Arbitration Bill Threatens Prep Sports in Louisiana

May 1, 2014 /

From Shreveport Times

Officials with two high school sports associations worry a bill passed by the Louisiana State Senate this week could prevent high school sports next year.

Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, authored a bill that says no public or private high schools that receive public money can be a member of any organization that does not use third-party arbitration to settle player eligibility disputes.

Neither the Louisiana High School Athletic Association nor the Mississippi Athletic Independent Schools, which has Louisiana members, use a third party arbitrator to settle such disputes.

Claitor’s Senate bill 633 narrowly passed the Senate by a 21-17 vote. It now awaits introduction in the House where it will likely be sent to the Education Committee.

LHSAA President and Ouachita High School Principal Todd Guice said the LHSAA could not comply with such a law, leaving a void in what agency would organize and regulate high school sports.

“I have concerns that if passed, this bill could halt athletics in Louisiana due to the fact that schools would have no alternate association to join,” Guice said.

Guice said the financial burden of arbitration would be an insurmountable obstacle. He said their research shows arbitration costs an average of $4,500 per case and could get as expensive as $6,000 per case.

The LHSAA heard about 475 appeals last year. Using the arbitration average costs, that amounts to about $2.1 million, which is more than half of the association’s total operating budget.

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