Before we begin, let me point out that the views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. This opinion is all mine.

Also, I think it would only be fair to note that I really like sports. My kids are involved in sports at Wawasee. I attend Wawasee sporting events. I play sports in my spare time. I watch sports on TV from time to time. I have favorite teams, but I don't know all the names and stats of the players on those teams.

So don't think I'm against sports. I am not.

But I am against sports meddlers. And that is what this column is about.

The sports meddlers.

I am not painting all sports fans with a broad brush. There are plenty of sports fans - a vast majority, in fact - who do not qualify as sports meddlers.

But the sports meddlers put me over the edge.

You sports meddlers know who you are.

You're the ones who think there is no priority greater in life than high school athletics.

You're the ones who put pressure on the administration to spend more on athletics.

Sometimes, you're the ones who never knew anything about sports. Never dreamed of being a sports fan - much less a sports meddler - until your kid made the team.

Then, suddenly, you are no longer a parent or fan but a sports agent for your child.

You berate the local sportswriters and athletic directors for not giving your kid the recognition he so richly deserves.

You think the local newspaper's reason for existence is to fill your kid's scrapbook with clips.

(Those are my favorite sports meddlers. Just this week one suggested that we eliminate all the "trash" we put in the paper and put more stuff about her kid's team. I guess that "trash" would be news, opinion, features, comics, college and pro sports - you know, all that non-high-school-sports junk we publish.)

You camp out outside your kid's practice, waiting for a chance to chat with the coach to make sure your kid's getting enough playing time.

Some sports meddling agent-type parents even shop their kids around from school district to school district to see if they can get a better deal.

Some hold their kids back or enroll them late so they'll be old for their class.

It's incredible.

The sports meddlers have been out in force this year largely because of the success of the Warsaw Tigers football team.

The Tigers haven't exactly been a football powerhouse over the years. In fact, until last year, they had never won a sectional game.

This year they started out 7-0 and ended up 8-2 on the season. That's awesome. The coach and the kids deserve lots of credit. They worked very hard and I mean to take nothing away from them.

But enter the sports meddlers.

Suddenly we get these people up in arms because the football field they play on just isn't good enough for them.

Come on, people. It's dirt and grass. How good does it need to be? The last time I looked, there weren't any huge bare spots or anything.

Penn High School came to town to play a sectional game.

Penn won. After the game there were some comments bandied about along the lines that, "Well, you know, if you want a bigtime football program like Penn has, you have to devote some resources. ..."

I can hear the distant drumbeats. The sports meddlers will be showing up at school board meetings, demanding better facilities and more resources for the football team so we can better compete.

Have you ever seen Penn's field? It's grass and dirt. Their bleachers are wood. They've got a scoreboard.

The other team that beat Warsaw this year is NorthWood. Have you ever seen their field? It's cut out of a cornfield.

There's a little school called Pioneer in Cass County. I used to work at a newspaper down there, that's how I know about them. They won a state championship a couple years back. Their football field is cut out of a cornfield, too.

I don't pretend to know what it takes to make a football team win games. But I am fairly confident it is not a new football field or new uniforms or new equipment.

Heck, Warsaw could have had a dome stadium and not beat Penn the other night. Penn played tough.

But no matter. Sports meddlers will probably be on a mission, showing up at school board meetings and writing letters to the local newspaper. They will demand that more money be spent on football.

While athletic programs are partially self-funded by ticket sales, they do come with a cost to the school.

One of the biggest challenges facing educators today is getting the most out of education dollars. Lots of time and money are diverted from basic education programs to things like security, sex education, drug education, grief education, gang education - you get the picture.

So many mandates, so little time.

So when we divvy up the resources, do we devote even more to athletics?

I think Warsaw already has devoted some pretty significant resources to athletics. At the high school they have a state-of-the-art, 5,000-seat gymnasium, an auxiliary gymnasium, a big swimming pool and lots of tennis courts and fields outside.

Kids in drama have to travel to the middle school to use an auditorium. Is it so bad that kids in football have to travel to Fisher Field?

I don't think so.

As for the sports meddlers, I think they just need to sit back, relax and enjoy the game. [[In-content Ad]]