Schools dealing with eligibility issues

There was an interesting column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today written by Anthony Witrado regarding eligibility issues in the Milwaukee City conference.

The column pointed out that eligibility for the first two or three games of the football season is often determined by the last six weeks of the previous school year. Most kids aren't thinking three or four months down the road, and don't realize that a few skipped days or a failed class will come back to haunt them come September. Some schools had their best players — in some cases, potential college prospects — watching from the sidelines in one-sided losses.

It's not a problem that's unique to the Milwaukee area. Lots of schools, even a handful in the Fond du Lac area, deal with this problem. Most of the time, it occurs inbetween a coaching changeover. In a roundtable discussion we moderated before the football season began, WLA coach Mark McCormick said that if kids aren't in a spring sport, then they have to come to workout sessions he holds early in the morning. While this is mainly to keep the kids active and in shape before summer begins, it's also to make sure they stay eligible. If kids have to be at school early in the morning for a workout, or after school for a spring sport, they are less likely to skip class or let their grades slip.

According to the column, there is an idea to combine some of the schools for football only to level the playing field. While the idea has received some support, city schools that have strong programs like Milwaukee Vincent and Bay View would almost certainly be opposed. Plus, it's only a stop gap solution. It doesn't change the problem of truancy.

Succesful football programs aren't just the work of one person. It takes an entire team. Sure, the coach should try to make sure his kids are in school. But coaches and teachers are stretched thin enough as it is. It falls on the captains to make sure their teammates are following the rules. It takes a positive influence at home to do the same.

Football, and high school sports in general, should be about more than winning. It should be about learning life lessons of responsibility and accountability. It's time some coaches, players and parents try to do something about the eligibility problem.