Transfer students all across Michigan are faced with the difficult reality of not being able to participate in their favorite sports. Michigan High School Athletic Association, better known as MHSAA, has put Sport-Specific rules in place to prevent athletes from transferring to other schools just for athletic reasons. The rulebook states, “A student will not be eligible for the next season in a sport he or she participated in at his or her former high school (any level) during the most recent previous school year. A year would be eligible in sports he or she did not participate in during the previous or current school year.” Although this rule only affects 9th through 12th grade students, other MHSAA rules affect 6th through 12th grade students.
The big question is how this rule affects students’ grades, socialization, and even mental health. For many people worldwide, sports serve as an outlet, motivator, and a wonderful way to meet new people. One thing everyone has is sports, which can be an easy way to connect with people all over.
Although there are a few exceptions to the rule, this does not help many students. Shouldn’t students be allowed to play sports if they transfer out of their old conference or maybe let them only play at the junior varsity level? Kids who are transferring to a school of choice are not allowed to participate in sports that they played at their previous school. What if someone transfers out of their previous conference? This student is still not allowed to take part in sports unless they write a waiver and get it accepted by MHSAA, but it still may take days even weeks for them to respond, leaving kids with not much time left in their season.
Matt Lehman the athletic director at Concord High School states, “I think it affects kids differently, it’s hard to generalize them. I’m sure kids who transfer– if it is not a “legal” transfer– I’m sure they’re disappointed. My thought process and main goal is to help them stay eligible.” For many students, their sport and being able to participate is a motivating factor and a big reason they keep their grades right. Eligibility is very important to many schools, students, and even parents for many reasons. Many kids look for athletic scholarships when looking at colleges; not only can their sitting a year affect their recruiting process, but also their GPA, which can make it difficult for some students to get accepted into good colleges or universities.
Caleigh is a senior and transfer student at Concord High School. When speaking on her opinion of the situation, she states, “I personally think that it is not fair because I played soccer all throughout my high school career, and even though Concord does not have soccer, if they did, I would not be able to play for my senior year, and that’s a big impact.” Not all students do not have the choice of choosing where they want to go to school. So, for many people, it can be disappointing to know that something that you were looking forward to is now being taken away from you.
Mike Jurasek is involved in lots of different things happening at Concord, from teaching to coaching he’s done it. This being said, he has worked with many students on many different levels. Jurasek states, “I am a strong advocate for what athletics can do for people getting involved, and the more kids get involved the better, so when you have a law or ruling that limits kids from doing that it can be bad, but it can also be abused, so therefore I think that each individual case needs to be looked at, but I definitely think it affects kids.”
Overall, everyone just wants what is best for the students. The rule has its ups and downs, but is it fair that some students’ lives and well-being are affected? Not everyone will always agree. Some people love this, others may not, but there could always be ways to make improvements. This rule affects some kid’s overall, day-to-day lifestyle, and that could be dangerous for a few reasons. The Sport-Specific Transfer rule affects people’s mental and physical state of being. Students should not be faced with the fear of not being able to do what they love if they transfer to another school. Sports are a very empowering aspect of high school and should not be taken away from kids just because they have to transfer away from their previous school.
