Among all the usual policy proposals and political talk in Gov. Kevin Stitt’s State of the State speech last Monday came one unexpected idea— to abolish the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. A day later, state Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, introduced legislation that would create a new state agency that would replace the OSSAA.
Whether or not that bill eventually makes it to the governor’s desk, the die has been cast—how prep sports in Oklahoma are governed should dramatically change, even though coaching and administrative groups that work with the OSSAA suddenly are circling the wagons a r last week’s events, defending the organization.
Frankly, it’s the OSSAA’s fault it’s come to this, but more on that in a moment.
The OSSAA, with 484 members—all but 26 of them public schools—oversees extracurricular activities for many schools in Oklahoma for students in grades seven through 12, including matters of athletic classication, playo _s, student transfers, and eligibility. It’s led by a 15-member board of directors, chosen by school administrators.
Through the years, multiple judges have viewed some of the OSSAA’s actions as high-handed and even “arbitrary and capricious,” which former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger wrote in a 2013 opinion. In that ruling, the court ruled the OSSAA to be a “state actor” and noted the OSSAA’s “all-pervasive” control over state athletic activities mean it “is not truly a voluntary association.”
As recently as July 2024, a judge publicly chided the OSSAA Executive Director David Jackson, who has disagreed with the Supreme Court’s assessment.
Writing in a court opinion, Oklahoma County District Judge Richard Ogden said Jackson’s testimony in a lawsuit brought by private schools against the OSSAA “was telling in that his opinion that the OSSAA is not a state actor seems to amount to an honest disagreement with which reasonable people may di_er as opposed to what it is,” calling the Supreme Court’s decision “binding authority from the highest court in the state.”
There’s a long laundry list of complaints against the OSSAA. First, the OSSAA, at times, has fumbled its handling of eligibility cases. In September 2024, Attorney General Gentner Drummond ordered the OSSAA to cease enforcement of its Rule 24, which links student-athletes seeking to transfer to coaches and can result in a year of athletic ineligibility for the student.
But a few months later, a r making a few tweaks, the OSSAA resumed enforcement of the rule and told the families of four students transferring into the Glencoe Public Schools district the students would be ineligible, citing Rule 24. The parents of the students sued and in early September 2025, a Payne County judge granted a restraining order restoring the boys’ eligibility.
The OSSAA later settled the case. Stitt brought up the case in his speech, saying, “Your ability to play sports shouldn’t be contingent on your parent’s ability to a_ord an attorney.”
The problem with the rule is state law—like it or not—allows for open transfer between schools, and that ought to supersede any OSSAA rule. One thing this writer learned during two years of covering the state Legislature is lawmakers do not like it when any organization fails to follow the laws it makes.
Another common gripe against the OSSAA is its policy concerning the live streaming of postseason events, which is viewed as both onerous and expensive by broadcasters who’ve followed a team all season. For a time, the OSSAA prevented those local broadcasters from streaming some state-level events, until the Legislature stepped in last year and passed a law mandating those broadcasters be able to stream those games, notwithstanding any agreements between the OSSAA and out-of-state entities.
Murdock also has said he’s upset that the OSSAA keeps all ticket revenue from postseason events, with the host schools only being able to keep concession prots. Another lawmaker, state Rep. J.J. Humphrey, R-Lane, has complained about the OSSAA pushing fans toward an online platform—with which the OSSAA has an agreement—to buy tickets for postseason events.
The perception, voiced by Stitt, that the OSSAA is unaccountable to anyone except itself—and make no mistake, thousands of people in Oklahoma feel that way—has led to this moment. The OSSAA must make major changes, in a short time frame, if it wishes to survive, and it needs to show the governor and the Legislature it’s serious about doing so.
Here’s one suggestion–a completely reformed board of directors. Right now, the 15-person board consists mostly of district superintendents or those who directly answer to superintendents. That system might have worked well decades ago, but society has changed, and so must the board’s composition.
There are no parent or student representatives on the board. Parents and students should, at the least, have equal representation to that of district officials. It wouldn’t hurt if legislators or executive-branch officials, or both, also had spots on the board. OSSAA board membership should also include elected members of local school boards from across Oklahoma, who are accountable to voters in their districts.
Also, any school official who’s not a superintendent and who’s on the OSSAA board should be free to vote his or her conscience, without the interference of their district’s superintendent, so some sort of protection from potential retaliation might also be necessary.
Private schools, which consist of about 5.4% of OSSAA membership, should be guaranteed a spot on the board, and the board must proactively work in good faith with those schools to develop an equitable way to address concerns about any perceived competitive advantages. That solution should work toward the best interests of both public- school and private-school students.
The OSSAA also should agree to scour its rules and regulations, working with lawmakers, the governor and perhaps the state Attorney General’s Office, and eliminate any regulations that might conflict with current state law.
Perhaps most importantly, the OSSAA should acknowledge it ultimately answers to the people it’s supposed to serve—the students of Oklahoma and their parents, not unelected school officials.
Murray Evans has reported in Oklahoma for nearly 40 years, covering subjects including education, tribal affairs, energy, and sports. Previously working for The Oklahoman and The Associated Press, Evans has travelled the state to tell the stories of Oklahomans, winning multiple awards in sports and news writing along the way. He can be reached at murray.evans@wsoknews.com.