6 Classes vs 7 Classes

[Rebel Bert]

Pros and Cons of both:

Mine:

Pros: More  cash for the association. 

Cons: Hard to find opponents locally.

Cons: High gate fees means less attendance 

 

[maroontide06]

What the heck is this?  We really need to go back to 5 classifications, but it won't happen though.  Who the heck would have trouble finding opponents locally and why the heck would ticket prices increase?  The free livestreaming that a lot of schools do cut down on the attendance, so this is stuff that schools are already having to deal with.  Apparently they must be doing ok, or else they wouldn't be doing free livestreams.

[coastfootballfanman]

1 hour ago, maroontide06 said:

What the heck is this?  We really need to go back to 5 classifications, but it won't happen though.  Who the heck would have trouble finding opponents locally and why the heck would ticket prices increase?  The free livestreaming that a lot of schools do cut down on the attendance, so this is stuff that schools are already having to deal with.  Apparently they must be doing ok, or else they wouldn't be doing free livestreams.

Yeah neither of the cons seem like cons to me, LOL. I have not heard of one school that has had real issues with finding local opponents. 

[Former Coach]

I was talking to someone about ticket prices the other day. Most schools are around $8, with a few at $10. Thirty plus years ago when I began ticket prices were $5, so prices really haven't gone up but 3-5 dollars in 30 plus years, really not that bad.

[maroontide06]

5 minutes ago, Former Coach said:

I was talking to someone about ticket prices the other day. Most schools are around $8, with a few at $10. Thirty plus years ago when I began ticket prices were $5, so prices really haven't gone up but 3-5 dollars in 30 plus years, really not that bad.

The only time i have to pay full price for a ticket is during playoff time.  Also, during regular season games senior citizens get in free.

[GCWildcatFan]

On 4/23/2025 at 8:46 AM, coastfootballfanman said:

Yeah neither of the cons seem like cons to me, LOL. I have not heard of one school that has had real issues with finding local opponents. 

I think he meant that most school are having to travel farther for district games in the current 7 class formats. There are a few schools that won’t play because of differences in the classification but don’t consider the level of competition is still very close

[Rebel Bert]

1 hour ago, GCWildcatFan said:

I think he meant that most school are having to travel farther for district games in the current 7 class formats. There are a few schools that won’t play because of differences in the classification but don’t consider the level of competition is still very close

I was referring to some schools having to travel farther in non region games.

[pancho]

There are some who have a minimum of an hour and a half one way to region opponents up here in the north.  total BS by the mhsaa crony network

[maroontide06]

27 minutes ago, pancho said:

There are some who have a minimum of an hour and a half one way to region opponents up here in the north.  total BS by the mhsaa crony network

Back when Picayune was in Region 3-5A in 2003 & 2004 we had away region games at Merdian, Brandon, Northwest Rankin, Natchez, Oak Grove & Hattiesburg.  We've been there and done that.

[ccbulldog]

7 is ridiculous, a championship really means much less. 

[doyouevencoachbro]

7 hours ago, ccbulldog said:

7 is ridiculous, a championship really means much less. 

 

1. How many times is this topic going to come up? It isn't changing.

 

2.  Means less to who?  The community? Coaches? Players?  Random people on the internet?  I am sure those teams who won their 1st state championship or the 1st one in a long time are thinking man that didn't mean as much and if we would have won it 10 or 20 years ago.  Let me go tell Tupelo, Choctaw, Heidelberg, Grenada, and Poplarville that their state championship meant less.  

[doyouevencoachbro]

The easiest fix to all these "issues" is consolidation.  It would probably move us even further up the education ratings list.  I think we are 30th now.  

[MSSportsGuy]

2 hours ago, doyouevencoachbro said:

The easiest fix to all these "issues" is consolidation.  It would probably move us even further up the education ratings list.  I think we are 30th now.  

Consolidation to me is the biggest reason why 7 classes is silly. There have been some school consolidations here and there the past few years that will only continue. With our stagnant population plus increase in homeschooling and private school enrollments, there likely won't be any new high schools constructed unless it's a replacement school for an old facility. Why spread a shrinking number of public schools out even more among classes? 

 

At least the MHSAA just added more classes rather than MAIS who will now only have 4 classes but multiple champions in each. Both associations are fighting the same battle: the schools at the top of the line are so much larger than those even a few below them that it makes it challenging to keep a competitive balance.

 

But the 7 classes genie is out of the bottle in Mississippi and likely won't go back in. 

[coastball]

1 hour ago, MSSportsGuy said:

Consolidation to me is the biggest reason why 7 classes is silly. There have been some school consolidations here and there the past few years that will only continue. With our stagnant population plus increase in homeschooling and private school enrollments, there likely won't be any new high schools constructed unless it's a replacement school for an old facility. Why spread a shrinking number of public schools out even more among classes? 

 

At least the MHSAA just added more classes rather than MAIS who will now only have 4 classes but multiple champions in each. Both associations are fighting the same battle: the schools at the top of the line are so much larger than those even a few below them that it makes it challenging to keep a competitive balance.

 

But the 7 classes genie is out of the bottle in Mississippi and likely won't go back in. 

As long as the MHSAA can figure out how to make more $$ from a sport they will continue their profiteering. That's really all they care about in that organization.

[Rebel Bert]

MAIS will have 4 classes, 13 champions across all 4 classes. 1A is 8 man and 2 champions. But more playoff money. I still say MHSAA should be:

7A 24

6A 24

5A 24

4A 24

3A 48

2A 48

1A 49

[coastball]

28 minutes ago, Rebel Bert said:

MAIS will have 4 classes, 13 champions across all 4 classes. 1A is 8 man and 2 champions. But more playoff money. I still say MHSAA should be:

7A 24

6A 24

5A 24

4A 24

3A 48

2A 48

1A 49

I'd go with you on that plan Rebel Bert