This Just In ...

Shining the light on the WIAA

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 18, 2009

Given my heavy involvement in high school athletics that actually began when I was juts a youngster, I am intrigued by a proposal by state Representative Tony Staskunas (D-West Allis). Staskunas wants to make the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) more open and transparent.

Staskunas describes the WIAA this way:

“This organization was formed in 1895 to unite people interested in promoting athletic competition between Wisconsin high schools. Through the years it has become more and more involved. The WIAA now sets nearly all policies relating to Wisconsin's high school athletics. From conference alignment and athletic eligibility requirements to the types of sports equipment that must be worn by participants, the WIAA makes the final decisions, with limited options for appeals.”

That’s accurate, but extremely diplomatic. I view the WIAA as a heavy-handed, biased bureaucracy. So I react with interest when I read about Staskunas’ legislation:

“I have introduced a bill that would prohibit a school district from being a member of an interscholastic athletic association unless that organization agrees to be governed by Wisconsin's openness laws. This bill, which has bipartisan support, would bring public oversight to a group whose decisions affect nearly all school districts and hundreds of thousands of students and their families.”

I’m not exactly sure what Staskunas means by public oversight. I’ve not read his bill yet. However, if the bill means the WIAA must open up its meetings to the general public and news media, I’d love to see that happen.

I’d relish the thought of an audience along with TV cameras, microphones, and reporters watching every move by WIAA officials as they set pairings for athletic tournaments and decide and explain who plays who, where and why.

I would have liked to have seen an open meeting when the WIAA this fall, in determining the Division 1 bracket for boy’s soccer made Milwaukee Bradley Tech, a #6 seed play Greenfield at Greenfield, a # 11 seed in an opening round contest.Tech deserved the home game.

Maybe if the doors were opened to those smoke-filled WIAA meeting rooms, the power-hungry organization wouldn’t be as or demonstrate as much anti-Milwaukee bias, as is its reputation.

Read Staskunas’ column in the Wisconsin State Journal that, while intriguing, lacks specifics.