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Showing posts from October, 2019

Why is high school football in decline? Jim Baxter is on the right track, but falls short in recent column

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It may come as a shock, but I do enjoy reading other people's opinions on certain subjects.  Recently, Jim Baxter of SCVarsity.com penned a column on the decline of high school football here in South Carolina, which I invite you to read here . Baxter brings up fair points in his piece, namely blaming the end of the eight-quarter rule by the South Carolina High School League as a major cause. You can read more about the abolishment of the rule, which happened in 2015,  here , but in short, it made it illegal for players who competed in a JV game to dress out for varsity the following night. I suggest you read Brett McCormick's reporting in the link, because many of the concerns brought up have come true in the four years since. Before diving in, I must say I respect Baxter and the many decades of work he has put into covering high school athletics in this state. He is right more often than not, but in this instance I feel he is coming up short. No question C

Anderson University's plan for football big on ideas, short on details

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Editor's Note: For full disclosure, I feel I should mention I was a student at Anderson University my first two years of undergraduate work. I also spent some time covering their athletics department as a professional writer.  The game of football is getting a new team in South Carolina. On October 4, Anderson University announced plans to start a program during a press conference at the school. Here is a link to the full video. The school received a $3 million challenge gift from Dr. Melvin Younts, with the goal set to match that total for a $6 million total investment and a hopeful first season set for 2024. What is currently known is that the team will compete in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC), a Division II conference including Carson-Newman, Wingate, Lenior-Rhyne, Mars Hill, Newberry, Tusculum and Catawba. Football will also be the second of two men's sports, joining lacrosse which will start in 2021. This news likely won't shake the ground of the