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Cute, and it's valuable to learn that losing isn't the end of the world. But it's extremely rare for a kid to never play on a winning team throughout his entire childhood.
Most kids don't play on any school teams at all. Why should their parents subsidize through taxes the amusements of the kids who do play?
Most kids don't play on any school teams at all. Why should their parents subsidize through taxes the amusements of the kids who do play?
83% of the students at my kids' high school participate in extracurricular activities. Most of those activities are sports. In addition, forensics, DECA, robotics and the like have competitions.
Most kids don't play on any school teams at all. Why should their parents subsidize through taxes the amusements of the kids who do play?
You Libertarians kill me.
I could ask Why should parents pay for AP Latin when almost nobody takes it? but I think offering AP Latin is valuable for a well-rounded student body and it gives kids choices.
its a different world today, i think every generation can say this...but today it rings loud
i think sports participation is down because of many factors
the commitment of the kid,(and parents) for practices, game schedules, etc
sports does compete with studying time, and working time of high schoolers
but also, this is an electronic/information age, more and more kids would rather be home, on the internet or social media, and not be committed to a perceived rigid sports schedule..running laps, having coaches scream at them
and, lets face it- kids today are coddled and and over protected, they dont want to be a failure, or make a bad play/mistake in sports-it could be on youtube, being ridiculed the next day for everyone to see a 1000 times..
however, sports and competition amongst your peers/kids your own age, does wonders for maturity-most kids are very self-centered, and sports is very humbling, even the interaction with coaches, is very important for maturity.
i remember playing junior high football-loved it!! we had "fun"
i worked all thru high school, but did play football my senior year, the football coach (and gym teacher) was on my ass to play-he even said i could miss double-sessions-because i was working.
many kids have a chip on their shoulder, and sports is a good outlet for this- thats the way it was for me- i played my senior year..but what i noticed is, the coaches took all the fun out of it-screaming at the kids
none of us was good enough for college scholarships, so why the screaming and insults??
again, this was good for maturity- i didnt get screamed at but helped the kids that did-mentored them
we made sure we still had some fun in the games
i played because my buddies played, and because i thought i could be good at something, and part of a team-im glad i played- old classmates still laugh (i was the a linebacker, kicker/punter) at the time ...i punted a ball in the high wind-it went high and the wind blew it behind me-while the team is running down field in the opposite direction...im glad youtube wasnt around!!
my son played sports all the way up thru school.. "winning" wasnt the priority-doing his best was (in my eyes)
i vowed not to be a screaming father on the sidelines- or put him down, and funny thing, because he knew i was supportive, he had more confidence, and usually played well
i loved watching the the teams or sports at the ymca in elementery school- both boys and girls on the same team, the boys couldnt cop an attitude at the girls, because at that age- many of the girls were taller and as coordinated..
this was quite a lesson for the boys who thought they were something...
Provide some documentation that participation is down. I was in high school and college prior to Title IX, there were NO girls' sports in my high school, and few in my college.
My daughters and most of their friends played sports, or did forensics, or something (mostly sports).
Most kids don't do most activities offered by schools.
That reminds me of the person on another forum who said nobody goes to McDonald's anymore. My local high school has the following fall sports: football, boys' soccer, girls' soccer, girls' volleyball, boys' golf, girls' golf, and boys' and girls' cross country. In addition, there is the marching band, cheerleaders, majorettes, flag twirlers, and dance team. All activities have a full complement of students participating. This is not a large school but is slightly above average in enrollment for Pennsylvania.
Yeah they'd be bright, and they'd wish there were sports.
It's ironic that in this day and age, with childhood obesity at alarming rates, people would say sports are "too expensive".
Nobody's saying there should not be sports. Every single claim you can make in favor of sports I can agree with! However, none of those claims support the idea that sports should be such an integral part of the school system. All of those benefits of sports- teamwork, physical fitness, overcoming adversity- are all great lessons kids can learn...as part of some local club team or sports academy. Not only are sports expensive for schools to fund, they've become so huge in some places that they are really their own separate entity anyway. Kids and their families see the opportunity to earn money (through either college scholarships and/or a professional career) through sports and they will go to extreme lengths to set their kids up for what they feel will be the best shot at that cash. That's oftentimes a bit misguided as many kids/families who think there is money out there for them are in for a rude awakening. But, they have every right to pursue those opportunities. An aspiring football star wants to play for the best team and coaches that will have him? Knock yourself out and go for it. The problem is, when those football programs are tied directly to the school system, there are unintended problems and consequences. Big-time sports programs need to operate on their own, separate from schools. The more casual, less expensive programs can remain on school campuses as extracurricular options for students.
Almost no one wins the championship in anything they do. Including me. But I have "won" in many small contests in life and work. My time in youth sports including sports in school were a contributor. Just like my kids.
Competition, teamwork, shared sacrifice, incremental improvements via coaching and practice all have huge lifetime benefits.
I agree. Now, what about this tells you the school system is obligated to fund these massive programs? Some of these sports programs have become so huge with so much more on the line than those qualities you speak of. Kids want to play on ESPN. They want to vie for athletic scholarships. They want to try to make it to the pros. Schools shouldn't be on the line for financing the kind of massive programs where these grandiose dreams are pursued. There should be sports club programs separate from schools designed specifically for that.
Most kids don't do most activities offered by schools.
The issue isn't the school offering extracurricular activities for students despite a small percentage of the student body participating in said given activity. The issue arises when mega dollars are involved in funding mega programs to kids trying to make money off of the specific activity. In many cases, these aren't a matter of kids just wanting to be well-rounded and participate in extracurriculars. They are kids/families throwing all their chips into the basket of making it in a sport. They need to do so separate from the school system.
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