Video review easily approved by GHSA, golf proposal defeated, debate on junior high athletes and camps/combines strong
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By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
Golf. The definition of the front row at basketball games. Suspending sub-varsity athletes who attend “combines” and similar events set up as ostensibly recruiting opportunities.
Those topics inspired a surprising level of debate and discourse Monday morning at the GHSA’s spring executive committee meeting at the Marriott City Center.
Video review for state championship football games? Crickets.
As executive director Robin Hines expected.
The executive committee – representing every region in every classificiation in the state, along with at-large members – voted unanimously to accept the football committee’s proposal on video review, starting with the 2023 finals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The only thing said on the topic came from football committee head Jose Fernandez, who read two other short proposals before simply reciting what was on the agenda: Proposal to use “Video Review” at State Championship Football games beginning with the 2023 season.”
After that on the agenda was a note that the protocol and procedures could be found on the football page on www.ghsa.net.
“I refuse to read all that,” Fernandez deadpanned, to laughter. Those detailed protocols and procedures, constructed by retiring associate director Kevin Giddens and official James Arnold, among others, take up nearly 3,000 words.
Hines estimated afterward that maybe only five states have a replay system, and that some schools in Alabama made noise a few years ago, but less than two dozen schools employ it, and the process has not been overly smooth or well received.
The debate regarding golf was whether to split up the seasons, with Classes 4A, 5A, and 6A – the GHSA returns to six classifications in a year – in the fall and A, AA, and AAA in the spring.
That push came because of the belief that the bigger schools had more golf-specific athletes with perhaps more potential to compete on the next level. They’d be coming off some competition, and courses would be in better shape, aiding those junior golfers, and the options for the state championship tournaments would be greater.
One member listed the groups in favor of the split, like state college teams and golf associations, who, it was stated, were in favor of all classes playing golf in the fall. But another pointed out that doing so eliminated many city and county championships.
Hines said the last survey of members showed a 50-50 split to move all golf to the fall. But a problem there is with smaller schools, where athletes are more prone to compete in multiple sports. Another involves how many football coaches also coach golf, and having enough coaches is already an issue.
President Jim Finch said he felt smaller schools would prefer to play in the fall, but the staffing and athlete availability were the main issues. He said he was against it until hearing the presentation Sunday when each committee met at the hotel.
A roll-call vote defeated it, 48-24.
Another item expected to be a quick vote – but a lack of clarity and detail in the proposal led to a fair amount of discussion – involved preventing students from sitting on the first row – “feet on the floor” was a common explanation – at basketball games, ostensibly for player and referee safety, and that at least one school administrator was to be overseeing that section.
Defining the front row and whether it covered students or any fans were cited as concerns. Hines offered a version of clarification, noting that it’s basically a form of keeping students under control.
The other proposal that was discussed at length – expectedly – was a proposal for a two-year suspension, of sorts, for a middle-school athlete who attends a combine or camp at a school and then transfers to a school that was at the event, or had coaches working the event.
Any school hosting an event would have to provide a complete listed of all attendees and workers, and any group connected to the event or facility.
The proposal didn’t specificy that the sit-out period was for that sport or all sports, that the period was for varsity or junior varsity or both. Punishment for coaches was also discussed.
The consensus was in agreement for the spirit of the proposal and that it was certainly needed, but was way too vague and had gaps that needed to be closed.
It was eventually tabled so the proposal can be clearer and stronger.
The executive committee voted to lower the minimum capacity per classification for hosting semifinal football games: 2,000 for Class A, 2,500 for AA and AAA, 3,000 for 4A and 5A, and 4,500 for 6A and 7A.
Several sports proposals updated standards and use of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, a process that gauges heat and humidity conditions facing competitors, and another proposal passed regarding a five-step process for an athlete to be cleared to play.
Hines spoke on name-image-likeness in his end-of-the-meeting address, noting it has to be addressed and doesn’t have to be a mess. Nearly 30 states have an NIL policy, and Hines said keeping an eye on those states in the early going will only make Georgia’s eventual adoption of a by-law smoother and stronger.
Athletes can use no school or GHSA logos or images, can’t use school property, nobody connected with the school – including booster clubs – can initiate a collective-type group.
“It is not paying somebody to play,” Hines said and reiterated. “It’s certainly not going to be a ‘sky is falling’ moment. But what we’re gonna need to do (is move) move in that direction, I feel like.
“At some point, there’s going to be a challenge. I want to make sure we’re on the right side of it.”