Louisiana Legislature Contemplates Involvement In High School Sports

I have long held the belief that the one thing that is wrong with youth sports is adults. I realize that without adults you can't have  youth sports but some adults just make it so difficult for the kids and the other parents it's hard to sit and watch. Well thanks to the recent perceived blundering by the LHSAA we're about to have "big brother" get involved.

You know your high school sports sanctioning body is in trouble with the legislature thinks they can do a better job of running it. The LHSAA is already under scrutiny as another sanctioning body is petitioning schools to join their organization. Among the perceived blunders committed by the LHSAA, the largest one appears to be the split between public and private schools.

It is that split that has created a De facto invitation for the legislature to stick their meddling fingers into the pie that is high school sports. Kirk Talbot is a Representative from River Ridge and he told the Louisiana Radio Network that the split between public and private schools is hurting and not helping high school sports.

Whoever is doing this, doesn't have the kids best interest in mind.

If you're not familiar with how the split between public and private schools came to be, it was voted on by the principals of the member schools. They voted for split playoffs in football, basketball, baseball and softball. This split will come in the next school year. The split in football has been in place the past three years.  Talbot's plan will hit the schools in the only place they will pay attention, the budget. His plan would take away state funding from schools that belong to an association that supports split playoffs.

That is a way for us to at least say look, if you are going to be a public school, you can't belong to an association that does A, B or C.

Talbot says he is hoping the legislation will put an end to the split postseason and put high school athletics back on a track that is more beneficial for the students that participate.

My goal would be, nobody splits, we bring this thing back together and figure out a way to put the best product on the table with the kids in mind.

It is currently unclear whether Representative Talbot's legislation will be heard in a House Committee.