.

My point is in this day and age if a school system tried to stop a girl from participating in an activity that boys can participate in, the lawsuit that would come from it would be ridiculous. You'd have Glorida Allred and Rosie O'Donnell having the billion ***** march on Washington.

nope, the march would come when they start cutting the opportunities to participate that are already in place. If a school takes a dime of federal money, federal law prevails... just ask the people about "NO child left behind"....

We have sports to enrich the lives of the students and provide valuable lessons and opportunities that the classroom cannot provide. That's why we care that kids have the chance to be involved in organized sports.

I know, my brother left teaching due to No Child... Another good teacher and coach gone. I want every kid to have the chance to participate in everything.