MHSAA Home

User Sections
Administrators
Coaches
Student-Athletes
Officials

Quick Links
Rules Meetings
Games Wanted
Quick Calendars
School Directory
Forms & Graphics
Press Releases
Record Book
Merchandise
High School Maps
School Login

MHSAA Library
Disagreements
(May 2005)

The Michigan High School Athletic Association is currently involved in litigation brought by a school that's in its third year of membership. It joined the MHSAA as all schools do, promising it would play by all the rules.

Subsequently, there was a change in school leadership and a change in mindset. The school has taken the MHSAA to court for three consecutive tournament seasons to force the tournament schedules to be altered to fit their religious observances.

The school's attorney likes to cite in court and in the press what he calls the association's "unwillingness to acknowledge we live in a diverse society."

Well, if there's one thing this association does know, it's the diversity of its constituency. We are two peninsulas and two time zones. We are both high schools and junior high/middle schools. We are both public schools and nonpublic schools. Of public schools, we are both traditional and charter schools. Of nonpublic, we are both religious and non-religious schools; we are many expressions of faith.

MHSAA member schools are urban, suburban, rural and extremely remote. Some schools are 100 times larger than others in the MHSAA's membership. Some schools are more than eight hours by yellow bus ride from other schools they will meet in MHSAA tournaments.

We know diversity. We know diversity far more than plaintiff's attorneys. We deal with diversity far more than plaintiff's attorneys.

Diversity tends to cause disagreements, but one of the aspects of this association that has pleased me - one of the many aspects of this association that has blessed me - is that, in this association, we usually disagree quite agreeably.

Most of us seem to realize that our disagreements are not with respect to principle, but usually the result of perspective. For example, one school seeing an issue from one vantage point – perhaps that of a large or urban school – and another school seeing an issue from another vantage point – perhaps that of a small or Upper Peninsula school – and the MHSAA having to see an issue from every vantage point, which is a much less uniform constituency to serve and please.

I hope that we will always respect that our differences are not related to intellect or integrity, but usually vantage point: where we serve, where we're situated in the state, where we sit at the table when decisions are made.

MHSAA Executive Director
John E. "Jack" Roberts