NJ Lawmaker Not Surprised by NJSIAA’s Profits

Assemblyman John Burzichelli, who for years has fought the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s (NJSIAA) efforts to hike ticket prices for high school playoffs, responded Tuesday to reports that the NJSIAA raked in $30,725 in 2012-13, its first surplus since 2008-09.

“Wait a second,” said Burzichelli. “You mean to tell me the NJSIAA’s repeated threats of imminent demise if it had to control its spending were greatly exaggerated? Well, of course they were. No one who looked at their operation with common sense believed those threats then, and absolutely no one should believe it now.”

The assemblyman said he is happy to see the agency was able to finish with a surplus once it decided to focus on streamlining and controlling spending, rather than incessantly insisting it had to raise ticket prices on hard-working families.

Burzichelli says the world hasn’t ended for the NJSIAA, and New Jersey is better for the end result.

“Everything we did to fight their reckless spending was for the right cause, and we’re now seeing the fruits of that effort with reasonable ticket prices for families and fans and a more fiscally sound agency,” said Burzichelli. “Let’s hope they now find a way to return that surplus to taxpayers in some form.”