Beth G: <<Having those email addresses does not give NAQT any advantage, those are simply the addresses on the list, a list any other organization can send mail to.>> But it also is the point of first contact for many fledgling programs. If the head of such a program finds that there is a mailing list, and it's run by NAQT, NAQT has an inherent advantage through brand recognition. They may not know that there is ACF or TRASH, and perhaps they won't care... but regardless of that, the presence of NAQT in being the server for such a list implies that it is the dominant and perhaps major player on the circuit. I do disagree that HS coaches are as unfamiliar with NAQT as had been thought. To their credit, NAQT has established contacts with state competition organizations such as in Georgia, and they have even been running state championship tournaments in various states in coordination with other high school and college academic teams as hosts. NAQT has made a lot of strides to make themselves known in the HS circuit, but there are a lot of other coaches that are out there. And it is many of these coaches that are as perceptive to this appearance conflict of interest as I am... and this may hamper NAQT's ability (as well as PACE's and other college orgs) to get more teams to compete in the HS circuit. Sure, it's perhaps a marginal effect, but the problem still exists. Regarding my College Bowl example, heaven forbid NAQT would ever be completely out of touch with its players in the same vein that CBCI has been, but it is still a valid argument. What if an HBCU wound up with a team and had to subscribe to the _at_NAQT mailing list? I don't think they'd get into trouble with CBCI, but the powers that be at those institutions, knowing that NAQT is a competitor, would be very wary of getting on those lists, wouldn't you think? At least if I were an advisor with the restrictions of the Honda looming over me, I would consider it. The situation is still the same, regardless of the benevolence of the personalities running it.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0: Sat 12 Feb 2022 12:30:42 AM EST EST