MSHSAA fends off lawsuit as high school sports seasons begin

It seems that Missouri’s private schools might have the last word after all about reclassification for MSHSAA sanctioned sports activities. The Jefferson City News Tribune reported last Thursday that five high school students, four from Jefferson City Helias and one from Kansas City’s St. Pius X, filed a lawsuit last Thursday against the Missouri High School Activities Association, challenging the multiplier that is supposed to be used, beginning this school year, to determine classification of private and non- parochial schools.

I’m sure you remember that MSHSAA-member schools voted last May to adopt the multiplier, which will increase the enrollment of private schools by a factor of 1.35 in order to determine these schools’ classifications. The measure was met with satisfaction by public school coaches who felt private schools were showing signs of recruiting. Private schools immediately yelled “foul”.

The suit brought by the plaintiffs seeks an injunction that will stop the MSHSAA from using the multiplier while the question of its legality is debated in court. It will be interesting to see what happens because a precedent seems to have been set by several other states who currently use a similar multiplier. On the surface, it’s hard to swallow the arguments being made by the plaintiffs (actually it’s their lawyers) in the suit against the MSHSAA.

First, the plaintiffs are claiming that because of the multiplier, they will be playing on a team less likely to advance in the playoffs. This, they say, will deprive them of recruiting exposure from college coaches. It seems to me there a lot of backwater areas of the state where high school athletes (from small public schools) face an uphill battle against lack of exposure. Private schools have won a high percent of state titles in recent years. With the above statement against the multiplier, the plaintiffs seem to be trying to lock in the very advantage public schools say they already have.

The suit also claims that private schools will now have to participate against teams with more players, and as a result their athletes will be subject to a greater risk of injury. Excuse me, but any player who takes up athletics could get hurt any time, against any team, no matter the numbers involved. Back in 1989, with a team full of promising sophomores, Hamilton went to Chillicothe and took on the senior-heavy and sectional-bound CHS Hornets in a game Hamilton lost, 34-0. No one got hurt despite the disparity in the size of the squads. Small schools have a long history of playing schools with more than twice their enrollment. I haven’t heard of this being a problem until now.

The plaintiffs are also bemoaning the fact that schedules are set and private schools will play opponents their size during the season and bump up against larger schools in district play. Wait a minute. Let’s look at a school like Ste. Genevieve Valle, which won more 1A state football titles in the 80s and early 90s than any other school. Don’t you think Valle had an advantage during the regular season by playing larger schools, then dropping down against small schools in the playoffs? See, it works both ways.

I think the courts will uphold the multiplier because its being used in other states, but it’s too bad that the MSHSAA will have to spend time and money defending something it was against all along. What this controversy will succeed in doing is spark discussion and debate that should have taken place before MSHSAA member schools were given the chance to vote in the first place.