Basically, my criteria is exactly what I said above: To be on this list, the event in question must be an event that, if the real rules (or at least an investigation thereto with probable cause) are enforced, the sporting event does not take place.
Usually, this occurs with just one of the teams involved. For my first trick, I'm going to speak of a sporting event -- a state high school championship game, no less!! -- in which NEITHER TEAM is believed to be eligible.
I am talking about the 2011 Florida Class 6A State Championship Game in football (there is actually sanctioned girls' flag football in Florida, but this is for the boys). Armwood High School and Miami Central were both undefeated heading into the game -- Armwood was 14-0, Miami Central (last year's champion) was 13-0.
BOTH teams are under Florida High School Athletic Association investigation for having at least one player playing for their school while not living in the district -- effectively (and especially with schools of this pedigree) recruiting violations!
Recruiting prominent players is becoming so bad in Florida that the FHSAA Executive Director, who was notified of the Armwood proposed violation by a local television news investigative report (and, because Armwood won 40-31, they now are the more relevant investigation), actually was proposing the imposition of the college rule -- transfer to another school? Sit a year!
It's gotten so bad and so pervasive (Miami Central's opponent in last year's 6A title tilt had to forfeit their season for the same reason!) that the legislature, which refused the Director's bid for the collegiate rule, is actually considering quashing the must-live-in-district rule altogether!
"Roger Dearing [the Executive Director] says the FHSAA is now paying a price for aggressively investigating allegations connected to illegal sports transfers. He says two legislators from Polk County have told him they are filing legislation to get rid of the rules requiring kids to play for schools in the district they actually live in."
And the guy who sponsored the bill to kill the collegiate rule? He might well have been burned by it too!
"Today, [Bob] Henriquez [formerly in the Legislature] is head football coach at Tampa Catholic and says while he opposed the rule changes he regrets the student transfer rules currently in place are not working
"I can tell you from personal experience here at the school we've had two of our players transfer out during the football season this year, and I'm not sure all of them were completely legitimate," Henriquez says."
The fact is that it may be time to shut the entire system down, especially now that it is generally accepted that most of the football mills down there are aggressively recruiting their players...
Players who, lest we forget, have probably been playing professionally in the youth leagues for years beforehand!
Additionally, a Class 5A semifinalist from 2010, Lakeland, had to wipe out it's entire 2010 season as well, plus a $5,000 fine from the FHSAA for costs, due to two ineligible players.
If the FHSAA cannot adequately enforce the rules, the games need to be shut down.
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