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I was watching "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" (great program that is surprisingly shocking every time) from last night and they had a piece on "The Wussification of America" (their words, not mine) and how schools around the country are in a movement to ban all competitive games from the playgrounds.
As a long-time football, basketball and baseball coach, I am appalled by this. These schools featured in the piece went actually as far to say that Dodgeball was not the only culprit, but that Duck, Duck, Goose, Tag, Musical Chairs and even hugging should be off limits. HUGGING IS BAD??? They showed this one school where this lady (who looked just like Kristen Wiig) had been integral in banning high-5s and hugs from the playground in addition to dodgeball and tag. The kids looked like those people in "Demolition Man" who were so wussified that they couldn't really handle anything on their own.
My problem with this isn't just that "boys will be boys" or "kids will be kids", but that kids need to learn how to deal with humiliation and defeat because it's a natural part of life. I wasn't always the best at every game (though I was never picked last after the kids knew who I was) on the playground and I didn't always win dodgeball, but those values have served me well in areas much different from sports. Being competitive is important, and I see the kids I coach growing less and less competitive as their birth years climb into the mid-1990s when this really started to kick into gear. Being less competitive means they don't feel the need to improve themselves. How is this good for America?
Sorry for the rant...my debate question is:
Do you find this current movement in PE and playgrounds away from competition to be a good or a bad thing for the future of America's children?
I once heard a sports doctor say that every US high school football player experiences the equivalent of a car crash every Friday night. Every adult I've ever know who needed knee surgery said it was a direct result of high school sports.
I once heard a sports doctor say that every US high school football player experiences the equivalent of a car crash every Friday night. Every adult I've ever know who needed knee surgery said it was a direct result of high school sports.
yep. My dad was the kicker for his Varsity football team (played with John Elway who was quarterback, apparently he was a bit of a D-bag in high school...) and kicked barefoot before that was made 'illegal'. He has required multiple foot surgeries because he's broken it so many times but he said if he could do it all over again, he would in a heartbeat.
My brother plays football and baseball at the varsity level in HS as a Sophomore and my dad coaches baseball. My sister played varsity softball and I did High School Rodeo. I think people are being too damn soft with their kids and they need to let them get beat up a bit. Thank goodness my parents didn't wussify us
My son gets 15 minutes of recess a day. So, there is not time.
Most boys learn by being interactive with their environment. That is no longer in existence. They do not learn by sitting still at a desk. They closed the gap by the fourth grade and lost them by the 12th. There are far more problems then how not playing dodgeball has harmed the male psyche. This has been over 20 years in the making and if people truly gave a dang about "boys" then they would start there.
My child is really big. He is almost as tall as me and he is 7. I would wager that by the time he hits junior high or shortly there after, he will be over 6'. He played TBall at4 and 5, but by 6 he was playing baseball. When people see his size they assume that he is older as do some of the kids. Everybody forgets how old he actually is. We will be battling this until he graduates.
I want to see the little cheerleaders and assemblies for the Brain Bowl or the Robotics club. I think PE is a sham. I thought it was a sham before and it is still a sham.
There are schools that have enough kids that attend for 2 or 3 football teams. They want to play. So, let them. Let them compete as well. I don't think everybody gets a trophy, but I am not interested in the least of watching the same 3 hero's travel through school on a football team. That isn't competition, that is the same 3 hero's traveling through school.
I'm all for competition, and competitive sports...people need to learn how to win and lose. It won't be on a field when they go into the work force, but you are still competing against people where there will be a winner and many losers (for jobs, promotions, etc...). I am not a fan of "Everybody gets a trophy", persistence (esp in the face of defeat) is one of the best skills one can utilize in life IMHO.
I do think people should make it so kids aren't dying or suffering massive injuries, it's better then it was when my parents were kids in terms of safety equipment. My dad suffered a compression fracture of the neck playing football...he is fine now besides some pain, but the guy next to him was not.
I think the complete no physical contact also mentioned is insane, though different the PE. It makes my head hurt when I see people not allowing hugs or high 5's or anything like that. People can't seem to do the right thing and prosecute people doing the wrong thing, so they ban all forms of it because they are completely dumb.
I will honestly say that taking away dodge-ball/sports is the dumbest thing I have heard in a good while. I thought school was supposed to prepare you for life, life is a competition (were not communists after all are we?) we need dodge-ball and other sports to help kids learn what competition is and all the good that can come with it, like teamwork and leadership. And kids have to learn to deal with defeat, its all part of life.
I want to see the little cheerleaders and assemblies for the Brain Bowl or the Robotics club. I think PE is a sham. I thought it was a sham before and it is still a sham.
There are schools that have enough kids that attend for 2 or 3 football teams. They want to play. So, let them. Let them compete as well. I don't think everybody gets a trophy, but I am not interested in the least of watching the same 3 hero's travel through school on a football team. That isn't competition, that is the same 3 hero's traveling through school.
cheerleaders for brain bowl, pe is a sham, heroes traveling through school.... somebody wasn't exactly the captain of the football team were they ???
When I was in school, I couldn't hit a baseball if it were the size of a beach ball, and I was always picked last for that. I totally understood. I still played every chance. Who knows, someday, I may have hit one (never did). Anyway, I turned out OK. Osama bin Laden is my age. He didn't play sports. He didn't turn out OK. Hmmmm...
I will honestly say that taking away dodge-ball/sports is the dumbest thing I have heard in a good while. I thought school was supposed to prepare you for life, life is a competition (were not communists after all are we?) we need dodge-ball and other sports to help kids learn what competition is and all the good that can come with it, like teamwork and leadership. And kids have to learn to deal with defeat, its all part of life.
I used to LOVE dodge ball and every recess we'd play, seemed like the whole school would be in on it!
My boys are total boys and we play competitive sports. All 3 have been playing tackle football since they were 5 and baseball/tball since they were 4. It's great for them, excercise, working as a team, a bit of a competitive edge and learn how to deal with losing.
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