Sports media has been abuzz about a certain nationally-televised high school football game. Yes, that game.
Saturday’s gridiron showdown between Bishop Sycamore and IMG Academy was a blowout indeed. However, it was the overreaction of the key players in sports media — including the WorldWide Misleader in Sports, ESPN — jerking themselves off to the sound of their commentary.
It’s nothing more than an attempted hit job on an online homeschool whose only crime is not playing well.
For this piece, I’m going to play Devil’s Advocate for Bishop Sycamore to prove once and for all that this so-called “scandal” is anything but one.
Get educated on what a prep school is
This is a common misconception by the sports media that prep schools can only be in-person. Other common misconceptions are that prep school education ends at age 18, they have to be sanctioned by a state sporting body, or prep schools cannot be in a virtual, homeschool environment.
Let’s go through the definition of a preparatory high school is.
Prep schools are high schools that offer a fifth-year option, also known as being a second-year senior. (Or as the sports world calls them in collegiate sports, a redshirt senior.) This means students may be graduating at age 19 or 20, depending on their birthday.
Prep schools are predominantly in the eastern United States, but are spread out west of the Mississippi.
There are well over 200 of these schools listed on the MaxPreps prep school list for football alone.
Roughly 35 of these schools hold their classes in a hybrid in-person/virtual homeschool environment. Nine schools are strictly operating under online homeschooling.
Prep schools are not sanctioned by any state athletic association
Upon some research, prep schools, including those strictly online, do not have to elect to be sanctioned by any state athletic association.
The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) listed Bishop Sycamore last year as a “non-chartered, non-tax supported school.” This means that the school is private and cannot be sanctioned by ODE. They also do not have to be sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), as Bishop Sycamore never requested it.
That doesn’t mean Bishop Sycamore isn’t on the up and up. I mean, there are some shady elements, but there’s no evidence to support that the school doesn’t exist.
Also, there are no laws prohibiting a school from seeking a sanctioning body elsewhere.
As discovered in a tweet responding to an inquiry as to why Bishop Sycamore was never eligible for OHSAA’s football playoffs, the Centurions’ sanctioning body is in Texas.
And what do you know? They were correct – Bishop Sycamore is a member of the Texas Christian Athletic League (TCAL). Their classification in TCAL is 6A, which is the sanctioning body’s National Division. The other non-Texan school other than Bishop Sycamore is Grace Baptist out of Ocean Springs, Miss.
TCAL doesn’t seem to have any concerns, as they have not responded to any requests for comment. Their social media interactions are also far and in between.
Ohio state government has no say on the matter
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine really thinks the state has authority over a homeschool organization. He made that quite apparent in his recent social media tirade.
“Like many Ohioans, I am concerned by the recent reports and questions raised about Bishop Sycamore. While this weekend’s football game brought concerns about the health and safety of players, it also raised red flags about the school’s operations,” DeWine said.
Moreover, DeWine also said schools like Bishop Sycamore “have an obligation under Ohio law to meet certain minimum standards,” but whether Bishop Sycamore meets those standards is not entirely clear.
“I have asked the Ohio Department of Education to conduct an investigation into Bishop Sycamore to ensure compliance with Ohio law and to ensure the school is providing the educational opportunities Ohio students deserve,” DeWine said.
Homeschools, especially preparatory homeschools, do not have to comply with state or federal education guidelines. Educational standards are set by parents and board members of an educational cooperative or homeschool.
Therefore, this means the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio state government cannot make Bishop Sycamore abide by their standards.
The ratings ESPN doesn’t want you to know
I’ve heard from television industry bigwigs that ESPN deliberately redacted the viewership numbers from the Bishop Sycamore/IMG Academy nationally-televised game.
So let’s look at the nationally-televised game that aired an hour prior to BS/IMG:
The high school football game that finished 28th was St. Frances (MD) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (FL). The game captured 448,000 viewers with a demographic average of 0.14. Among that viewership was 209,000 within the 18-49 key demographic. This was presumably the only high school game in the top 50.
ESPN’s 3 p.m. game between Oakland (TN) and Madison-Ridgeland (MS) garnered 166,000 viewers with 106,000 from the 18-49 demo for a 0.04 average rating. The game finished 138th in Saturday viewing.
That was beaten out — by not by much — by the 6 p.m. broadcast on ESPN2. The game between Pace Academy (GA) and Rabun County (GA) picked up 176,000 viewers with 148,000 from the 18-49 demo.
I discovered details on the redacted ratings for the 1:30 p.m. broadcast — an exclusive at best.
Preliminary reports state that viewership of the game was roughly 1.12 million, with 675,000 from the key 18-49 demo. The average viewership was roughly around 900,000, with an average rating of 0.29.
So was ESPN really duped? Not when they’re raking in a ton of cash!
Also, it is also reported that five schools watched the game and wanted to schedule games for the 2022 season.
The accusations of not having any college prospects
ESPN made serious allegations and accusations citing that the school does not have any college football prospects.
Bishop Sycamore wide receiver Jeremy Naborne resents such assumptions in a tweet of his own.
That’s right — Naborne has been received offers from TCU and Tennessee, with offers potentially awaiting from Arizona and Arizona State.
It’s uncertain how many others are being pursued, but they will likely make themselves known soon.
The bombshell critics aren’t going to like
Get ready to cry, critics. That’s because here’s the ratio that blows your hit job arguments into smithereens.
Homeschool-type prep schools have the right to pursue any options to have a sports program.
According to A2ZHomeschooling, there are a number of options to be considered for sports programs.
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There is a national program for homeschoolers called the Home School Sports Network. This has a structure similar to TCAL. This would be an option to consider as there is no state-level program in Ohio for homeschool athletics.
Homeschooled athletes also do not have to jump through a thousand hoops to be considered for NCAA scouting. Students wishing to pursue NCAA sports at a Division I or Division II school can register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Students intending to attend a Division III school will not have to complete this process.
Did Bishop Sycamore commit a crime?
In the long and short, the answer is no. Was there a story presented to stretch the truth? Most certainly.
But stretching the truth or even lying outright isn’t a crime. It’s also not a fraud.
But this is how the WorldWide Misleader in Sports, ESPN, is presenting it for all the world to see.
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For more sports news, follow Jake Leonard on Twitter @JakeLeonardWPMD and Midwest Sports Network @MWSNsports.
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