Quote:
You can increase the enrollment multiplier even more if you want, to get Shiloh and PA in even higher classifications, but then of course that still screws over the smaller schools if they have to abide by the same multiplier. I'm not sure what the legality of it all is, but maybe there's a way to move PA and Shiloh up in classification without affecting the others.
That's exactly what they want the AAA to do (especially the AD/head coach from one of the schools you mentioned).
In my opinion, I think the AAA has this all wrong. A select few private schools want their athletic programs be at the top level of the high school classifications (no matter how much enrollment they have). The reasons are they get to play at the highest level and win at the highest level. By doing that it brings in more prestige for their program and, of course, having more prestige will attract better student/athletes attending the school. Many of the administrators, coaches, and parents of these athletes hope by playing on a prestigious winning team and playing a the highest level of competition will help their kids get scholarships from big time schools. Getting those big time scholarship offers just add even more prestige to their programs.
So my point is, instead of increasing the classification level of these so called rogue programs, maybe the AAA should (instead) either take the multiplier away or decrease them to one level lower than their enrollment numbers allow. Then, by doing this, it will stop all this questionable recruiting of the better players because they would be competing in a lower classification where the lower competition could hinder their abilities for higher level college scholarship offers, thus hurting the prestige of the program. Obviously, beating Conway, Springdale, or LR Central is much more prestigious than betting Mayflower, Hector, or Bearden. Maybe once it is determined that recruiting is not happening anymore, then they can go back to their proper level of competition.
Unfortunately,some of the smaller schools would have to suffer during the process, but I think it would help eliminate recruiting athletes to some of these schools. I think if they did that and if the AAA declared scholarships as being prohibited it would make the playing field more equal. The key move would be to do both of these actions and not just one or none.
If you only take scholarships away and not decrease the level, then some of the parents of these kids will just be paid under the table from rich boosters and you're really not accomplishing much. But if you take away both, then the prestige is lower and the motive to pay under the table is not as attractive as it once was. Sorry I beat the word "prestige" to death, but that is what it is all about for these select few programs.