http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the-case-against-high-school-sports/309447/
I found this to be a very interesting article. I think it’s a discussion worth having. I am sure many of you have seen pros and cons of sports in school.
I wonder, without school sports, would there be more ‘cheering’ for the academics?
Here’s one thing not in the article. I participate in volunteer emergency response. There is a real epidemic of opiate addiction across the mostly white rural areas into the suburbs and now reaching further into cities. (Note: like meth, less an urban problem.) A few months ago, the police in a nearby town had used their naxolone emergency injection pen on overdosed kids once over 6 months and now it’s been 4 times in 2 months. And this is not a town with a big problem. Some of these kids are getting hooked after sports injuries: oxycontin and other opiates as the starter. Some kids have died from addictions begun after sports injuries.
I think sports are generally good, but that way too much emphasis is placed on the conditions of being on a team. As in, you have to sign a contract that requires you to be at every practice, etc. even if you are engaged in something like a play or an orchestra. That kind of ranking of sports above other activities is wrong but commonplace. And the punishments for failing to adhere to contract terms mostly show kids that adults are incapable of logical reasoning.
I also worry a lot about the cost of activities. Many families can’t afford big sports fees but if the schools pay for that then they must cut academics, arts and other things. As I like to note, my town has more graduates currently on regular national television (or dancing/acting/singing on major stages) than it has ever had in professional sports. So why the bleep do we cut those areas to fund sports?
I wonder if it might be helpful for some athletes to have the sports be more community teams rather than schools teams. Locally, soccer is that way and parents select the team based on the coach, etc. They don’t have that option when the team/coach is dictated by the school zone.
Sports are the best, nobody can take them away