Public vs. Private

On March 13, 2009, North Farmington High School played in the District Championship basketball game against St. Mary’s High School. The North Farmington Raiders had home court advantage and their student body behind them. The players put their heart and soul into the game, however, they didn’t come out on top; St. Mary’s won the game 50-45. Although the game was close, it is unfair to the student athletes of North Farmington, who work so hard all season long for their diligent public school. They shouldn’t have to play against a private school in the state playoffs. Private schools have better funding, are allowed to recruit, and offer scholarships, unlike public schools, like North Farmington, where sports are not what are constantly on an athlete’s mind like they might be for a student on scholarship.
In private schools across the state of Michigan, such as Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Detroit Country Day, recruiting is allowed in order to make their school the best it can be at any sport. They begin this process while the student is still in seventh or eighth grade. They are allowed to send letters to families talking about how good their school is in academics and athletics, and many families take the opportunity to consider sending their child to these schools. It’s no wonder that schools such as Detroit Country Day and St. Mary’s are ranked in the top 20 for mens’ basketball each year. Their programs are stellar because they are able to pull kids in with scholarships and hire coaches that would be way out of budget for any public school.
These private schools become even more intense when it comes to scholarships. After sending families these letters to get them interested, the will begin to scout the students. If the school thinks that they are good enough, then they may offer the family a scholarship. Students such as Chris Webber, now an NBA star, was on a scholarship at Country Day, and with him, they won three state championships. If this kid is getting a free ride at a school because he is so good, it’s not really fair for him to go and play against a public school. In a public school, like North Farmington, the only kids who can be on the team are kids who attend the school, and they can’t do anything about who those kids are. A private school and a public school are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Whenever a public school plays a private school, it is a well known fact that the public school is the underdog, and upsets in these situations are rare.
At North Farmington, sports are not the biggest topic on everybody’s mind. Classes are. However, at a private school, they might be because if you are on scholarship, sports are why you are there. North Farmington it well-known for its student body that is energetic, has good grades, and does their homework every night. Students there do whatever it takes to get an A. Yes, they still love their sports teams. At Brown Out after Brown Out, the students show up with the utmost enthusiasm and support for their teams, however, if they have homework or a big test the next day, you probably wouldn’t see many students in the stands. At private schools, winning is expected. The teams are never timorous of other schools. They practice everyday preparing for games, just like North Farmington; however, the private schools might have better equipment due to the better funding they have.
Private schools have much better funding for everything they do than a public school does. At private schools, many alumni make donations to the schools, and there is a tuition fee to even attend the school. Unlike public schools where all the funding comes from taxes, private schools are able to accept money from many sources to build better training facilities, nicer locker rooms, get higher end equipment, and the list goes on forever. These school are able to excel in athletics because of the better funding they receive.

When a public school plays a sport against a private school, the outcome is normally a lot to a little. These games are David versus Goliath. While there is the occasional upset or close game, it is the private school that normally comes away with the trophy. It is not fair that this should happen, however it is the way the system works. But it is time for change, time to change the system. It is not fair that North Farmington should have to play St. Mary’s, but its not who wins or loses that matters, its about what is right and what is wrong, and the people who are in charge of the Michigan High School Athletic Association should know that.