Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association
Encyclopedia
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee
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in the American state
of Tennessee. First organized in 1925, the TSSAA oversees athletic functions of both public and private
schools. It includes schools throughout the state of Tennessee, as well as a single private school located in Mississippi.
In 2001, the association was a party in the United States Supreme Court
case Brentwood Academy v. Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association
. Brentwood Academy
had sued the Association after the school was penalized for "undue influence" in recruiting football players, and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court. The court in this case held that a statewide association, incorporated to regulate interscholastic athletic competition among public and private schools, is regarded as engaging in state action
when it enforces a rule against a member school.
The fall of 2009 was the first year for the TSSAA to divide into six playoff classifications for football.The new system allowed more teams into the playoffs. For example classes 3A-6A each have 32 teams in the playoffs with four quadrants in each. In each quadrant teams are seeded one to eight.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Description
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association administers sporting events for an estimated 110,000 participants, 374 schools, 4,000 coaches, 3,000 officials, and 5,500 teamsVarsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
in the American state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Tennessee. First organized in 1925, the TSSAA oversees athletic functions of both public and private
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
schools. It includes schools throughout the state of Tennessee, as well as a single private school located in Mississippi.
In 2001, the association was a party in the United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
case Brentwood Academy v. Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association
Brentwood Academy v. Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn.
Brentwood Academy v. Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn., , was a United States Supreme Court case decided in 2001. The case concerned whether the actions of a interscholastic sport-association that regulated sports among Tennessee schools could be regarded as a state actor for civil rights...
. Brentwood Academy
Brentwood Academy
Brentwood Academy is a college preparatory school with a campus located in Brentwood, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. Brentwood Academy is a coeducational, independent, college-preparatory school....
had sued the Association after the school was penalized for "undue influence" in recruiting football players, and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court. The court in this case held that a statewide association, incorporated to regulate interscholastic athletic competition among public and private schools, is regarded as engaging in state action
State actor
In United States law, a state actor is a person who is acting on behalf of a governmental body, and is therefore subject to regulation under the United States Bill of Rights, including the First, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, which prohibit the federal and state governments from violating...
when it enforces a rule against a member school.
The fall of 2009 was the first year for the TSSAA to divide into six playoff classifications for football.The new system allowed more teams into the playoffs. For example classes 3A-6A each have 32 teams in the playoffs with four quadrants in each. In each quadrant teams are seeded one to eight.