ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” story. It is an editorial by the editor.
MLive.com, th
e edition formerly known as the Grand Rapids Press, published a story last week about how public colleges are spending a lot of money on athletics, particularly football.
This week I am convinced the questionable practice also plagues public schools, and I need look no further than Hopkins and Wayland. The two schools met for their season openers on the gridiron for four consecutive years in what was billed as “Border Wars” and “Neighborhood Rivalry.” But no more.
This year Hopkins instead played Newaygo at Davenport University and Wayland was host to Grand Rapids Union. Neither of these opponents is part of the problem — it’s who they’re playing this week.
Hopkins will be at home against Manistee, which by itself doesn’t ruffle my feathers, but I assume the Vikings now will have to go to Manistee next year as a result of what’s called a “home and home” series. The distance from Hopkins to Manistee is 146.7 miles and a drive of an estimated two hours and 16 minutes. The cost for this is much greater, particularly in gas and hiring bus drivers for extended time, than playing your neighborhood rival.
The same holds true for Wayland, which this Friday will travel to Adrian, a distance of 136.8 miles and an estimated time of two hours and nine minutes. Once again, this will be much more expensive than playing Hopkins just a stone’s throw down the road. Furthermore, I sincerely doubt there will be a lot of Hopkins fans who make the trip to Manistee next year, and not a lot of Wayland fans who go to Adrian this Friday.
I was told four years ago that some of the best reasons for having Hopkins play Wayland in the football season opener was that it would always attract a large number spectators, it would generate interest because we all seem to know each other and it would cost a heckuva lot less in transportation.
But that series has been scratched without an adequate explanation. Hopkins essentially has replaced Wayland on its schedule with Manistee. Wayland has replaced Hopkins with Adrian. Both opponents are a long ways away and the economic downsides already have been explained, not to mention fans’ inconvenience.
Add to that the unpleasant prospects that Wayland football fans, players and their families are being asked to give up the first day of the Labor Day holiday weekend to make a really tiresome and lengthy trip. High school football games in recent years have very carefully been scheduled often on Thursday evenings to avoid possible conflicts with family plans for Labor Day trips.
As the Fugs asked in “Wide Wide River,” a song from 1968, “Who dealt this mess anyway?”
Have the athletic directors of the two school systems taken leave of their senses by replacing a neighborhood rival with an opponent who is far, far away? School administrators should be very concerned about this because it does not appear to be a show of fiscal responsibility with taxpayers’ money.
I urge officials from the two school systems to get back to the negotiating table the resume the rivalry. It’s a matter of economics, of local pride and making things a little more convenient for the fans, who pay the bills for public education and athletics.
