Bill would nix restriction on Illinois high school athletes competing outside of school

State lawmakers are considering a bill that would be a game-changer for high school athletes.

Currently, the Illinois High School Association, the governing body of high school sports in the state, does not allow students to play for both their school and a club or traveling team in the same sport during the high school season.

H.B. 3037, also known as the "Right to Play Act," would change that.

Freedom for student-athletes

What we know:

State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr (D-Naperville), the lead sponsor of the bill, and Joe Trost, a student-athlete advocate and former reporter, joined Fox 32 on Tuesday to discuss the legislation.

"The bill basically would allow, if you’re a student-athlete, for that athlete when you’re not in school practicing, when you’re not competing that you can go and do what you want," Yang Rohr said.

It's not just competing in club or travel team that the bill would affect. If passed, it would also allow athletes to participate in competitions for charity or just for fun.

Yang Rohr used the example of a runner who would be able to run in a charity race on the weekend without worrying about being disqualified from high school competition.

Trost said the effort is about letting student-athletes do what they want in their free time, which most states allow.

Critics argue that limiting the athletes’ ability to compete helps reduce the chances of them getting hurt. Trost said athletes are still allowed to compete in another sport during a particular season.

"You could play a high school soccer game on a Saturday morning and then go play six or seven AAU basketball games," he said. "So, when you want to talk about health and safety, it really doesn’t work there, because it’s really about control and that’s what the IHSA is doing. They want the control to be able to own the student-athletes within that sport so they don’t have competition."

The IHSA does allow student-athletes to apply for a waiver from the current rule, but Yang Rohr said she's heard from multiple families that it's "almost impossible" to get the waiver. She said she's heard from soccer players who were invited to play with the Canadian National Team, but were not granted the waiver.

‘Unintended consequences’

The other side:

In a statement, IHSA spokesperson Matt Troha said the organization opposes the bill and argued it would "ultimately limit overall high school athletic participation opportunities, if not eliminate them altogether in certain sports."

He added that a rule change would allow for the "proliferation of travel and other for-profit athletic tournaments being held during the traditional high school seasons."

What they're saying:

IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson added more context in a lengthy statement:

"The passage of House Bill 3037 would be devastating for high school sports in the state. If it were to pass, for-profit travel sports would quickly become a year-round business, essentially limiting sports participation only to those who can afford it," he said.

"Some will opine that one athlete leaving for a travel team will create an opportunity for another student-athlete to take their place on a high school team, but I would caution anyone with that mentality to study high school participation and enrollment trends in Illinois. The trickle-down from collegiate NIL is already impacting high school sports participation, as student-athletes are more likely to specialize in one sport in hopes of increasing their odds of playing at the collegiate level.

"It is becoming increasingly difficult for some high schools to field teams in sports like girls basketball as is, and this bill would exacerbate that trend. The job of a high school sports coach has never been more difficult than it is right now. The money spent on travel sports bleeds into the parental expectations at the high school level. HB 3037 would further tax families’ time and finances, while opening up the student-athletes to overuse injuries.

"I respect and understand that state representatives have heard concerns from their constituents on this issue, but it is important that Illinois lawmakers understand the unintended consequences a change like this could have on entire teams and communities. IHSA member schools possess the ability to change IHSA By-law 2.090 if they see fit. As a private, not-profit organization, we believe our member high schools should be able to continue to self-govern the Association, as they have for over 100 years."

What's next:

The bill just passed the House Education Committee with a vote of 12-0 with one lawmaker voting "present."

The bill is expected to get a vote from the full House later this month or early next month. It would also need approval from the Senate and Gov. JB Pritzker's signature to become law.