" The IHSA is an arrogant organization that needs to be taken down several pegs. Organizing children's sports is not the same thing as owning them. "

" The IHSA is just like the NCAA. I hope they don't take that as a compliment because it isn't. Both organizations try to make you believe their only interest is in the student athletes. That is rubbish. Every decision made by these "concerned organizations" is about how much money goes in their pocket. "

" Remember the Chief!!! "

" Before long the IHSA will be dividing sports into 4 divisions and completing screwing up regional rivals. You just wait, I said it first! "

" Nice editorial. The IHSA knew for years that photographers were selling photos taken during the gathering of news. They didn't have a beef until now. The reason? At one point, selling photos was a small-time extra for newspapers. Today, it's become a profit center. The IHSA can think what it wants to think, but it doesn't own high school sports any more than the newspapers own them. If newspapers stopped running high school sports stories, that would be the end of the IHSA. They're biting the hand that feeds them. "

" I am not a fan of the JG-TC, or high school sports, or sports in general, however HeinekenMan is right on with his comments. As stated in the article, these IHSA events happen on public property paid for by the tax payers. Hence, events on these grounds are of public interest -- not private, commerical interest. This is not the NBA or NFL with mega-million dollar players, these are high school students with families and communities that care deeply about the success and failures of their loved ones and local teams. Furthermore, we enjoy in this nation something called the "Freedom of the Press." It is fundamental to a free society that all news, be it in printed word or photography, be collected and distributed by any source, not just a single source -- this insures the veracity of the information by presentating it from a number of divergent perspectives. Furthermore, by restricting photographs to a private company and selectively chosing which newspapers report events, the IHSA has insured that a lesser quality coverage of local, high-school sports will be presented to the public. Our local sports photographers know who our local players are. Thus, they know who to watch, and are more likely to capture that "magic moment" when compared to an unknowledgable photographer from somewhere like Chicago. Who would give a better, more comprehensive report of the Greenwave and Trojans -- a reporter from Coles County, or a reporter from Macon County? I would very much like to know more about this "contract" with the private photography firm. A contract doesn't specify who is being paid. Is the photography firm being paid by the IHSA for their camera work, or is the IHSA being paid by the photography firm to make money off the labor of teenage children. If it is the latter, then the IHSA is clearly using their self-appointed authority to make a profit at the expense of our local players. Shouldn't those players also receive a portion of the profits -- after all, it _is_ the teenage player who is being photographed without their expressed consent. The IHSA has put unreasonable limits on photography, and I suggest the Illinois Press Association take legal action against this unconstitutional policy. "

" Locke, I agree with parts of your post and I think it is unreasonable for the IHSA to be able to dictate what the free press can or can not do. With that said, high school athletes are amateurs...they are not to be paid for their involvement, along with the fact that they are not employees of anyone when participating as part of the team, they voluntarily choose to play as an amateur...that means no pay. I see the press selling photos to the public the same way anyone can go to a photographer and pay that photographer for taking a family photo. Simply put, if you don't want to pay someone for a picture don't pay them...take your own picture. As we all seem to agree on, just don't infringe on anyone's rights to provide coverage and a service to the public, as well as, the high school athletes. How many athletes have been given a college scholarship of some kind because of the press coverage? Probably a lot, sounds like a good trade off. If expressed consent is the problem, then simply have the high school athlete or their legal guardian sign a waiver stating that while they are voluntarily playing and representing their school and using public tax dollars that they consent to public and private photos and stories. What is the IHSA going to do next, outlaw blogs and various internet postings on high school athletic events? "