A debate worth mentioning. Power conferences are coming into discussion and into fruition throughout Long Island. The girls, well ahead of the guys game, have had a power conference for years in Nassau County with teams being split up based on ability. Nassau Boys B & C Leagues are broken up by ability as well. Counties across the east coast are joining the movement towards getting their conference or leagues to be split up based on ability.
Below we’ve listed some reasons why power conferences are good, or in some cases bad, for High School sports.
Pros to a Power Conference
- Better or more comparable competition throughout the regular season.
- Aligns with big picture goals for High School student athletes to play competitive games on a consistent basis.
- Long Island specifically is a hot bed for the sport. Fans, spectators, lax enthusiasts want to see the best teams battle against one another consistently.
- A power conference will better prepare teams for the State Championships. Fans want to see Long Island teams be successful when they head to States. Playing harder competition throughout the regular season, will give them a better prepare them for playoff and States.
Cons to a Power Conference
- When you play better competition on a consistent basis, your top players are more prone to wear and tear. Injuries might increase as your top athletes play complete games more frequently.
- If a team from a lower conference beats a team from a power conference their seeding come playoff time will drop.
- Harder to get the players on the bottom of your bench into the game when you are consistently playing competitive games.
What do you think? Power conference or no power conference? That’s the question.
