Oklahoma is known for many things.
From the Tall Grass Prairie to spectacular sunsets, our state – No. 46 – has survived disaster after disaster and still its people have risen to new heights. It wasn’t than long ago that Americans embraced Oklahomans such as Will Rogers and Ralph Ellison.
We’ve sung along with Reba and cheered for Johnny Bench and Barry Sanders. And, even today, we remember and celebrate Jim Thorpe.
Here in the Sooner State, athletics remains as important as agriculture and the oil and gas industry. Football remains king – from the elementary school level to the Saturday games at Oklahoma State or the University of Oklahoma, a majority who call this state home embrace athletics.
In fact, because of this popularity, the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association was created to help govern and regular extracurricular activities for the state’s public schools.
But lately, that organization hasn’t been on its best behavior.
In fact, the OSSAA has upset so many people that Gov. Kevin Stitt called for the agency’s elimination during his State of the State address and later, state Sen. Casey Murdock, a Republican from Felt, introduced legislation that would create a new state agency to replace the OSSAA.
The governor’s statement and Murdock’s action seemed to catch the OSSAA off guard. Instead of being open and acknowledging they were a public entity and working with those who had issues, they refused to engage and, instead, issued a terse statement that said little.
Since then, the fight about the OSSAA has grown. Murdock’s critics called his legislation a ‘shot across the bow’ to get the OSSAA’s attention. Murdock and others said the legislation was a response to constituents who share their concerns.
As the frustration with the OSSAA spread, the agency hired high-end lobbyists and went from office to office at the state Capitol working to stay alive.
So far, they’ve succeeded.
But as someone who has observed Oklahoma politics up close for more than three decades, I would suggest that by the time the Second Session of the 60th Oklahoma Legislature ends, the OSSAA of late May will be much different from the OSSAA of today.
Yes, it’s doubtful the OSSAA will be eliminated but I would expect major changes to its governing body and how that body functions. In addition, while many lawmakers have said they don’t want to eliminate the OSSAA, in the same breath, they said they want to see the agency more representative of those it governs and they want an updated rule system.
Every person who sits on the OSSAA’s governing board knows that this state has a deep – and unending – love of athletics. That love is a part of Oklahoma’s DNA. However, even with that deep commitment from the residents of this state, it’s time for the agency that runs high school athletics to become fully transparent and much more willing to work with the groups it governs.
The OSSAA isn’t part of the Oklahoma Constitution. Instead, it’s part of the athletic framework that surrounds Oklahoma and like school policies, elected officials and state laws, the OSSAA can be dramatically altered if it doesn’t fulfill its mission.
It’s one thing to say you love student athletics – it’s another thing to demonstrate that love. For the OSSAA, the time for that demonstration is now.
M. Scott Carter is an award-winning political and investigative reporter with more than 40 years’ experience covering federal and state government and politics in Oklahoma. He can be reached at scott. carter@swoknews.com