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Is there any proof to his statement??? Or is it that every little thing that happens in our sport, they blow it up as a big issue?


Good question!



We know that every high school in the state has an athletic director either at the school itself or at the district level. There are various schools of size depending on what part of the state you live. Obviously, Mullins HS is a Class 2A school in a relatively rural area of the Pee Dee region. This Principal or ADs mindset is that of many in the S.C. High School League when they hear that "soccer leads all sports in the number of ejections".

Well, what they don't understand is that soccer's rules are unlike any other in prep athletics. In football, a personal foul results in a 15-yard penalty. In basketball, five personal fouls results in an ejection. In baseball, a pitcher throwing at a batter winds up being a warning. In soccer, a tackle from behind can be interpreted as a straight-red card, though it might be a "professional foul" in the realm of the soccer world. So, when these start tallying up around the Palmetto State, then prep soccer receives a black-eye.

Will it change? Probably not in my lifetime, but the S.C. High School Soccer Coaches has worked diligently at relaying this message at various levels with the SCHSL, the S.C. Athletic Coaches Association, etc. However, an AD or Principal with 30 years under his belt and who probably was reluctant to add soccer in the first place at their school -- note, Mullins has not won a boys soccer match in at least five years (2004-08) -- and you are going to get some backlash whether it is deserved or not.

In the Midlands area, local sports radio personality Teddy Heffner of AM-1400 "The Team" hosts a daily show from 7-10 a.m., entitled "Talking Sports". Nearly every Thursday, Airport AD Kirk Burnett is a guest for one hour (8-9 a.m.). I have heard him comment on soccer throughout his stints at Ridge View HS (football/baseball coach) and Airport (AD/football coach) as having 'problems' that ADs have to deal with constantly. He said this past spring that 'every soccer season its the same discipline problems' with soccer.

I'm not blaming anyone in this matter, but it is something that coaches, players, parents, fans, and referees need to be cognizant of and an area in which needs to be addressed and worked on even more by people involved with 'our game'. If you have any suggestions, please list them in this thread.