A Pox on Both Your Houses

Parents of high school and college athletes who play spring sports often fantasize about what it would be like to play in the fall instead; sit through a March doubleheader to understand the appeal of September and October.  But thank God this never happened to us and Clare.  Autumn sports get thrown under the bus during a teachers’ strike.  At least they have been in Chicago.

So far, public high school athletes who participate in golf, soccer, tennis and cross-country have not only seen their regular seasons go down the drain but the playoffs, too.  Although several football teams still have a chance to qualify for the postseason, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

At some point during the cold peace between strikes, the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Public Schools could have come up with an arrangement whereby sports would still be played regardless the labor situation.  If it’s all about the kids, as both sides insist, they’d find a way to do just that.  But the only contest the CTU and CPS are interested in is a big game of chicken.

If only the strike had started a little later or lasts a few weeks more, then you’d see just how chicken both sides are.  The fact of the matter is none of the affected sports has a major following on a par with basketball.  Jeopardize the basketball season, and the parents of student athletes would demand a quick resolution to the strike.  At the risk of appearing to pick sides, I suspect the strike date was set with an awareness of the sports’ calendar.

It’ll truly be about the kids as soon as CPS schools have to bow out of those holiday basketball tournaments.  Want to bet that doesn’t happen?