The Time Is Ripe To Dismantle The Arizona Interscholastic Association
By Arman Sidhu |
In the evolving landscape of Arizona high school sports, one organization stands as a relic of a bygone era, clinging to monopolistic control and outdated practices: the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA).
The origins of the AIA are important to note due to the group’s strong initial connection with three of the most pervasive forces for the center-left in Arizona K-12 politics: The Arizona School Administrators, the Arizona School Board Association, and the Arizona Educators Association, the local teachers’ union affiliate. In addition to sharing space, it is apparent that the AIA shares similar views as these three organizations in the protection of its monopoly of Arizona high school sports.
Like its original policy partners, the AIA has become synonymous with overreach, authoritarianism, and a childlike resistance to change. As more Arizona athletes and their families opt for alternatives such as Canyon Athletic Association (CAA) schools and independent prep schools, the AIA increasingly finds itself at an existential crossroads.
Its response? Double down on draconian policies that dash the dreams of student-athletes and undermine the dedication of coaches who are often underpaid and overworked. The systemic problem of AIA overreach in the decisions of Arizona families is bad enough that there are lawyers in our state that specialize in AIA conflict and dispute resolution, a troubling realization for an organization that claims to work on behalf of Arizona kids.
A Culture of Overreach and Punishment
The AIA’s authoritarian style is most evident in its relentless enforcement of rules that punish rather than promote the best interests of student-athletes. Consider the tragic case of Desert Edge High School in Goodyear, where the football and track programs were placed on probation due to a social media post by a successful coach who dared to advocate for his school’s athletic and academic quality when asked by a parent that was already seeking a transfer for their child.
The incident led to a harsh punishment that barred Desert Edge from playoff participation in both football and track. It took two hard working and dedicated coaches to fall on their sword to assuage the feckless AIA amid complaints from neighboring schools, who embrace a robust and shameful snitch culture to make up for the inadequacies of their own teams.
Why should the coaches that pour their souls into their athletic programs be barred from advocating for their schools? What harm is done by high school coaches explaining to prospective student-athletes and families the benefits of their program and school amid a generational shift that poses a long-term threat to public school enrollment in Arizona?
This decision not only penalized the coaches and players who had worked tirelessly to excel but also showcased the AIA’s ruthlessness in quashing any perceived challenge to its control. It is the duty of the AIA and its senior leadership to explain what they are so afraid of when parents and student-athletes vote with their feet and elect to make moves in their best interests, as opposed to the members that make up the AIA’s Soviet-style politburo, who would prefer to handcuff each and every kid to their assigned school to preserve its membership base and grow its payroll with additional bureaucrats.
The AIA’s overreach was most recently witnessed in its unfair and controversial decision regarding the Williams Field High School boys’ volleyball team, which had its state championship vacated after the AIA deemed the team ineligible due to an unsanctioned scrimmage shortly before playoffs commenced.
Never mind the fact that these young men were challenging themselves by taking the time out of their day to train against a better team in preparation for the playoffs, the AIA’s Stalinist approach takes precedence. Even though Williams Field High School self-reported the incident, it still took a legal battle by parents to allow the players to compete.
By allowing Williams Field to play, the AIA wasn’t exhibiting any kindness. Instead they did so as a legal strategy, before ultimately deciding to strip the team of its well-deserved title and expunge the team’s participation from the record books. If that isn’t reminiscent of Stalin, what is?
Valley Christian High School has also found itself in the AIA’s crosshairs, with investigations into alleged bylaw violations concerning student-athlete participation in non-AIA activities. The school’s basketball and baseball programs were subject to scrutiny simply for engaging in activities that promote player development and community service, which included a single Valley Christian basketball player living his dream to try out for the Italian national team and the audacity of the young men of Valley Christian’s baseball program who dared to engage in community service during a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, where the AIA struck down the chance for the team to scrimmage against Dominicans. Unless you happen to be privy to the inside baseball of the AIA’s autocrats, the logic and transparency behind such decisions is sorely lacking.
What the examples of Desert Edge, Williams Field, and Valley Christian cumulatively demonstrate is the fact that if the AIA can’t put their fingerprints all over an event and milk it for money while offering their papal-like blessing, then we have evidently reached the Armageddon of amateur athletics.
A Monopoly Built on Exploitation
Beyond punitive actions, the AIA has exploited its position to secure financial gain at the expense of Arizona families and student-athletes. One glaring example is the AIA’s concessionary monopoly on photography at state tournaments, where it has barred local newspaper photographers from prime locations, instead reserving these spots for a single private company to dig deeper into the pockets of Arizona families. This coming from the same organization that dragged its feet for two years at the idea of children retaining the rights to their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), a concept that should be automatically ubiquitous for all Americans of all ages without exception.
The association’s lack of care for student welfare was also evident in a 2012 lawsuit brought against the AIA under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The lawsuit alleged that the AIA discriminated against a student-athlete with a disability by refusing to allow a sign language interpreter during tennis matches. The case was settled, with the AIA agreeing to policy changes and training to ensure compliance with the ADA. However, the incident underscores the AIA’s long history of prioritizing its rigid rules over the needs of individual students, even for common sense rights like the right of a deaf student-athlete to have access to a sign language interpreter.
With evidently little to do other than riding the coattails of the real legwork done by coaches and school athletic directors, the AIA generates its own work by targeting and investigating children and their families for making the best available choices to them. Is such an organization worthy of the voluntary participation of most Arizona schools?
The AIA has repeatedly targeted families and students who exercise their right to choose the best educational and athletic opportunities available. Longtime AIA Executive Director David Hines has been at the forefront of this campaign, having advocated for policies that would make student-athletes who dare to transfer schools ineligible for postseason play—a clear attempt to deter families from seeking better options for their children. Such policies punish students for seeking opportunities that align with their aspirations, while further entrenching the AIA’s fear-driven monopoly over high school sports in the state.
The AIA’s thirst for crony capitalism extends to its launch of AZPreps365, a news service it manages as part of its public relations strategy, as well as shady long-term partnerships it has entered with private entities. The fact that the AIA employs a Business Development Officer, in addition to a Chief Technology Officer, a General Manager of AIA Sports Properties, a Director of Media Services, an Account Executive, and 3 senior-level directors in the Executive Office tells Arizonans all we need to know about the “no-show job” racket that is the AIA.
A Monopoly on the Brink of Collapse
The AIA’s authoritarian grip on Arizona high school sports is not unbreakable. As more families and school districts explore alternatives, the organization risks becoming increasingly irrelevant. The growth of the Canyon Athletic Association is but one bright spot. The emergence of private, independent prep schools and specialized sports academies, particularly in soccer and basketball, offers a free-market alternative that prioritizes student-athlete development over bureaucratic control. Even football is not immune from a challenge by entrepreneurial Arizonans seeking to do right by kids instead of the system.
Indeed, the AIA’s monopoly could crumble with the exit of one major school district or a coalition of competitive districts seeking greener pastures. The defection of districts like Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, which frequently dominate in terms of their playoff appearances and championships in the AIA’s top-tier divisions, would suffice on its own to force the AIA to do an about-face. The departure of East Valley powerhouse districts from the AIA would reorient a significant amount of the talent outside of the scope of the AIA, rendering it less and less relevant for NCAA recruiting and hitting the organization’s purse strings directly.
The time is ripe for a new era in Arizona high school sports—one that values competition, opportunity, and the well-being of student-athletes over the preservation of an outdated and authoritarian institution.
As families continue to seek alternatives, the AIA must either reform or face obsolescence. Parents of AIA schools would be justified in contacting their school board members to contest their district’s future participation in a league that frequently puts the dictums of adults over the dreams of student-athletes.
Arman Sidhu is a lifelong Arizonan and is a former Student-Athlete, Teacher, Coach, Athletic Director, and Principal. His views are solely his own.
