PSR Showdown
Should high school athletes be able to transfer for athletic intent?

Why Not?
By Ken Laird
ESPN Radio 1250

Pennsylvania needs a consistent and clear policy regarding the transfer and eligibility of high school athletes. It is time to allow students to transfer at the beginning of each school year, without restrictions.

Is there a messier situation in scholastic sports today than the attempt to police school transfers where athletics may be a driving force in the move? A student athlete's eligibility is in the hands of a number of individuals who must attempt to subjectively determine the intentions of that student athlete. Those individuals, each subjected to their own biases, must evaluate evidence that is very often far from obvious or convincing.

If a student transfer is determined to be based on athletics, the arguments and appeals process and lawsuits begin.

And really, if a kid's parents are supporting the transfer and willing to physically move to enroll him or her, then why do we care if he/she changes schools? Isn't the purpose of any high school to educate and challenge students through both academics and cocurricular activities such as athletics? Athletics are an important part of the high school experience, and if a parent feels their child will get a better athletic experience somewhere else, that is a parent looking out for the best for their child.

Let them go before the beginning of each school year. It will provide a consistent set of rules and consequences.

I find it very difficult to believe that these transfers, requiring a change of residence, will become so frequent as to create a sports dynasty or uneven playing field beyond what we see already in certain districts or private schools.

Sure, some athletes will want to play for a larger school, or for a higher profile coach to improve their visibility for colleges. Some athletes not getting playing time will want to go somewhere where they can play. If it provides them with their best high school experience, then it's fine with me. A better high school experience for them, and fewer headaches for the adults who otherwise must wade through paperwork and try to police a very arbitrary transfer law.

Ken Laird is a producer and on-air personality on ESPN Radio 1250 in Pittsburgh.

It sends the wrong message
By Bill Toth
Sports Network

Should student-athletes be allowed to transfer for athletic intent? Well, sorry to repeat the question…sort of. But as you may have seen, I added the word "student." Yes, athletes are students first… what a concept! Let's not make them free agents just yet.

Let's first look at this from the academic point of view. School is a right and athletics are a privilege. For example, one needs to be academically eligible to compete. They need to have/maintain a certain grade point average and attendance record before they can even go out and put that jock strap on after school.

How about in terms of athletics? I think this would create a competitive imbalance a la Major League Baseball. The rich would get richer, but instead of the Yankees and Red Sox dominating, it would be the Mount Lebanon's and Penn Hills' of the world. You could potentially have an unlimited number of athletes transferring, recruiting would become rampant and team chemistry goes down the toilet. This could even lead to in-season transferring; and a theoretical scenario where School A defeats School B in this week's game, then next week again faces the star player of School B-now playing for School C.

You also might be saying that this policy hurts an individual's chance of getting an athletic scholarship because they are stuck in a bad program. I find that hard to believe with AAU, summer leagues, scouting combines, recruiting web sites, etc. These days it is hard to go unnoticed.

Ethically and morally, it sends the wrong message. Aren't we supposed to be teaching our young people to fight through any type of adversity? I can still hear my high school football coach preaching loyalty…to your teammates and your school. We all deal with things that we don't like but we get through it and for the most part, it makes us better people. But our pragmatic society believes in the quick fix and winning at all costs.

I tend to go with what my old pappy used to say-that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Bill Toth played football for Neil Gordon at Penn Hills and is now an analyst for the Sports Network in Maryland.