When the North Carolina High School Athletic Association made the decision to create eight different classifications in high school sports based on school size, it doubled the number of state tournament brackets and championship games for almost every state-sanctioned sport.

And as the basketball playoffs are headed for regionals (the equivalent of “Final Fours”), the body that already has tens of millions in reserve (in large part thanks to playoff tickets sales), has released the times for games that are scheduled during class time of school days.

The largest classification with the schools that have the most students and presumably larger fan bases, is playing their regional championship game DURING the school day.

Why?

It could be argued that other sports such as track or wrestling have matches/meets for playoffs during a school day, yet those tend to take more time to complete.

But with the amount of money the NCHSAA has and the number of venues that could be used around the state, it would seem to make sense to have regional championship games (for what is considered the most popular sport in the state) at times when the most students and fans of those teams could attend.