Author Scott Kingdon shares the history of litigation between high school athletes and the Indiana High School Athletic Association in his latest book.
"For the Good of the Game: Who Decides What’s Right?" is available for purchase at scottkingdon.com.
Kingdon, a former corporate litigation attorney in Fort Wayne, tells the stories of Johnell Haas of South Bend, Bill and Frank Stevenson of Seymour, Bill Schumaker of Fort Wayne and other Indiana athletes.
Kingdon said when declared ineligible for interschool athletics by the IHSAA, some athletes fight back. They file lawsuits to regain their athletic eligibility, and in response, the IHSAA counterattacks, resorting to numerous legal and regulatory tactics to dissuade athlete lawsuits.
Athlete lawsuits helped liberalize IHSAA rules for athletes who transferred high schools due to family illness, divorce or economic misfortune. A female athlete’s lawsuit transformed Indiana girls athletics years prior to the effective date of Title IX regulations prohibiting discrimination by gender in education.
Kingdon planned to make an appearance Monday at the Jackson County Public Library in Seymour, but the library is closed and has canceled all events during the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic.