Pay-to-Play Sport at Private HS employing club coach - what's normal?
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Anonymous
It depends. The best player on the team could have a bad attitude, or other behavior issues. Coach could bench that player. The problem is, many times they don't..... |
Anonymous
Yes, sorry. Not that some don’t play a sport year round, just that it’s not a negative to play more than 1. Not the case at SJC, at least in the sport we were interested in. |
Anonymous
The U.S. is nearing the end of two dark decades of lax regulations in most areas of our economy and society. This thread is just another symptom of that larger problem. But the tide is beginning to turn, and very welcome regulations should accelerate right around Feb-March of 2021. |
Anonymous
Coaches do whatever they want in individual sports as well. One of top US age group swimmers was kicked out from Rockville Montgomery 2 years ago, for a very minor reason, likely, just for parents asking too many questions. No parents or lawyer were called to administrator’s meeting with minor, a complete coach abuse of his position. Same applies to coaches behavior at other teams. There is nothing that parents can do except finding another team - no legal precedents, even though it’s often career affecting events for the athletes. |
Anonymous
Why worry about doing anything else, it’s the coaches loss. Most coaches would love to have that type of kid. And I’d much rather the coach kick my kid off the team than play him wrong. |
Anonymous
They wouldn’t risk the team’s performance. The goal is to win, not to fix nasty boys. |
Anonymous
Depends on the school. If the school is concerned with negative publicity, or minimizing discipline related headaches, coaches will certainly do this, even if it means risking team performance. Some schools, however, don't care how their knucklehead athletes act.... |
Anonymous
This is not universally true, which is why a part of your job as a parents is to decide what life lessons you want your kid to learn and choose your school accordingly. Win at all costs? Not for us thanks. Our coaches are expected to promote the full mission of the school, not just produce a winning record. |
Anonymous
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This subject is interesting for many reasons. One is the issue of how parents approach high school and club sports. I think there tends to be a split between those whose kids play “major” American sports and those who play other sports. Think football/basketball/baseball vs soccer/lax/tennis/etc. I think the first group still views sports as something their kids may be able to do professionally, whereas the latter group more likely views sports as something that can help their kids get into the best colleges possible. I’m a bit biased because my kids are in the latter group. They also are at independent schools that emphasize academics, not WCAC powerhouses that are trying to groom kids for ESPN. I would not tolerate what posters are describing as the norm at St Johns. More parents need to think academics first. These sports factories will continue to do what they’re doing as long as parents keep paying tuition and otherwise supporting them.
There’s another reason I’m intrigued by this string of posts. Posters have focused on whether coaches forcing students to pay their private companies is morally acceptable, but I haven’t heard anyone question the legality of it. I’m an attorney and think it is pretty clear that what they are doing is illegal. Private high schools are tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations that are subject to certain legal requirements. One is that they must be established and operated for public benefit, not private benefit. When an employee of the school uses his or her position to require students to pay him or her on the side, they are violating the private benefit doctrine. The ultimate penalty is the school’s loss of its tax-exempt status. Less severe penalties include financial penalties for the individual (here the coach) as well as anyone in a leadership position that is allowing this to occur (think board of directors/trustees). Setting aside the fact that what they’re doing is morally reprehensible, if I were the school’s counsel I would advise the school to change its ways and eliminate these practices because they are putting the school in legal jeopardy. |
Anonymous
| What schools have actually suffered any actual legal consequences though, in circumstances like these? I don't disagree with you about the moral reprehensibility and theoretical legal risk, but typically advise my internal clients based on what's most likely to happen (or not) in practice. |
Anonymous
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This has been going on for years. High school hires coach because coach has direct ties to club/travel program therefore he/she has pipeline to top tier talent for the high school program.
The whole thing is one big shakedown. I agree with the PP focus on academics for your choice of school. If your kid is good enough to play at the next level they’ll play. |
Anonymous
Yes - this has been going on for years at many schools. But what you describe is different than getting cut from the high school team if you don't (pay to) play on the coach's off season travel program. |
Anonymous
| Sounds like OLGC girls lax. Has been going on for years. |
Anonymous
| But what do players actually get from being on a high school team? Cant a really good player just play for a travel team/club? Would he have equal chances for colleges? |
Anonymous
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Well, playing on the school team is character-building, don’t cha know. At least, that what the schools’ websites say.
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