No. 1 I met with a football coach in West Tennessee this past week. The coach told me that his school board had approved bonuses for all coaches in all sports who make the playoffs. Every football coach, including the head coach and assistants will receive $1,000 for each playoff game, and if they win the state championship, each coach will receive another $1,000. Consequently, if that team wins the state, each football coach will receive a $5,000 bonus.

No. 2 That is the best incentive I have heard of for a coach in the past 21 years that I have worked with high school football coaches across the state. I have known coaches who have received vehicles from car dealers and the money from ads they sell for their coaching shows. Those types of bonuses have value, yet I like the incentive-based bonus best.

No. 3 I have not followed the NCAA issues with college athletes closely regarding the NIL (name, image and likeness), but it appears that NCAA college athletes will be able to secure income for themselves. The idea is that a NCAA athlete can create income, but it cannot be used as a recruiting tool. 

No. 4 Someone recently told me that the major benefits of going to a bowl game to Vanderbilt was the increased donations from alumni and free media exposure. Big checks rolled in when the football team made it to a bowl game. The university presidents know how much money is generated by the bowl games, which is a major reason there is resistance to eliminating college bowl games.

No. 5 I get excited each year when I go across the state and see football teams preparing for the new season in the summer. Normally, there is excitement before the “new” season starts. Seeing all the teams post new rosters for the next school year at Warren County High School has been a good education. Everyone will miss the graduating seniors, but the programs keep rolling on. 

No. 6 There are obvious reasons to root for the teams to be successful when you are writing about them. You want to see the kids do well. Winning is a lot more fun than losing. Seeing so many teams do well was a lot of fun this past school year.

No. 7 One person I particularly want to see do well next season is Sable Winfree. She played remarkably well as a freshman. I believe she has the ability and determination to leave a real legacy at Warren County High School. Sable is clearly a gym rat. Her main focus this summer is improving her left hand and shooting. Sable Winfree is a star whose future is bright – for her and her team.