The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "high school sports" ...
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Unfair Game
Texas high school athletics rules prohibit students from transferring from district to district for athletic purposes, but that hasn’t stopped coaches and administrators from openly flouting the rules to assemble state championship-caliber teams as part of an underground recruiting system that puts athletics over academics. WFAA investigative reporter Brett Shipp's reports showed how improper recruiting helped Dallas' Kimball Knights build back-to-back state champ basketball teams, and how former Dallas Cowboy Deion Sanders' new school, Prime Prep Academy, also drew in blue-chip players against the rules.
Tags: High school athletics; sports; coach; recruiting system; state champion team
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"Little Leagues, Big Costs"
This five-day series chronicles the experiences with youth sports of high school and college athletes and coaches. By establishing "baseline data" that has been previously unreported, Dispatch reporters found a "corrupted" sports program overrun with angry parents and practices that cause severe injury to young athletes. Rising costs and financial competitions are added pressures to the industry.
Tags: youth-sports; IRS 990s; NCAA; NCAA Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act; Nexis; Ohio State; Gene Smith; Ohio High School Athletic Association; OHSAA; OSU
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A Passing Offense
"The WFAA-TV series, "A Passing Offense," revealed a systematic problem inside the Dallas public schools in which athletic excellence was prized over academic success. Despite a statewide "No Pass, No Play" rule that required athletes to achieve passing academic scores to continue to play sports, the rule was often flouted to win championships."
Tags: academics; sports; grade manipulation; athletes; high school; test scores; FOIA
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The high price of Rutgers sports
For a decade, Rutgers Univeristy pushed hard to become a college football powerhouse. But a six-month investigation of Rutgers athletics -- including a new review of public records the university fought to keep confidential -- found big-time college football came at a greater price than the school disclosed and still refuses to fully document. The investigation found that Rutgers has hiked tuition, canceled classes and eliminated six other varsity sports while doubling its football spending budget; hid millions of sports expenses, including salaries and charter flights, from public view; rushed into a $102 million expansion of Rutgers Stadium to retain coach Greg Schiano and refused to reveal several other financial and fundraising efforts.
Tags: Rutgers University; college football; financial records; private universities; expense reports; stadiums
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Big Boys
"The story looked at the weight of today's high school football players and compared it to those 20 years ago." The findings showed "significant increase in weight of players, but no corresponding increase in height."
Tags: sports; football; weight; linemen; protein supplements; creatine; weight gain
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Danger Zone
"High school football players suffer concussions more frequently than adults; their concussions can be much more severe than adult concussions, too. Misperceptions about concussions abound among youths and adults."
Tags: sports; health; injuries; head injuries; concussion; high school; football
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Football Coaches Hitting Pay Dirt
High school football coaches in the state of Texas are well-compensated. The Morning News examines the salaries of coaches including Ennis' Sam Harrell, whose $106,044 yearly salary vastly eclipses the average teacher's at his school, which is $42,766.
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A Coach's Secret
Investigating the cause of a women's basketball coach's suicide, the coach's unpleasant history was uncovered. Reports of spousal abuse, a habit of dating former players, and sexual coercion of players were scattered in his past.
Tags: sports; high school; basketball; coach; spousal abuse; sexual misconduct; suicide;
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Bob Knight: The Unauthorized Biography
The book asserts that Knight's abusive behavior toward basketball players he coached was "systematically ignored by the universities Knight was employed by." Authors interviewed 145 sources, many of whom had never gone on record previously. Sources include "his childhood best friend, childhood next door neighbor, high school girlfriend, high school and college teammates, and former players of both Indiana and Army."
Tags: sports; basketball; abusive behavior; misogyny
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Sham Dunk (3 parts)
Harmony Community School is one of approximately 300 taxpayer-funded but privately operated charter schools in Ohio. Each of the stories looks at a different but related aspect of the school's quest for athletic glory. The investigation exposed outrageous recruiting practices, cheating in order to win games, and the absolute failure of state regulators to prevent these abuses.
Tags: athletics; school programs; high school; sports; recruiting; basketball; football;