The "trickle-down effect" of advertising and
sponsorships from the collegiate level onto the high school
athletic field was examined by Jeff Lockridge of the
Nashville TENNESSEAN. While the National Federation of
State High School Associations (NFSHSA) has ruled that "any
logo outside of the uniform manufacturer is illegal,"
Lockridge wrote that "other forms of advertising are popping
up everywhere." The TN Secondary School Athletic
Association (TSSAA) "just landed a new title sponsor" for
its Div.-I football state championships, renaming the Clinic
Bowl the BlueCross Bowl for at least the next three years.
At Sullivan South High School in Kingsport, TN, Coca-Cola
decals "reside on each side of the halfcourt line in the
gym," and "several schools" in Memphis, TN, have contracts
with Reebok "to supply their basketball teams." Brentwood
Academy Athletic Dir Carlton Flatt: "We do not have any type
of sponsorships, but there's a possibility one day it could
happen. ... It makes sense to me -- companies advertising at
the (high school) level. If I can get guys drinking Coca-
Cola when they're 14, that's probably better than getting
them at 19." More Flatt: "I know there are a lot of schools
today who are having financial problems. If we were, it
would be something worth looking into. If someone from Nike
called up and said, 'Hey, if you wear our shoes, we'll give
your school $25,000 and there are no strings attached,' it
would be pretty hard to say no" (TENNESSEAN, 9/10).
