High School Football Politics: Does it really exist?

Parents, have you ever wondered why your talented athlete was a backup while a mediocre athlete roamed the field as a starter searching for exposure in his attempt to secure a scholarship?

 If winning is the ultimate goal then the best case scenario would be to play the best players in their respected positions.  In an idea society this is how things would operate but our society suffers from an extreme case of dogmatism.  The evidence of the truth could be irrefutable but someone would find a way to see it another way to serve their personal agenda.   

 Society is political in nature so why would one not come to the conclusion that the high school football system could be infiltrated as well. 

 Case in point, a parent who has a son on the football team volunteers to be team mom; she sends out email notifications for the team and does other administrative duties for the coaches.  The coaches and their new self representative build a rapport.  Now her son who is average at best is in the running for a starting position.  If this sounds farfetched to anyone then I suggest that you take the time out of your busy work schedule and drop in on several practices to become more familiar with the culture of high school football.         

 Still not quite convinced? Well let me try it another way.  If you have time, try to find out who is on the Athletic Booster Club list then compare the parents on that list with the first and second team players on the football team.  The connection between the two will become crystal clear; Booster Club supporters and playing time recipients are synonymous.

 Another underlying problem with the high school system is a coach’s familiarity level with certain players that often leads to favoritism.  Some high school coaches interact with coaches and players from their area’s Pop Warner league.  Once those players reach high school then their familiarity with the coach creates a bond.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this but where the error occurs is when the coach overlooks other players and pledges his alliance to the players he has become more familiar with.

 Let’s be clear here.  Not all high schools are plagued with this problem and not all coaches resort to this tomfoolery but many do suffer from it.   Most high school athletic directors take pride in running a clean program and most coaches will tell you that they put the players on the field that will give them the best chance to win.  Even with that being said there are still plenty system abusers out there that will manipulate the fair play infrastructure just to safeguard an unspoken custom.         

 I’m sure the arguments will fall on both sides of the fence on this topic.  Whichever side you decide to stand on, remember that this process only affects the athletes.  If a player is a starter and don’t belong there then it will show on the field and if another player has the ability to start but is being held back then it will show in his confidence level.  Neither scenario is productive for either individual.