Paying the price

By Christian Davis
C & G Sports Writer

Coaches, parents and athletes grapple with new issues as pay to play changes the prep landscape

Editor’s note: This is the second story in a series on pay to play and how it is affecting athletes, parents and coaches. In the next installment, we’ll look at schools that have managed to avoid charging a fee to participate and the role local booster clubs play in those districts. For part one of the series, see our website at www.candgnews.com and click on the Sports link.

It’s long been understood that when it comes to playing time in prep athletics, nothing is guaranteed.

Though that philosophy may differ in recreation, youth and some middle school programs — where coaches are held to rules that set a minimum amount of participation for each athlete — at the high school level, that’s not the case.

But what happens when suddenly each athlete on the team is paying for his or her roster spot?

And if a coach does strike the right balance between kids enjoying themselves and parents feeling like they’re getting their money’s worth, there’s the issue of teams that depend on kids who are willing to give a new sport a try and parents not wanting to waste their money if they find they don’t like it.

All these issues are becoming everyday discussions and headaches for coaches, parents and athletes in districts that are either raising or instituting pay-to-play fees.

“I think if coaches have problems with parents, that’s usually what it is. … They may feel a sense of entitlement because they are paying,” said Grosse Pointe South baseball coach Dan Griesbaum.

Pay to play or pay to participate?

The actual format for pay to play varies from district to district. Some implement a flat rate at the beginning of the year in which kids can play as many sports as they like, while others charge per sport.

Regardless, Griesbaum’s feelings on the issue of whether athletes are now entitled to playing time echoed many of his colleagues’ around the area, including Kevin Donahue, Utica Eisenhower’s girls basketball coach for the past 12 years.

Donahue said there was “absolutely no change” to his philosophy on playing time and said his responsibilities as a coach include improving his players’ skills, not necessarily getting them into the game.

“You go to a tennis pro and get lessons, but it doesn’t get you into Wimbledon,” he said.

Coaches usually address the issue of playing time as soon as they can make an educated decision on the player.

“I’m basically telling them from day one that the kids that come to practice and the kids that play the best are the ones that will play,” Harper Woods High football coach Brian Barnes said.

Griesbaum has a more philosophical approach.

“(The players) are going to tell me who belongs — one through nine — because they are all going to start during the preseason and in scrimmages,” he said. “They’ll have a chance to show me by their play who is going to start.”

While most coaches agree that playing time can change during the season due to different circumstances, Donahue said he speaks with the players early and tells them exactly where he sees them fitting in, and what they need to improve on. He then lets the athletes decide if it’s worth the cost to be part of the team.

“Some kids have said, ‘Hey coach, thanks but no thanks,’ and then some kids come back and battle,” Donahue said.

Not an easy decision

Though the coaches were unified that pay to play doesn’t impact their coaching decisions, North Farmington boys basketball coach Tom Negoshian admits it was a difficult concept at first, and it has changed his coaching philosophy — but not concerning playing time.

“After getting over the initial shock, it made me think about if I’m going to be playing kids or not,” he said.

“I try to fight it, because it’s like in band, does every kid get to sit in first chair?”

Negoshian ultimately came up with a solution.         

“You really have to think about who you’re keeping on the team,” he said. “If you keep the kids that are at the tail end of the ladder, how do I justify for a kid that is paying $300 or $400 to (be on the team) and now that kid never gets in the game?

“So my question is, ‘Do I play everyone and make it an intramural program, or keep less kids?’”

The coach said he now keeps about three fewer players on each of the varsity, junior varsity and freshman squads.

Utica Stevenson girls cross country coach Kevin Hanson’s first reaction to the policy, which was enacted four years ago at his school, was also one of dread.

“The first thought that came to my mind was that it was going to destroy the program,” he said.

While most other sports have youth programs — preparing athletes for high school and giving parents the peace of mind of knowing that their child truly enjoys a sport and wants to play before they pay the fee — cross country isn’t as fortunate, as no real youth version of the sport is readily available.

Instead, most kids begin running as freshmen, putting many cross country coaches at schools with pay to play at a disadvantage as they try to convince kids to give their sport a try.

“I’m always selling and trying to get kids to come out, and with (pay to play), my sales approach was stolen,” he said.

To counter that, Hanson said he pays the $125 fee for every first-year runner, which he said numbers around 15 a season. By doing that, he believes kids have a chance to try the sport and then choose for themselves whether it’s worth paying for the following season.

Worth the cost

Denise Penrod is a member of the Berkley High Booster Club and has two kids active in sports.

Her son, now a senior, was on the varsity football team as a sophomore and saw little playing time. Still, Penrod said the cost was worth the benefits of being in sports.

“If any of my kids has a desire to play and is good enough to make the team but not start, for my money, paying an $80 fee knowing where your kid is for four hours every night and that’s what he wants to do (is worth it),” she said.

Barnes said most coaches are sympathetic to families that now pay to play, and their goal is to make their programs worth the price.

“If they play five plays or 50 plays, I want the entire football experience to be rewarding, not just playing in the game,” Barnes said. “Because every kid is a part of what we’re building.”

“High school athletics, in my view, are competitive. Our goal is to challenge the kids to sacrifice, work hard, set goals and put the group in front of themselves,” Donahue added.

“Those are all things they’ll have to do to have success with family and careers.”

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1062.