texas- oil money, bond money, independent school districts, very high property taxes, middle school football(pop warner is before 6th grade football in most parts), all coaches are in the school district, UIL(the governing body of both athletics and academics) does not allow for off campus coaches, unless you are retired by the state of texas education. the indy school districts all pay the same state level teacher pay.  its their bonus/supplement that their school boards can approve.  so the 100k FB coach that doesnt teach, hes probably making 35k in a school board supplment.   oil money is there, but in the forms of a bond.  high property taxes, independent school dist personnnel ask the county to raise the property taxes for their zone, it goes to vote every year and it gets passed.  things like road construction, proper drainage in local areas, sidewalks, snow plows, are very scarce/poorly maintained.  but most of those school dist have a huge stadium with turf!   Football is the life of the communitiy, all over the state.  6 man, 8 man, 11 man.  an entire community shuts down and goes to the home game.  have seen some real interesting things go on during the times ive been out in west texas.  mojo football, just like the movie, is 100% real.  coaches getting fired for losing in the state title game.   be careful what you wish for, however.  you get local school board involved in paying coaches more money, dont you dare go 6-4 and not make playoffs.  why did we pay you an extra 20k?  not to lose to that bad school.  

Not sure if anyone saw this article (it was in a variety of publications) on the point differentials between Metro/Suburban v the 'traditional' playoff system that we currently, and previously, have.  I'm sure I'm gonna stir the pot on this again, but I think the data is worth some discussion. TL;DR: MASSIVE average point differential change comparing the two systems; a.k.a. less competitive state title games. Metro/Suburban system average winning point margin 2022: 11.86 2023: 14.75 Traditional system average winning point margin 2021: 19.7 2024: 26 Also, as a thought experiment, I took out Chaminade-Madonna's games since they are massive outliers in the data.  That makes each one: M/S 2022: 8.71 M/S 2023: 8.86 Trad 2021: 19.5 Trad 2024: 24.5 Long story short, we had 2 years of just over 1 score games and now back to 3-4 score games. Another thing I looked at was how many game were a running clock at the end of the game. M/S 2022-2023: 1 Trad 2021 & 2024: 4 Shutouts M/S 2022-2023: 1 Trad 2021& 2024: 3   So, if you like competitive games, no running clocks, no shutouts, it's blatantly obvious which is better. Is Metro/Suburban perfect?  No, nothing ever will be.  Plus I always think I spelled suburban wrong.  Did it lead to better football?  Sure looks like it. As someone who has been involved with both Metro and Suburban teams that made it to state titles, it just makes sense from a football perspective.  How does it not make sense?  Well the article discusses it and if I spell it out that'll for sure get under some folk's skin, even if it is the truth.   No matter what, I think we can all agree that a system where we have no idea how the points are figured is unacceptable and has to change.

I've asked myself this question a lot of the years, If I had my way, lol. Such a small question and a very complicated answer.  I'll try to lay it out without talking you all to death, lol.    Facilities NFL teams that receives money from the state of Florida, the cities and/or the counties in which they reside should sponsor AND advertise FHSAA logos on their stadiums and include in promotional merchandizing in which the cut should go directly to the schools for facilities and advertisement.  In other words whenever negotiations start regarding funding a new stadium, the FHSAA aspect should be baked in without exception, 5%-10%.  With 3 NFL teams in Florida and a sizeable roster native to the state, not giving back is a travesty especially when taxes are levied to enhance their facilities and keep them in the Sunshine State.   Coaching Florida DOE needs to make a decision regarding classification "coach".  Are coaches going to be teachers in the classroom in addition to coaching or will they be hired for the sole purpose of coaching only?  Both have pros and cons but I think most would agree that the current system in place is not working considering the amount of hours that goes into practice and preparation outside of regular teaching duties.   The bigger question becomes, how much is a coach worth in Florida? Is a coach worth more than the principal?  No.  Is a coach worth more than an English, Math or Science teacher?  Society will say no in a heartbeat.  Some will argue that coaches are already fairly compensated when you factor in that other educational professionals work after hours lesson planning and grading with no stipend or supplemental support aside from their paycheck.  From that vantage point, coaches are going to lose every single time.  However, a Football Coach as a singular entity might be easier to push if that coach is successful.  If the state went that route, I would imagine there would be a lot of turnover for performance reasons.   FHSAA I've said this before and I'll say it again.  I've always been a proponent of having less classifications.  I used to believe in a promotion system based on performance but that was before the open transfer era.  Two things needs to happen before I leave this earth; Open transfers needs to be done away with AND the FHSAA should only have one class, once and for all until the number of schools justify adding a 2nd class.  It shouldn't matter how large or small your municipality is.  It's your 22 vs my 22.  May the best team win.  Schools that don't think it's fair or don't want to compete because they may be physically outmatched are free to leave the FHSAA.  I would expect more to follow because the simple truth is not every team is going to win and every dominant team will eventually lose.  It is a TRAVESTY that in this state there isn't a true champion.  When that happens, Florida would be regarding as THE TOUGHEST football state in the nation. Promoting Florida High School Football is easy.  It virtually sells itself.  However, it does take promotion and it should be a year round campaign that encompasses all sports honestly.  However we are talking about high school football so I'll only talk about that.  Another element that really hurts Florida is the rapid growth and migratory patterns of residents in and out of the state.  There are a few of us on this board that no longer reside in Florida and with it the goes the tradition and allegiance for our respective areas.  It's now replaced with out of state people looking for a slice of Florida paradise and prosperity with no local ties to the community and that's part of the reason why fan and school support is dwindling.  How would I combat that?  In conjunction with only having one class, that one class would be divided in 64 districts comprising of 6-8 teams each.  The winner of each district goes to the playoffs to start a 6 round playoff ending with one champion, end of story.  From a marketing and advertisement perspective, I would do so much in the manner of the Hunger games.  Which district will bring it home?  At that point, it becomes bigger than just the school representing the district.  It becomes about the entire district and there's a good chance that attendance and support could rise based on pride alone.  Then, the State of Florida in conjunction with the NFL pool could supply funding to market and televise.     Sorry, my thoughts are random and radical but this is what I would do if I could.  By the way, this is not all of them, lol.

That is good to know then. The Walter Mondale types are going the way of the Dodo in the FREE STATE OF FLORIDA! 

Thanks for pointing out that there is no correlation between higher taxes and interest in high school football.  If that were the case, New Jersey would be known for having the most passionate supporters of high school football. My point was in response to PinellasFB's observation of an athletic facility in Texas, i.e. a willingness to support the construction of football stadiums, practice facilities, gymnasiums, natatoriums and so on through higher taxes and/or personal financial contributions suggests a more passionate and supportive fan base.  I am not advocating for higher taxes of any type.