Silence is not leadership. Once again, Governor Whitmer held a press conference and failed to mention high school sports. Each time she holds a press conference over 280,000 student/athletes in Michigan, nearly 800 AD’s and half a million parents hold their breath. Each time, they walk away with their heads down, wondering why she won’t say anything.
It doesn’t matter what she says, but she has to say something. This is literally the equivalent of a teenager asking someone out on a date and that person saying anything but yes or no. Saying nothing means your not willing to be bold and/or brave. Saying nothing is lack of leadership.
While the Governor says nothing, someone in her office keeps hinting to the MHSAA that she is going to make a decision one way or the other. This puts the MHSAA in a terrible position. The MHSAA is a good organization with great people. I am fortunate enough to know many people in the organization and many of the school leadership that makes up the MHSAA Executive Committee. These are great people who are all about kids.
As I have said before, the Governor is standing pat. She has a solid approval rating, but she is not willing to say anything one way or the other because it will hurt her numbers. As long as her approval rating stays where it is, she will not say a word. It is all about politics and she has played the MHSAA like a fiddle. It’s not the MHSAA’s fault, this is what politicians do!
Now some of you may think I’m being too harsh on our Governor. You may be saying Chris, “you’re playing politics right now.” Your darn right I am, I voted for her and I can tell you this, it won’t happen again.
I want a Governor who will lead and continue to lead. Silence is not leading.
Looks like we got fall football after all!
I read the article in the Sunday Monroe paper and the kids and parent made several major error’s no social distancing as shown in the pictures in the paper and how many kids and parents were wearing a mask very few in the pictures. This lack of discretion will cause Whitmer to extend the stay on play indoor sports
I have a question for Chris and any other AD or Principal who may read this, why don’t teams just say to heck with it and split from the MHSAA and form their own playoff tournament? That is basically the MHSAA’s function is organizing playoffs right? What if the Catholic League, independents, Detroit PSL, charter schools and a handful of other small leagues went off on their own? They could still play MHSAA sponsored schools. Is there more to it than I realize?
I know everyone is saying Mark Uyl and the representative are good honorable people but after speaking with coaches in Monroe, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties, the level of communication and transparency has been disappointing. You really have to know where to look to find any kind of meeting minutes and half the time, coaches and ADs find out their news from The Huge Show or social media. I’m not saying he and the council have an easy job but the month of August has been a train-wreck for the MHSAA and even the coaches association to an extent because as a dues paying member, I feel like state coaches have zero input and hear something completely different from the FCA. My hope is that all coaches receive some kind of final clarification on their fall sports this week so kids aren’t left in limbo anymore.
A couple of thoughts on this.
I suppose those schools could do that, but the MHSAA provides a few things. One, a fair playing field. Secondly, catastrophic insurance for the schools and coaches. They also provide great resources and coaching training. As for down the road, they could try to form a second association. That has been tried before and failed. The MHSAA is a good organization. Many states or schools like to rip on our association, but that is because, for the most part, they put “Educational” athletics first.
I think the communication has been fine. There was one time the Media knew prior to the AD’s. It wasn’t intentional, it was strictly a mistake of poor timing. As far as transparency, name one organization out there that is completely transparent? There aren’t any.
I would say the coaches associations do have input into what is going on. I would also say that just because someone pays their association dues it doesn’t necessarily give them an independent voice. It gives those leaders in their organization that they elected, a voice. With that being said, AD’s make suggestions to the MHSAA quite often. They don’t always get everything they choose. Leadership has been put in place within the MHSAA and through the Executive Committee. They ultimately make the final decision.
One thing to remember, schools volunteer to be a part of this organization.
The Doc has a house worth 8 but he only payed 5.3
Governor Whitmer claims she “won’t be bullied”. Ironically, Governor Whitmer is the one that is doing the bullying. An elected official that listens to their constituents isn’t weak, rather they are doing their job!
The CDC has more resources than the Governors office and yet they have stated the kids need to go back to school. Governor Whitmer should have to prove her position and provide 100% transparency of her research and justifications for going against CDC recommendations.
First off, MHSAA is a private’ not-for-profit corporation. No goverment or tax dollars support the MHSAA. Which means they receive ZERO tax dollars from the state of Michigan or the federal goverment. The MHSAA is 100% responsible for the decision they have made and have used the governor as a political cover! As long as they abided by the guidelines established by the over-the-top executive orders, we were more than able to play sports. This is just political pandering without any backbone to make a decision. They say they are acting in the best interest of the kids…but are they really? They are doing more damage to these kids AND their families than this virus is (statistically speaking)!
I disagree!
THANK YOU, COACH!!!
We are still so blessed that you are ours!!
Statistics we’ve been told that the statistics are not right. How can you have an accurate death toll when the hospitals are being told that any one who dies while having Covid 19 has died because of covid 19 and exactly how many that have died are 18 yrs of age or younger?Or even shown symptoms of getting really sick and hospitalized? Our death toll numbers were down when the decision was made and the MHSAA has been in contact with the Governor’s office on the matter. Why isn’t she speaking up oh because she is glad we are not playing!!! How can you be glad our children’s futures are being taken away? How can you be glad about kid’s mental state suffering? The decision not to play is having a bigger affect on our kids health then the virus is. The side affects of this quarantine cure are worse then the virus itself. The Governors of states worse off then we are have allowed the organization for sports to come up with ways to play and ours is simply not. Its definitely a lack of leadership. Just because they dont receive tax dollars doesnt mean that they aren’t being road blocked by the Governor’s lone wolf decision making…..bottom line its wrong.
If the MHSAA would have listened back in June to the suggestion of switching fall and spring sports
We wouldn’t be having this conversation
I think in fairness to the MHSAA, I think most everyone thought this thing would be 100% gone by now. Obviously the politicians don’t think so.
MHSAA, LET US PLAY! If the spineless Governor won’t make a decision, then you do it! These Athletes have practiced all Summer without any issues. Parents should have the final decision, NOT the Governor. Let us all sign waivers to play!
She is clearly playing the game as politicians do.
She said she wont be bullied. It’s sad that she looks at it like that. As if she has a complex.
She is growing as a national figure before our eyes, which only bolsters her convictions. She must be doing the right thing, right?
I spoke to a Mother of a Michigan High Schooler yesterday. She was at an Ohio High School, watching them practice volleyball and football as her younger child received basketball lessons. She said it really hit home for her how sad this all is. Why is it ok to play for these students but not for hers?
Being caught up in politics, while our freedoms are taken away as a state, has become frustrating beyond belief.
“I won’t be bullied “; better translated as I”m more concerned about the approval of my masters at the DNC then I am about the people of Michigan. If I stick to the Party play book I might get that DC job Joe and I talked about, or at least a gig with CNN.
MHSAA has a choice!! No one wants to be the bad guy. It’s not a cancel forever approach. Push us to spring and be done with it.
If you really think Whitmer will allow football in six short months you have my sympathy.
Stay Anonymous. Spring football is not guaranteed. Last spring the virus spiked why would you think they would let us play in a worse situation then we are in now? Even if they do let us play with even worse numbers then now what does that say about the original decision and the reasons behind that decision? How is that caring about the kids and people of the State of Michigan?
I called the MHSSA office and spoke with them. They made the Decision, with recommendations from the governor and the health department’s. They could have let us play and they didn’t.
I told her children 15-18 are not a high risk for covid she said “it’s not about the kids it’s about the people they come in contact with”
I said let them play no fans.. she said “it’s about the people they come in contact with with at home” for every question she had a excuse.
I agree the governor sucks.. but they had a choice to let us play and they didn’t.
It wasn’t their choice. They were the scapegoat.
And the fact that the MHSAA is providing political cover for Whitmer is why I have no respect for them. It was her decision. Let her explain why it’s OK to play in Indiana and Ohio but not here and then accept responsibility for that decision. Mark Uyl let the cat out of the bag when he said that football could not be played because it was” impossible to social distance in football.” If that’s the case we will not be allowed to play until Whitmer moves the whole state into her Phase 6, which requires an “effective vaccine”, which is to say we definitely won’t be playing in the Spring and maybe not for as long as Whitmer is Governor.
Well said Chris!