NEWSPAPER EXPOSES IOWA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ORGANIZATIONS
6-29-09
The Sergeant Bluff Advocate, Sergeant, Bluff, Iowa, has shown great leadership and courage with the following two pieces, carried in the July issue of Siouxland Sports Authority. The Advocate clearly shows its readers what is going on with the two powerful and redundant Iowa high school athletic dictatorships. If anything, the Advocate was very mild in what it had to say. The two athletic organizations discussed have NO public oversight, yet collect and spend at least $7.6 million annually. There are no elected officials involved with either of them. They can do as they please, and that is exactly what they do--and along with duplication, is what the Advocate is deeply concerned about.
For example, questions--such as the following, are raised and will likely be addressed in future Iowalive news releases and website postings. Officials of the IHSAA and IGHSAU will be asked these questions. Their answers will be compared with Iowalive's, as appropriate.
Why do we have any, much less two, organizations taking millions of dollars, generated by high school athletes--without any public oversight?
Who decides, and what is the criteria, for selecting the people who serve as Directors, or on the 'governing' boards, for the IHSAA and IGHSAU?
What TOTAL compensation, including all perks, do people serving as Directors, or on these boards enjoy.
Is it possible, or likely, that Directors or other top officials in these two organizations might discriminate against some school districts?
If, so, what school districts are discriminated against, how, and for what reasons?
Why are the Integrity numbers for referees and other sporting event officials so much higher than others at the IHSAA and IGHSAU?
SIOUXLAND SPORTS AUTHORITY--SERGEANT BLUFF ADVOCATE
July 2009 Edition, Sergeant Bluff Iowa
IHSAA and IGHSAU…
The time to merge is NOW
By Wayne Dominowski
SSA Editor
(SSA) – I know… I’m a malcontent. I just don’t see how nice everything is; after all, last January, the United States was enraptured with our new president. Like a Mother Goose rhyme, everything was going to be fine. That’s politics, and I’m still waiting.
The same with the Iowa (BOYS) High School Athletic Association ( IHSAA ) and the Iowa (GIRLS) High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU). They still haven’t responded to what I wrote May 2009 in the SSA’s Viewpoint… you know, the whole issue of Iowa being the ONLY State in the U.S. with two separate entities – one to serve boys, and one to serve girls. I continue to believe the only ones being served are the executives at both entities. Then, again, I’m just a peon with an old school mentality that keeps nagging me about some ancient thing called accountability.
Let me reiterate for those out there that keep telling me everything is OK and everything is fine and everything is for the better: We (Iowa), us (you and me), are paying for two separate entities: the IHSAA and the IGHSAU.
That’s just one matter, here’s another:
A school superintendent told me recently how “hard it is to find coaches.” I noted he didn’t say ‘find good coaches,’ he just wanted ‘coaches.’ I wanted to tell him – even though he didn’t ask -- that the majority of good coaches have all but departed this planet, and those that remain are holding on for dear life. Pretty sticky stuff dealing with a waterfall of administrators who don’t back you up when the going gets tough, dwindling numbers of kids who are or aren’t willing to “give it 100 percent,” parents who turn on a coach at the drop of a referee’s flag on a football field or a technical foul on the basketball court.
No sirree. It’s not easy taking care of kids, seeing to their physical and mental well-being, while at the same time checking on athletes’ grades, who they’re paling around with, checking on who’s going to parties they shouldn’t be at, absenteeism, problems at home, and, well… the usual assortment of daily adventures.
Coaching today means walking a tightrope wire, with the latter probably simple compared to what any one coach faces before, during and after his/her respective season.
Like one coach I knew. Suspended for a couple games. The athletic director informed the coach he had broken a rule. What rule? Some rule.
“Wait a minute,” the coach said. “I don’t understand. How did this happen?”
Seems as if some irate individual called the IHSAA and complained about some situation that had allegedly arisen. The latter simply informed the school’s administrator that the coach was suspended. Tried in absentia, judged in absentia, penalized in absentia. “I wanted to talk with someone at the IHSAA ,” the coach told me, “and they wouldn’t discuss the matter.” Judge, jury, execution.
That’s the way things work in a dictatorship.
Years ago when I covered a game – any sport, any game – I did my job and the refs did theirs. I minded my work on the field or on the court, while the ref kept careful eyes on the athletes and action. In the last two years alone, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had a referee tell me to move back from behind a line – is it two feet, five feet in football or five yards? Soccer – what is it – ten feet?
Folks, give me a break. With all the bad press sports get in today’s society, and all the lack of coverage of good kids trying to remain good (and motivated), young people in high schools need all the positive coverage they can get. The local media supplies that – not the refs, IHSAA and IGHSAU. Refs and the IHSAA should stop regulating cameramen and reporters on sidelines and pay more attention to what’s happening on the field – not off the field. In other words, you do your job and we’ll do ours.
This isn’t the ref’s fault, it’s the fault of the IHSAA . If they don’t come out with a new rule every year – or reverse an old one – they fear their presence won’t be felt. It’s the ultimate control freak mentality.
An Iowa high school was contacted by a major (national) sports network that wanted to cover a school that was doing very well. Nope, the IHSAA said. Not allowed. Several years ago, a major organization wanted to present awards to top athlete performers and teams. Nope. Not allowed, the IHSAA said. On the other hand, if the IHSAA wants something, they need simply snap their fingers, and by golly, you better damn well listen. They can do anything they want, and don’t you forget it.
Coaches don’t stand a chance of justice where the IHSAA or IGHSAU is concerned. One word from either group and boom… the law has been pronounced. Referees, on the other hand – for their protection – are protected. They speak, you obey. Coaches have no such cloak. In fact, they are at the mercy of administrators, A-Ds, parents, dogs, cats, mice and rats. Coaches won’t talk because they are afraid to.
It’s like that in a dictatorship.
Asking the public to ask questions of the above two organizations – or any group, outfit or gang – is like pulling wisdom teeth with a pair of pliers (no, I haven’t tried it, but you get the point). Everybody just lets things like the IHSAA and IGHSAU skip along their merry way. But when something happens, when someone gets really hurt or worse, or if a scandal is uncovered, we all shake our collective heads and say, “How could this happen?”
It’s YOUR kids… they don’t belong to the IHSAA and IGHSAU. It’s your schools, your teachers, your administrators, your coaches… none of the latter belong to the IHSAA or IGHSAU and never have. It’s time for the two entities to merge with a public forum on hand to oversee the switch and the appointment of qualified executives. It’s time for Iowa to take back their kids.
Independent Iowa network reviews
findings of IHSAA , IGHSAU groups
(Iowalive) - When Iowalive net workers reviewed the Iowa (Boys) High School Athletic Association ( IHSAA ) and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU), fear of retaliation of those contacted and interviewed became very obvious to Iowalive researchers. When people – connected by way of high schools -- were asked to express their views and experiences with the two organizations, anxiety and fear were expressed. One school official, for instance, was strongly advised to ‘shut up’ about a complaint he had. Not doing so, he was warned, would result in losing athletic tournaments held at that school. Needless to say, the official remained quiet.
Our findings strongly indicate that Iowa desperately needs effective protection for and encouragement of whistle blowers to eliminate such fears of retaliation.
Legislation on the latter -- for example in the case of the two Iowa athletic organizations – would allow Iowa school officials and others to openly relate their complaints of executive officials at these athletic organizations.
One such complaint, we learned, involved taking checks for photographs etc., made out to officials rather than the organizations where they work. Another complaint we heard had to do with gross under-payment for school expenses incurred. Yet another such instance came when it was brought up how much it would be worth to businesses in a town or city to have athletic tournaments held in a particular community or city.
By looking into these matters, we may also openly learn how some officials acquire their personal wealth.
(We had to ask ourselves after conducting our research: Will top officials at the two athletic organizations strongly support adoption and enforcement of much stronger whistle-blower laws? If yes, please stand up and be counted. If not, why not?)
The following tables show the results of Iowalive’s evaluations of the two organizations. The numbers were derived similar to methods used in evaluating the operating efficiency of former Iowa Governor Vilsack’s office and as described on website: http://iowalive.net . To date, no one, not even Governor Vilsack, has claimed to have better numbers than Iowalive’s.
Website: www.iowalive.net/advocate.htm posts a very courageous editorial carried by the Siouxland Sports Authority editor.
Anyone at the two Iowa high school athletic organizations claiming to have better numbers, or willing to disclose their salaries or total incomes, is asked to do so by using the E-MAIL BAG posted on the above website. They might also explain why the IHSAA and IGHSAU have at least $20 million in combined assets.
ED. NOTE. Iowalive is a growing network of volunteer citizens and professionals for improving Iowa.
INTEGRITY, EFFICIENCY RATINGS OF IHSAA AND IGHSAU
Source: Iowalive 5-28-09
TWO IOWA HIGH PRIVATE, INDEPENDENT SCHOOL ATHLETIC
ORGANIZATIONS
*INTEGRITY INDEX LEVEL ON SCALE OF 0 TO 1,000 TOPS, WHERE SIGNIFICANT INTEGRITY STARTS AT 300
*AVG. YEAR-TO DATE 5-1-09 OPERATING EFFICIENCY
PROJECTED % REDUCTION IN TOURNAMENT TICKET PRICES IF HONESTLY MERGED
ESTIMATED NUMBER OF MULTI-MILLIONAIRES WORKING AT IHSAA AND IGHSAU
Iowa (BOYS) High School Athletic Association ( IHSAA )
180
49%
30%
3
Iowa GIRLS High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU)
230
45%
1
* PROJECTED INTEGRITY & OPERATING EFFICIENCY IF HONESTLY MERGED
400
55%
INTEGRITY RATINGS OF IOWA HIGH SCHOOL IHSAA AND GIRLS' IGHSAU
Source: Iowalive 5-28-09
DESCRIPTION of ACTIVITIES AND MANAGEMENT OF IOWA (BOYS) HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION ( IHSAA ) AND IOWA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC UNION (IGHSAU)
INTEGRITY INDEX LEVEL--ON SCALE OF 0 TO 1,000 TOPS, WHERE SIGNIFICANT INTEGRITY STARTS AT 300
IHSAA
IGHSAU
IF MERGED AND ETHICALLY MANAGED
OFFICIATING OF ATHLETIC EVENTS
500
660
800
TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS
70
120
650
BOARD OF CONTROL, OR DIRECTORS
10
120
520
FEES ETC. CHARGED TO OTHERS
1
60
540
TOP MANAGEMENT
4
41
610
BUDGETING
3
5
810
TOURNAMENT SITE SELECTIONS
3
4
360
SHARING OF TICKET MONEY WITH SCHOOLS
1
2
920
TOTAL
592
1,012
5,210
Anyone claiming to have better numbers is asked to provide them for evaluation and comparison.