This is very common. Same in our school but it's the best club team out there, and it's so difficult to get in that club. It actually works the other way around: for kids interested in joining that club, being a student at our high school is a big plus. We also donate to that club big bucks every year.

A SJC baseball parent posted on Facebook that there's been an "exodus" of players lately. On the one hand, this parent thinks his kid is the next Ohtani and he's just ... not. And the parent basically admitted that they're transferring their kid out of SJC because he couldn't crack the starting nine (as a sophomore on a team with mega-talented seniors). But the parent took all kinds of shots at the coach for handcuffing his players to his offseason programs, even though I guarantee the parent knew the rules of the game when they got their kid into SJC.

This happened at our public school. An e-mail to the principal cc'ing the county attorney expressing my concern about both the ethics and the implications regarding state corruption laws. Coach was gone a week later.

Anonymous wrote:It's definitely happening at a DC school I know and soccer

+1

It's definitely happening at a DC school I know and soccer

Anonymous wrote:Is this Bishop O'Connell and baseball?

Is this a DC private school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is happening on a girls sports team now at another coed Catholic school in the area. Didn't realize Catholic schools were all about the win - especially on a girls team where college recruiting is done at the club level, not high school. No more teaching the kids values? No character development? Utterly disappointed in the school letting this happen.

Our school is not about the win. They cut an entire winning team and rewarded the least in shape at tryouts. Completely against school values. Very very strange.

I only understand “merit based”. I’m fine with that. It’s why pro teams and college teams have combines.

What I don’t get is rewarding kids that don’t put in the work ahead of tryouts, show up in poor condition, especially if they didn’t have an impressive record the year prior.

My high school had multiple state championships in my sport. It definitely cut returning varsity that took tryouts as a joke and showed up out of shape and got beat by others that wanted it more. And NOBODY was told their varsity spot was secure in advance. Nobody- even the best player. A kid lost their scholarship at my D1 school.

It is disrespectful to a program, the school and the coach to show up unprepared at the start of the season and joke you already have a spot.

I would not have my kid in any Club or school that values laziness, nepotism and meritocracy more than teaching you need to work for things and bring your A game every day.

Anonymous wrote:This is happening on a girls sports team now at another coed Catholic school in the area. Didn't realize Catholic schools were all about the win - especially on a girls team where college recruiting is done at the club level, not high school. No more teaching the kids values? No character development? Utterly disappointed in the school letting this happen.

Our school is not about the win. They cut an entire winning team and rewarded the least in shape at tryouts. Completely against school values. Very very strange.

I only understand “merit based”. I’m fine with that. It’s why pro teams and college teams have combines.

What I don’t get is rewarding kids that don’t put in the work ahead of tryouts, show up in poor condition, especially if they didn’t have an impressive record the year prior.

This is happening on a girls sports team now at another coed Catholic school in the area. Didn't realize Catholic schools were all about the win - especially on a girls team where college recruiting is done at the club level, not high school. No more teaching the kids values? No character development? Utterly disappointed in the school letting this happen.

Walk out. This happened at my high school as a player and we made it a living hell and demanded answers. Coach was sh@tcanned the following year.

If an entire grade/team were cut, it leaves a gaping gap in a program which a coach would only do if there was a plan to save it for others the following year.

If an entire team was the most winning/beat performing team in a program, and that is the one cut, it leaves even more evidence of shady dealings.

The kids on the club team (who might be wonderful athletes but would not otherwise be qualified for admission) also get an admissions boost.

Anonymous wrote:The other schools probably don't want to say anything for fear people would look at their programs.

EXACTLY!! Band together in corruptness...wait a second isn't the Catholic church guilty of that in more nefarious ways?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of this stuff is the reason my kid didn't even apply to SJC because I feel that their methods are suspect for a Catholic school.

We made the same decision not to apply there. Their response (doubling down) was worse than the original action of the coach. Glad to hear it worked out for one of the kids. I hope the rest of them are doing well too.

This happens at other Catholic high schools too. You get the dad cutting an entire class of kids to make room for his son and his son's team. If you get rid of all the upperclassman you can pave the way for your 'retirement' and for your kid and all his buddies to play 4 years of varsity when they show up next year. The 'grand plan'.

I have seen so much favoritism and nepotism through the years that I could write a novel. I have seen coaches outright lie, 'cover-up', fudge data and trash students. They pit students against one another.

It becomes really sad when actual merit is not involved in any way shape or form an concrete stats are completely ignored.

If parents are paying $30-40k for schools billing themselves as athletic and academic powerhouses, wouldn't you think their coaching staff would reflect that? Not complete bush-leaguers.

It comes down to values. Do you want your child to attend a school that plays games and values laziness, mediocracy and nepotism? It really is a cancer in the student body when that starts oozing out and the program becomes a joke. A laughingstock. But, the players know. The kids know. It takes a weak person to gloat and prance around when they know they don't deserve to be there.

I also have kids and kids' friends have their sport tainted by Man-babies with egos that can't be contained. Coaches that throw man baby fits on the sidelines kicking things over and getting thrown out of games. "Great role models" for impressionable teen boys.

We were lucky in a way that my kids sport doesn't even care about high school play and actually advocates against playing high school. Then these losers take the players that didn't even play in their program and flash their commits across their team's social media page. Kids that were developed at outside Clubs and experienced nothing but a brick wall at their own school.

So, yeah, it isn't just SJC. And, trust me, your kid won't care when he's doing what he loves in his D1 program. Let the others live out their 'glory days'. For some, it is all over after high school. For others, it is just the beginning.

I just wish they wouldn't ruin it for the kids over their own egos. You keep them around too long and that is exactly what happens. You teach your kid to rise above it. Cream has a tendency to do just that. Every great sports hero has a story like this in their past. It's fuel, baby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate that adults ruin childhood with these corrupt shenanigans. The school is teaching horrible ethical lessons to the children.

However, there is definitely quid pro quo at play between the coach and the school, as he's recruiting athletes to become new tuition-paying students.

How much is he charging outside of school?

The camps were $300/week and were run just about every week of the summer. For the school year, if it's comparable to other local clubs, maybe $3K. So all in, the coach is probably getting $4 - $5K in revenue per player for those that are in his club.

I'm not so sure about the quid pro quo with the school - it's not the very most competitive, but it turns away a lot of students. I doubt this is to get more tuition paying students.

The quid pro quo with the school is to improve the team, not recruit more students.

Lots of this in nonsectarian privates. Expect more.

But then what’s the point of improving the team?