Pay-to-Play Sport at Private HS employing club coach - what's normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I am naïve, but it seems this kind of makes sense. High school baseball coaches can’t make very much money. Isn’t this a way for the school to have a good baseball coach around, and receive additional compensation by operating these outside programs?

Yes. But HS coaches should not require that players play for their travel program.

Do all the coaches at SJC require the kids to play on their travel teams or club teams? Is this just how SJC operates? Is this in the enrollment or tuition contract that families sign before going there?

Also does SJC tell parents before they enroll that there will be a coaching fee associated with playing a certain sport at that school both in season and out of season? One would think that playing sports at the school should be part of the tuition cost. I'm not sure how the school could justify or force kids to pay the coach out of season. It's almost like all these coaches are operating their own companies under the umbrella of this school.

Finally, it almost seems like these kids are under contract to the school. If they have to be encumbered to the school and coach and can't play anywhere else, shouldn't they be the ones getting paid? I say that in jest, but it seems like HS version of what goes on with the NCAA. Definitely doesn't seem to be what's in the best interest of the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College recruitment for baseball has changed. Keeping everyone together year round may have worked 10 years ago, maybe even 5 years ago, especially when high school mattered more with colleges. But now it hurts the players more than it helps them. During the high school season, it should be 100% about the high school team. In the summer, players should be able to find a team that fits best with their ability and that fits with where they want to end up playing in college. They should be allowed to go to the camps, tournaments and showcases that make the most sense for their goals. Top caliber players have the opportunity to play for national teams that play against top competition. You might have a solid player with a 4.0+ GPA who should be targeting a completely different set of colleges. Or a D3 player who should be playing in specific tournaments for top academic schools. And there are some kids who don't want to play in college at all who should be allowed to get a summer job. There is no way one coach can do that for all 50 plus players in his program.

Agree 100% with this. Kids should be able to join summer ball teams based on their future baseball goals and skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I am naïve, but it seems this kind of makes sense. High school baseball coaches can’t make very much money. Isn’t this a way for the school to have a good baseball coach around, and receive additional compensation by operating these outside programs?

Yes. But HS coaches should not require that players play for their travel program.

Do all the coaches at SJC require the kids to play on their travel teams or club teams? Is this just how SJC operates? Is this in the enrollment or tuition contract that families sign before going there?

Also does SJC tell parents before they enroll that there will be a coaching fee associated with playing a certain sport at that school both in season and out of season? One would think that playing sports at the school should be part of the tuition cost. I'm not sure how the school could justify or force kids to pay the coach out of season. It's almost like all these coaches are operating their own companies under the umbrella of this school.

Finally, it almost seems like these kids are under contract to the school. If they have to be encumbered to the school and coach and can't play anywhere else, shouldn't they be the ones getting paid? I say that in jest, but it seems like HS version of what goes on with the NCAA. Definitely doesn't seem to be what's in the best interest of the kids.

Many of the coaches at St. John's have their own training business or travel teams. The only one that forces you to play on that travel team is baseball. From what the original poster said, soccer ties it to playing time as well but what baseball is doing sounds even worse to me. You are right, it's like they own the boys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a different but related note ... Apparently there was near violence between the SJC and DeMatha football teams IN the parking lot AFTER the game at SJC last Saturday. DCPD was summoned. This is Exhibit B that sportsmanship, fair play, and the true merits of sport have been overshadowed at these and other local schools. Exhibit A is the behavior complained about in this thread.

Violence is nothing new when it comes to sports at SJC. Don't know if it's going on but the baseball team used to have hazing tradition where the upperclass players used to force new guys to do "fight club" in the locker room. Not as bad as the movie, but it got pretty violent. They would match a couple of the younger guys up and they would smack the crap out of each other surrounded by a bunch of screaming cheering players. I think everyone went through it by the time they were on varsity. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I guess it was pretty stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I am naïve, but it seems this kind of makes sense. High school baseball coaches can’t make very much money. Isn’t this a way for the school to have a good baseball coach around, and receive additional compensation by operating these outside programs?

Yes. But HS coaches should not require that players play for their travel program.

Do all the coaches at SJC require the kids to play on their travel teams or club teams? Is this just how SJC operates? Is this in the enrollment or tuition contract that families sign before going there?

Also does SJC tell parents before they enroll that there will be a coaching fee associated with playing a certain sport at that school both in season and out of season? One would think that playing sports at the school should be part of the tuition cost. I'm not sure how the school could justify or force kids to pay the coach out of season. It's almost like all these coaches are operating their own companies under the umbrella of this school.

Finally, it almost seems like these kids are under contract to the school. If they have to be encumbered to the school and coach and can't play anywhere else, shouldn't they be the ones getting paid? I say that in jest, but it seems like HS version of what goes on with the NCAA. Definitely doesn't seem to be what's in the best interest of the kids.

You sound unhinged. It is definitely not like the NCAA, the vast majority of kids playing sports at St. Johns are not elite athletes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On a different but related note ... Apparently there was near violence between the SJC and DeMatha football teams IN the parking lot AFTER the game at SJC last Saturday. DCPD was summoned. This is Exhibit B that sportsmanship, fair play, and the true merits of sport have been overshadowed at these and other local schools. Exhibit A is the behavior complained about in this thread.

Violence is nothing new when it comes to sports at SJC. Don't know if it's going on but the baseball team used to have hazing tradition where the upperclass players used to force new guys to do "fight club" in the locker room. Not as bad as the movie, but it got pretty violent. They would match a couple of the younger guys up and they would smack the crap out of each other surrounded by a bunch of screaming cheering players. I think everyone went through it by the time they were on varsity. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I guess it was pretty stupid.

This sounds like a really bad episode of Friday Night Lights. Where were the coaches or administrators when you were doing all this?

[Anonymous]

Well, Griffin just got the hook at SJC as AD - maybe the culture he created caught up with him.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think he got the hook. Apparently he went back to IMG. Personally, I hope SJC will stop with the sports academy nonsense now that Griffin is gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think he got the hook. Apparently he went back to IMG. Personally, I hope SJC will stop with the sports academy nonsense now that Griffin is gone.

"Spend more time with his family", mid-year, with no successor in place?

[Anonymous]

Wonder if any other dominos will fall, say in baseball or soccer at SJC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wonder if any other dominos will fall, say in baseball or soccer at SJC.

Highly doubtful. The recruitment has already taken place the the major donors have ordained the strategy and need to see results.

[Anonymous]

A bunch of SJC baseball players live in our area and we’re hearing there could be some legal fallout coming for the baseball program. Not sure what that is but I’ve heard a total of 5 players, all division 1 prospects, have now transferred out this year, with 4 of those coming this month. I have a lot of questions that need answers before I’d send our sons there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wonder if any other dominos will fall, say in baseball or soccer at SJC.

Highly doubtful. The recruitment has already taken place the the major donors have ordained the strategy and need to see results.

Donor. You said donors. I think it’s donor. Singular.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think he got the hook. Apparently he went back to IMG. Personally, I hope SJC will stop with the sports academy nonsense now that Griffin is gone.

"Spend more time with his family", mid-year, with no successor in place?

Griffin came to SJC from IMG around the time Plank gave his millions to SJC athletics. They're friends. I think the job he's heading back to Florida for just came open a few weeks ago, so entirely possible he didn't get the hook but is jumping on an opportunity. Much easier to do this kind of job at IMG -- they know what they are (a sports academy) and are unashamed about it. SJC has this catholic thing hanging over it, and the fact that it's been an educational institution for more than 150 years. They want to be another IMG but hard to reconcile that when you're supposed to be a catholic high school first. As you can see from reading what goes on there in this thread, the school doesn't act very christian these days and is not focused on whats best for the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A bunch of SJC baseball players live in our area and we’re hearing there could be some legal fallout coming for the baseball program. Not sure what that is but I’ve heard a total of 5 players, all division 1 prospects, have now transferred out this year, with 4 of those coming this month. I have a lot of questions that need answers before I’d send our sons there.

I'm still really mad on behalf of those baseball kids and their families after reading this thread, and I have nothing at all to do with St. John's (other than having been amazed by Coach Sal's club soccer coaching antics over the years). I hope that whatever actions the families take results in the ouster of the coaches and administrators who profit off of these kids while restricting their movements.