Call up the website for Avondale Agua Fria High School and you'll see these words on the front page: Honor First, Win or Lose.

Principal Dr. Matthew Bentz thought of that motto last month when a catastrophe came to his attention. Numerous Agua Fria athletes had not completed the paperwork they needed to be eligible, and a number of the school's coaches had not met guidelines set by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.

After a member of the team received a red card just two days following the six-week suspension of a player from the girls soccer team, Vero Beach High School coach Chris Fonehouse — with the support of athletic director Lenny Jankowski and administration — created a policy in which any future offenses that create cause for ejection also would lead to dismissal from the team.  How is it working?

For collegiate athletic directors, an ongoing concern is complying with Title IX, particularly when it comes to providing equal participation opportunities for females. And more and more, they are turning to track and field coaches for help--asking them to carry as many female athletes as possible, if not more.

While you can often identify the abuse that triggered the reaction, NCAA rules often seem to toss the baby out with the bathwater.  That seems to be the case in a recent decision to ban “nonscholastic events” on college campuses.  High schools and colleges have traditionally had a relationship that crossed academic and athletic lines at times but proved to be mutually beneficially in the long run.  An NCAA men's basketball bylaw approved last April prohibiting "nonscholastic events" on campuses has resulted in confusion among colleges, event operators and high schools.

Winning football teams make male students stupider.  At least that is one of the conclusions being drawn by the National Bureau for Economic Research. Okay, that's not quite accurate. Male students don't actually get stupider if their football teams win more; their grades just drop.