CIF's Rich Shearer talks 'competitive equity' on CIF Southern Section Sitdown

Competitive equity and computer rankings. Those are key ingredients to the formula that creates the CIF Southern Section's team playoff format.

CIF Southern Section assistant commissioner Rich Shearer joins Tarek Fattal on the CIF Southern Section Sitdown. / Taylor Martinez

What is competitive equity?

CIF Southern Section assistant commissioner Rich Shearer breaks down what competitive equity means, how it impacts high school sports, and what systems are in place to produce the playoffs in team sports.

"(Competitive equity) is finding ways for teams to compete with each other that are similar in a competitive nature," Shearer said.

In short, teams of their own weight class, so to speak, should be facing off against one another in the postseason when competing for a CIF title.

In years past, the playoff divisions were determined prior to the season starting. Teams were slotted in their respective division based on the previous two years performance. However, the issue with that came when great teams that were senior heavy - for example - would graduate key players, leaving the program to scratch and claw in a division the following season the team is no longer equipped to compete in.

Now, with competitive equity, playoffs are determined at the end of the current season. A team's win-loss record and strength of schedule are calculated into a computer system that will place teams in a division with similar programs among the same rank.

The biggest, most recent example of competitive equity is football. Using Calpreps.com, the computer creates rankings based on current performance. The divisions are created among the rankings and the postseason carries out from that point onward.

This same system will now be implemented in all CIF Southern Section team sports starting in 2024. When the change became official, the CIF office released the following statement.

"On Tuesday, January 30, the CIF Southern Section Council passed the Same Season Competitive Equity Playoff Grouping bylaw revision by a vote of 79-8. All schools and teams affected by the bylaw who qualify for post season competition will now be guaranteed placement in a playoff group or division that is comprised of similarly ranked teams based solely on data from the current season."

FULL EPISODE WITH RICH SHEARER

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