Alexander,
I too have been on both sides of the public/private education/sports equation for my boys and must say I completely disagree with you because I’m a fan of merit being rewarded. Both sets of programs had success in multiple states with similar debate about separation of public/private schools. To equate this to a business competitive landscape, should the best manufacturer or provider of a service etc… be subject to an additional tax because they provide a better product? I am a fan of everyone being treated equally, but the outcomes measurements should be based on providing the best product or service.
Truthfully, it sounds like you and I would agree on many things in life. Still, there is something to be said about Aristotle's golden mean; that is, the pursuit of a proper balance with respect to every issue in life. That is why in economic matters (or the business example you gave above) most countries have adopted antitrust laws. There is a general understanding that power, including economic power, tends to concentrate over a period of time if no exterior force restrains it. When monopolies develop, often because originally a company had a better product, the company with the monopoly is frequently able to drive competitors from the market place and competition is actually reduced.
Anyway, sorry for the tedious explanation. When it comes to football, my goal is not to promote equal outcomes but, rather, to promote excellence through the promotion of a more competitive environment. I won't go into an explanation of all the mechanisms the NFL uses to promote a competitive environment, in part because you may be more knowledgeable about them than I am. However, I will say that if any one high school conference dominates the playoffs to an extreme degree, it can drive other football programs from the scene (i.e. Rock Island Alleman) or make it impossible for other programs to compete (i.e. De La Salle, Walther Christian, Maine East) and in a broad sense reduce the pursuit for football excellence in Illinois. The number of programs will get smaller, the number of players (and therefore the size of rosters) gets smaller, and many programs adopt 8-man football in an effort to survive.
Anyway, it is okay that we disagree, and I certainly do not propose to tell you what to think. It seems we are both committed to the pursuit of excellence and we both would be saddened if 30 years down the road football had largely become a thing of the past. It seems, in our own way, we both would like to see a vibrant high school football landscape.
