Inside the OAA
Covering all 22 OAA teams with insight and thoughts on each team from Northern Oakland County to Southern Oakland County.
Thursday, January 14, 2021
My Thoughts.
Written Thursday January 14th at 2:15 PM
As I roam through Twitter. I see the pages of current players throughout the State that were retweeted by recruiting and other basketball sites missing the sport they love and wanting it back.
Many cheerleaders, basketball, hockey, and wrestlers want a season.
I don’t blame them.
The MHSAA has failed and our State Government has really failed these kids.
When Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services director Robert Gordon announced at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that the pause would be extended to January 31st which included the four contact sports.
At least they can practice but they can’t play yet.
I thought the MHSAA would do more to defend these student athletes but now student-athletes, coaches, and athletic directors will be forced to wait.
When I wrote my column I thought the MHSAA would defend the student-athletes along with the coaches and athletic directors whom worked tirelessly putting together a schedule for the kids.
Then Whitmer and Gordon took it all away AGAIN.
I had enough, I wrote to Whitmer on Wednesday night wanting her to address my concerns. She has not responded to me yet.
The MHSAA is no innocent victim. They have put false hope on everyone thinking that there would be a season and a plan but Whitmer and Gordon have extended restrictions time and time again. This has been done twice to the student-athletes, athletic directors, and coaches, the first was when the pause was introduced in November and then again on Wednesday by Whitmer and Gordon. This has frustrated so many involved with these four sports. It feels like a double standard is being played out and that Gordon and Whitmer are playing mind games with the student-athletes.
The MHSAA released the start of the four contact sports season in February but there is no guarantee that it would stick thanks to Whitmer and Gordon.
Politicians and unelected officials like Gordon should not be involved in high school sports period but Whitmer and her administration has politicized high school sports to a point where everybody has an opinion.
Some positive, some negative.
The kids want to play bottom line.
The data and science has shown that sports can be done safely. The number of coronavirus cases has been going down in the State but still there are things that are still banned. The numbers don’t add up.
When is enough enough???
This is supposed to be the best time of the seniors lives but this looks to me like a carbon copy of 2020. Was Michigan supposed to be the standard when it comes to working together??? Where is the transparency in all this???
I’ve also been disappointed in the legislature as well. They have not stepped up to the plate and defended these students or addressed this.
High school sports was never meant to be political, pandemic or not.
To me the Whitmer administration has caused more damage than good.
It is clear that the Whitmer administration and the MHSAA has failed these kids. The false hope given twice to these student-athletes, coaches, and athletic directors. When does it end???
When is enough, enough???