High school football championships have been decided recently in the most privileged city in the state. Portland already enjoys the benefits of things such as cruise ship dockings, passenger rail service and professional sports teams. Yet the outlying communities involved in “Gold Ball” Saturday, who have been supporting their teams with business donations, fundraisers, etc., find themselves forced to further their support by traveling to a neutral site and having their positive economic impact given to a community that has nothing to do with theirs, and surely doesn’t need it as badly as their own.

My suggestion for that inequitable situation is to grant home field to either West or East, based on the winner of the Shrine Lobster Bowl. The excellence of the players and staff selected for participation in the Lobster Bowl clearly reflects the true character of the state of Maine, and would be a more than suitable gauge to determine such venues.

Some may say that the venues that would host such an event may not be able to accommodate such a crowd. I guess most of those communities would have to say that was the kind of problem they have been working toward.

It is time to spread the wealth and reward the efforts made statewide by those families and athletes, and allow them to see the fruits of their labors blossom in their own backyards, and not make them feel as though the only stage in Maine belongs to Portland.

Si Prout, Lewiston