The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) has spent huge sums of time and money fighting a lawsuit requiring a change in seasons for certain girls sports.

The battle began in 2000 and finally ended this week when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a decision made by a lower court.

After years of warnings that the change might come—and disbelief by many state residents who knew the MHSAA would appeal one step further—the changes will take effect for the 2007-08 season.

Opposition to the changes has been strong among Michigan school personnel. Perhaps support has mostly come from towns located near the state borders, where Michigan has long been the odd man out.

Michigan doesn’t play Ohio, Indiana or Wisconsin schools in volleyball and girls basketball because Michigan’s seasons don’t match up with the other states. In fact, most states run a different schedule than Michigan.

The MHSAA has long claimed that it isn’t possible for Michigan schools to change, even though all our neighboring states and most others manage just fine—and they do it without moving boys golf from fall to spring. Once again, Michigan schools become the odd one. Now we won’t be able to compete with our neighbors in that sport.

Now that girls basketball moves to the winter, what comes next will be interesting to watch. Will we combine boys and girls varsity games on a single night, as some states do? Bring in the Friday night crowd for the girls game, followed by the boys.

Will we divide the season in half as some Ohio conferences do, scheduling the boys on Thursday nights for half the season and the girls on Fridays for the other half?

There’s sure to be more people upset about the season realignment than those who favor it, but the appeals have ended and it’s finally going to happen. Michigan will join the vast majority of states in making the two biggest changes: volleyball and girls basketball.

Now it’s up to the individual districts to accept those changes and make them work to the best advantage of all student athletes.