Scoggins: Transferring runs against what we love about high school sports

TRANSFERRING IN MINNESOTA | This is part of an exclusive Strib Varsity series.

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A photo taken back in 2017 and shared recently left me wistful.

In it, two boys are standing shoulder-to-shoulder, their backs to the camera, staring down at the ice at then-Xcel Energy Center as the Moorhead Spuds boys hockey team skated during warmups at the state tournament.

Their names are Drew Kortan and John Gramer. They were 6 years old. Two buddies dressed in Moorhead’s orange colors, bonded by the same dream. To be down on that ice someday when they grow up.

The photo didn’t need a caption. Their frozen postures told a story because of what it represented: An idyllic narrative we keep in our minds.

A Moorhead parent shared that photo with me at the state tournament in early March. Kortan and Gramer, now sophomores on varsity, helped the Spuds defend their Class 2A title in an epic comeback victory over Minnetonka.

I posted the photo with context on Twitter, which generated considerable reaction, including comments such as, “This is what high school sports are all about.”

They still are for an overwhelming majority of high school athletes, but not everyone and not every situation, and that has become a divisive topic in this era of transfers.

Certain words trigger a range of emotions and opinions. Mention the word “transfer” around those with a vested interest in high school sports, and the reaction is hardly neutral.

A Strib Varsity report found that the Minnesota State High School League receives roughly 2,000 transfer and eligibility requests per school year. That’s a tiny fraction of the overall number of teenagers participating in athletics in Minnesota — 240,000 according to MSHSL — but those cases attract considerable attention and debate.

The issue is more complicated and nuanced than simply painting it as good versus bad, right versus wrong.

Are there cases in which people lie, deceive and cheat MSHSL transfer rules for personal gain? Yes. We’ve all heard the stories.

Are there cases in which an athlete genuinely needs to transfer to find a better situation personally? Yes. We’ve heard those stories, too.

Those 2,000 cases each year don’t fit neatly into one category, so condemning all for the actions of some misses the mark.

The most common argument against allowing transfers is that it takes away opportunities from kids who grew up in that community. The linear trajectory from rec to travel to middle school to varsity remains the essence of high school sports. We’ve lost our way when a ZIP code becomes inconsequential.

Those who trample over transfer rules don’t deserve the rewards they seek. Coaches, parents and athletes who game the system to chase championships or because it’s a fashionable thing to do ruin the experience for others.

The reasons prompting transfers aren’t hard to find. Just look around. A direct correlation exists between transferring and a preoccupation with youth sports.

It is not uncommon for parents to spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on a single child’s training, travel, equipment and private coaching. Kids specialize in sports year-round to keep pace with other kids. The AAU culture tolerates a transient nature in which players join multiple teams.

The introduction of name, image and likeness and revenue sharing at the college level — on top of scholarship money — has made that carrot even larger. College athletes in football and men’s and women’s basketball can earn six-figure compensation (or more) in a year.

That cauldron of investment and enticement carries heightened expectations. Parents and athletes want the best situation to maximize what they have invested in time, money and sweat equity. Coaches feel pressure to win because they understand the stakes.

Those conditions create a breeding ground for transfers. That’s reality.

If a family changes residences so a child can improve his or her situation in athletics, that’s their prerogative. It’s legal.

It’s naïve to think every transfer is done by the book and without causing a ripple effect at both schools, but the rule exists to benefit those who truly need it.

Maybe an athlete is suffering mentally and emotionally in a toxic environment created by an overbearing coach. Maybe a case involves divorcing parents. Maybe a school’s commitment to a sport simply isn’t adequate for an exceptional athlete whose development is being hindered.

Should those kids be penalized?

That’s the other side of the debate.

This will remain a hot-button issue. People inevitably take advantage of rules (or outright break them) for reasons that undermine the spirit of high school competition. Strict enforcement is the only solution.

Parents want what’s best for their child. We’re nothing if not protective. And we’re also nostalgic. We remember how things used to be only a generation ago.

That’s why that Moorhead photo struck such a chord. It was two youngsters waiting their time until they could wear that varsity uniform in the state hockey tournament.

That might sound a little utopian in the transfer era, but I refuse to stop believing in it.

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Transferring in Minnesota

This story is part of a Strib Varsity exclusive series focused on student-athletes transferring high schools in Minnesota. Other stories to read include our main story on why athletes transfer and our FAQ on transfer athlete rules in Minnesota.