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New IHSA bylaw proposal seeks to eliminate Prep Bowl

The other schools all can practice as long as the other games are going on. But no one does.
 
Read the posts on this board about the Prep Bowl almost no one mentions anything other than how it’s a great way to play underclassmen and get them ready for the next season. That is the reasoning for this new by law.

A fair compromise is that Prep Bowl should be limited to Seniors only so that no one is gaining a competitive advantage.
 
Laughable from the sycamore ad. This has nothing to do with competitive advantage and everything to do with cheap shot at Catholic schools. Don’t understand beef if teams want to play. And is it a bad thing to extend a few cps schools season for the kids on those teams? Not at all. Laughable proposal.
 
In my own opinion, I think some stuff you should just be left alone. The prep bowl is not hurting anybody. It also gives us something to look forward to. Why would you propose something and you’re not even in the county city limits or the Chicagoland area?
All..... Does the Ihsa get a monster cut of gate receipts like the regular playoffs. Or nothing. Maybe whoever proposed this wants the Ihsa to make a "sharing" deal. Who knows..... Ratsy
 
FWIW- It’s false that Fenwick went 3-6 in 2022, as stated in the Sycamore AD’s rationale.

They went 5-4 — season included a week 8 forfeit win over Marian Central Catholic.

Fenwick lost 14-6 to Morgan Park in the first round of the 5A playoffs, at Gately.

Friars then entered the Prep Bowl Playoffs and defeated D & Larry before losing to Simeon in Prep Bowl, which was played at Triton.
 
All..... Does the Ihsa get a monster cut of gate receipts like the regular playoffs. Or nothing. Maybe whoever proposed this wants the Ihsa to make a "sharing" deal. Who knows..... Ratsy
I'm sure they get something but the attendance to the Prep Bowl play in games is extremely small, especially with the visiting teams, pretty much just the parents, so they may make a a couple hundred bucks off it tops. The actual Prep Bowl Championship game brings in a moderate crowd at best. It's held normally the day after Thanksgiving so many have Turkey hangovers, it's the parents, so die hard alums who are football enthusiasts and a handful of students. This obviously differs from school to school but my point is the money the IHSA may make off the Prep Bowl gates is definitely in the three figure range.
 
I know this will never pass, but the fact that it even was proposed got my blood pressure up for a moment. I'll fully admit I'm not a huge fan of the game. Once the Championship game stopped being played at Soldier Field and it was bounced around between the teams home field that's when I felt a huge incentive for the players was gone and the game was going to die out.....but it hasn't. It's continued on because of tradition. While some schools bow out because their season was State or Bust, that's their right, but enough schools have always stepped up and used this game as an advantage for players to develop, some to get more film for College, teams to continue playing and practicing together, especially if their playoff run was unexpectedly short, and for some schools, as a recruiting tool. Some stary eyed grade school student sees you celebrating a Championship on Thanksgiving weekend and hoisting a trophy they see a winning program they may want to be a part of. This game should not be bothering anyone. It's tradition between two of the oldest conferences in the State. I hope this Sycamore person who proposed it email box is flooded with disapproving emails.
 
Read the posts on this board about the Prep Bowl almost no one mentions anything other than how it’s a great way to play underclassmen and get them ready for the next season. That is the reasoning for this new by law.

A fair compromise is that Prep Bowl should be limited to Seniors only so that no one is gaining a competitive advantage.
Am I mistaken or doesn’t every school have the right to practice until Thanksgiving weekend? I may be wrong but I think I remember this being discussed before. I think I remember hearing that most schools don’t practice to allow the athletes to recover and move on to winter sports.
 
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Am I mistaken or doesn’t every school have the right to practice until Thanksgiving weekend? I may be wrong but I think I remember this being discussed before. I think I remember hearing that most schools don’t practice to allow the athletes to recover and move on to winter sports.
Yes!!! I stated that & the other schools said well why would we do that? I said so since you don’t want to other schools shouldn’t?
 
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Shameful, senseless proposal that will never pass
I wouldn’t assume that there are a ton of downstate schools that will vote for it and I would assume the suburban CCL teams that don’t participate in the Prep Bowl would also vote for this. Why would you give teams that you are going to teams you play against in your conference extra reps to improve. The real wild card is how CPS schools vote or if they even vote.
 
I propose an actual NIT type playoff of teams that are trying to build their programs. Throw them in a bracket together so they can have some games where they're not getting dominated from whistle to horn.

More not less. Some people lost the plot.
 
I wouldn’t assume that there are a ton of downstate schools that will vote for it and I would assume the suburban CCL teams that don’t participate in the Prep Bowl would also vote for this. Why would you give teams that you are going to teams you play against in your conference extra reps to improve. The real wild card is how CPS schools vote or if they even vote.
I just think most schools will realize there is no harm in this continuing and does not give a distinct advantage to the schools that participated in it the following season. These are schools that didn't qualify for the State Playoffs or had a first round loss. I just can't see a team in September saying they lost because their opponent played in a Prep Bowl game 9 months earlier and it gave them an advantage, I can't even imagine that would cross their mind to think that. I just think most schools won't see the harm in this and let the century old tradition continue.
 
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