How the MCLA and its Conferences are run

[DRich17]

Has anyone ever thought about how things get taken care of in this league and in our own conferences. We pay league and conference dues every year, and where does it all go? If our team pays 1,000 bucks to the MCLA, times 250 div 1 and div 2 teams, wheres that quarter of a mil going? Trophies for everyone? Paid travel or uniforms? Really the only thing that seems to be paid for is the National playoffs. Besides that, where is all of our money going? There is a similiar set up in most of the conferences I believe, as I know is true with my own. And how are we delegating power to those who manage our league and conferences. In a sport which has taken hold of so many geographic places so fast, and grown so quickly, are the people we have chosen to better serve us really looking out for promoting the sport? Or are they interested in something else. This topic is not meant to attack or offend anyone, but more so to get people involved, you know the whole VOTE or DIE thing. We all participate in lacrosse dialogue in these forums, shouldn't it be our responsibility, as teams and individuals, to understand and see what is going on. I love lacrosse, and I hope to promote the sport, the league, and the conference in a way that will be most beneficial to all those involved.

[Steno]

I have no idea how to answer your question, but I would just like to support your statement. I love transparency, and none is available online.

Howabout a dollar-by-dollar breakdown? I mean, we pay the MCLA, we are essentially shareholders/clients, right? Is there any sort of published annual report?

[MoState15]

go get em d-rich

[SDSULAX]

The annual report was distributed to your MCLA conference director, ask him to send it to you, it might answer your question. Your numbers of teams might be off, and you have probably never rented a stadium, and paid many referee salaries for a week, but you should be able to talk to your conference director. Of course if you do not feel that you would ever have a chance to go to the National Championship, you might ask him what the MCLA is doing for you, besides giving your program some sort of legitimacy.

[DRich17]

Let me back up.... I'm not really looking for an answer to a question per say, but what does everyone else think. Is there anyone else who has these types of questions? Is there anyone who doesnt understand some of the delegation of power in the league/conferences? Is there someone that does? Does anyone find something their conference's EB is doing wrong/right? I'm not trying to be one sided here, I would like to spark the conversation. For example, how is the league Executive Board decided? are they voted? What are they doing with our money? Are they looking out for all the devolping teams, or do some people only try and tailor fit the league/conference for their team. Has anyone ever thought about this stuff?

oh yes sir, 103 DI and 97DII schools

But yea, stadium that's great. So what sorts of prices are we looking at for a stadium? How many teams go? Is the price of sending X number of teams to Nationals worth taxing some developing teams that have no shot? Has the MCLA ever thought of something besides putting all their marbles in one basket with the Nationals? Maybe slightly less money for Nationals and a bit more money for something else?

[SDSULAX]

Are you looking for how the GLRC is run? The answer to your other questions is yes, your interests and the interests of developing teams is looked out for and protected.

[DRich17]

Yes. And the MCLA.

[SDSULAX]

I do not know how the GRLC is set up and operated but as a member of it you should be able to find out. As far as the MCLA BOD is set up, the Conference directors are appointed by their respective conferences, the Executive Board is elected by the Conference Board of Directors for set terms.

[DRich17]

Ok ok. I'm still getting nothing from the little teams out there. I mean 2 sentences on a forum is great and all but how does it play out? For example (and I won't use real examples)...

Team ABC is NCAA DivI. They fairly consistantly have a good basketball and/or football team that makes the school a lot of money. However team ABC has less than 7 or 8 high school lacrosse programs in the state they reside. Lacrosse is a growing sport and some states do not have a fully devolped HS league, where team ABC may be able to pull some good talent. However, the ruling states that since team ABC is DI they MUST play DI lacrosse in MCLA. Meaning every year team ABC goes 2-9 or 3-10 or 1-13. How is that "looking out for the interest of growing the sport"? People say, "well yes there has got to be some sort of standard for dividing teams." Absolutely. But doesn't this one seem a bit... Ignorant. Ignorant of the fact team ABC may only a few feeder schools for lacrosse? Couldn't we amend this to say something like, Well, we'll let the team ABC play DII until they 1) finish in the top 2 or 3 in their DII conf. or 2) have 5 HS lax programs within 75 miles...

Now this scenario doesn't affect us a lot. But I know of a lot of schools in this part of the country that have this happen to. Now how can we practically say, "Yes my money is well spent. They look out for us and the good of spreading the sport?"

And no I'm not trying to "Go get 'em D Rich". I just really have a hard time seeing how this makes sense

[DRich17]

here's another one. We have a handful of people making big decisions at the league and conference level. Why can't we make it to where every team has equal representation? No more of this EB stuff. How about a simple majority vote on any matter that affects the conf/league. I can't see how having 4 reps making decisions for us, while the other teams have little or no say in the matter, is fair. Why not have equal representation and voting power for #1 and #103?

[SDSULAX]

A couple of things, number one, there is usually only one number one team, everyone else falls in behind them, second, Division II is not intended to be a developmental division, it is for smaller schools, while you might think the dividing line between Division I and Division II is arbitrary, it seems to fit the majority of the teams well. The MCLA does not exist to "grow the sport",as in carry teams that cannot conform to rules and guidelines that is not the intent. The growing the sport is by having rules and regulations, structure and consistency. As far as high school teams in your area, do what we did, get out there and start to grow some teams, it does not happen overnight, here in southern California it has taken about 30 years. What is wrong with being one of the perennial top teams in Division II, if that is the Division you belong in? A Division I team can can play in Division II if you wish, there are consequences involved in making that decision, you just must be willing to pay them. I would think it would be more of an incentive to get better as a team. Work harder, practice more, get better.

[BigheadTodd]

The easiest way to put an end to posts like this is just what Steno wrote...Transparency. This is not the first post like this. A few leagues have their bylaws right on their website. A friend of mine has been asking for them to be posted since his team got shut out of the playoffs a few years back because of a violation of the bylaws. Until you make everything readily available, expect these kinds of questions. That being said, the MCLA is 1000x better run than the NCLL.

[SDSULAX]

As far as your other question, you have got to be kidding right? Nothing would ever get done, Conferences are at different levels of development. You could not afford how much administrating a league set up like you suggest would cost. So every decision would require a 200 team vote?

[Sonny]

mean 2 sentences on a forum is great and all but how does it play out? For example (and I won't use real examples)...

It's 3 AM in the morning. Most of the decisions makers involved with the conference and MCLA are traveling with their teams and in bed.

However, the ruling states that since team ABC is DI they MUST play DI lacrosse in MCLA. Meaning every year team ABC goes 2-9 or 3-10 or 1-13. How is that "looking out for the interest of growing the sport"? People say, "well yes there has got to be some sort of standard for dividing teams." Absolutely. But doesn't this one seem a bit... Ignorant. Ignorant of the fact team ABC may only a few feeder schools for lacrosse? Couldn't we amend this to say something like, Well, we'll let the team ABC play DII until they 1) finish in the top 2 or 3 in their DII conf. or 2) have 5 HS lax programs within 75 miles...

Yes, but they are NOT prevented from playing any team (MCLA D1, MCLA D2, non MCLA club, NCAA) they want. Just because you are D1 doesn't mean you can't play D2 schools.

Also note - everyone MCLA team can't have a winning record, go to the playoffs, or go to the National Tournament. It's mathematically impossible. The same thing applies to NCAA Division 1 football and basketball. You get the opportunity to compete at the MCLA level. Success is NEVER guaranteed and the chance to improve your program rests solely with you.

There are always going to be geographically isolated schools out there in the MCLA, not to mention the fact that some schools draw students from more then 75 miles away.

here's another one. We have a handful of people making big decisions at the league and conference level. Why can't we make it to where every team has equal representation?

Let me get this straight. We have teams ranked in the Top 10 of the MCLA that can't fill out a roster form correctly in the national tournament program, yet the MCLA is suppose to poll all 200+ teams nationwide when they want to buy a roll of toilet paper?

[Kevin OBrien]

I don't think every decision should require a vote (and to imply that anyone says that isn't helping any level headed conversation), but there is some grey area between. How about we start with the big decisions and see how it goes.

As for transparency, the SELC does pretty well money wise. We have a budget that is sent out showing how much each team is charged, how many games are played (the largest amount of dues goes to the $600 per game for ref fees for a two man game, which includes the actual fee, assigning fee, a travel stipend, etc).

While legitimacy is mentioned as a reason, the people giving that reason don't really understand that "Legitimacy" is useless for players and teams on the lower half of the league, who never see the championships (let alone their own) but are still paying for it. I'm not of course not saying that the national championship is a bad thing (quite the opposite). Transparency at the national level is indeed an issue. With email accounts, how hard would it be to send out minutes of mcla bod meetings and the mcla budget to every team who gives a valid email address? Why not publish them on MCLA.us? As for going to the meetings (since everyone is invited) that's another ludicrious statement, where I think some of the top teams (or, as I've seen, it's always members of the BOD and administrators of the top leagues) forget themselves. Not every team's coach can afford to travel wherever (since their airfare and lodging isn't paid by our dues). Each team should be put on an equal basis administratively. Let the differences stay on the field and not come into the administration of the league.

EDIT: Sonny, why the hell is the BOD buying toilet paper with my $1000?!? That's a hell of a lot of TP for one, two they better be slumming it with the single ply, not that cushy two ply charmin ultra...who do they think they are, the NCAA?