Is Paying High School Athletes a Good Idea? Here’s What One Legendary Louisiana Coach Says
Calvary Baptist Academy Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Rodney Guin talks about the recent move by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association's move to introduce Name, Image and Likeness for the state's high school athletes.
Did Administrators and Coaches Know This was Coming?
Guin, with more than 35 years of coaching experience including Haughton High and Calvary, has questions about the wisdom of allowing high school athletes to receive endorsement or other outside money.
"I thought everybody thought it might be coming. I don't know if there's been a whole lot of discussion about it," Guin begins, talking about the LHSAA move, "I think that still has to be passed by the whole association. I don't think the committee has the power to put that rule in. Everybody votes for all the rules.
What Does Coach Guin Think?
And what does the veteran coach think about the idea? "I'm a no vote," Guin says, "I think it's an unfair advantage for certain places. But all the schools in Shreveport where the kids can go where they want...the school that could fund the most money could get any kid they wanted."
But Shouldn't Kids be Able to make a Buck?
But why shouldn't high school athletes, economic circumstances aside, be allowed to benefit? Guin emphasizes his concern about corruption. "Most of the problems we have...are adults breaking the rules most of the time," Guin says, "It's one thing, a kid making $100 to help at some clinic. But it's a whole different deal if you're getting paid $10,000 to (attend a particular school). I don't think that's fair.
And does he have an idea about how most school administrators and coaches would vote? "I would think most of them at the high school level would be against it. This issue...better be something that (all the schools) get to vote on. If not, they may have some problems with it."