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When I was in high school sports was job #1, we had several "teaching coaches" they taught the simple classes, not the AP students but the good teachers were considered less valuable if they could not help fill the trophy case. I actually had teachers in high school that complained about it. This may just be part of the dumbing down of the American people, be sure to not educate anyone to the point of being a threat to government power. We will pay a price for this when we find out that "ignorant and free cannot be."
I agree completely. When I am overseas, I realize how oversaturated American culture is with Sports. It's very easy to fall into a coma of sports watching and discussing. When government officials get involved I.E steroids in baseball, concussions in football, you know it's gone too far.
When I was in high school sports was job #1, we had several "teaching coaches" they taught the simple classes, not the AP students but the good teachers were considered less valuable if they could not help fill the trophy case. I actually had teachers in high school that complained about it. This may just be part of the dumbing down of the American people, be sure to not educate anyone to the point of being a threat to government power. We will pay a price for this when we find out that "ignorant and free cannot be."
I also witnessed this and it wasn't just high school. They were reaching down into elementary school. I even had coaches telling students in fourth grade that sports came first. Forget the homework and come to practice.
As for which we are talking about, I don't think you can separate high school from college or professional sports. The recruiting starts in high school. They know that the ability to continue playing ends at a fairly early age; so, they start them early.
We used to have physical education, a planned program for developing physical skills. Maybe some schools still have. Ours cancelled that at about the same time they stopped teaching art and music. Now only the best get a chance at physical activity. The rest make up the cheering section.
I also witnessed this and it wasn't just high school. They were reaching down into elementary school. I even had coaches telling students in fourth grade that sports came first. Forget the homework and come to practice.
As for which we are talking about, I don't think you can separate high school from college or professional sports. The recruiting starts in high school. They know that the ability to continue playing ends at a fairly early age; so, they start them early.
We used to have physical education, a planned program for developing physical skills. Maybe some schools still have. Ours cancelled that at about the same time they stopped teaching art and music. Now only the best get a chance at physical activity. The rest make up the cheering section.
This is one of the saddest things I've ever read!
College recruiting has reached all the way down to the 4th grade. Coaches start relationships with athletic kids and their families to establish an advantage over the Johnny-come-latelies who only show up when the kids are in high school. Maybe this practice isn't 100% bad. Maybe it keeps some kids on track, some kind of track, where otherwise they would have wandered off into failure. But it's surely not motivated by this and if not 100% bad, I'm sure it's over 50%.
Most all these things that I've seen in this discussion are bad. How did this happen? I don't for a minute believe that most HS coaches or teachers, even DI college coaches, are evil. Is it alumni who will do anything so their college has the best players? Administrators who abet hollow courses and lowered standards? Can there really be that many evil people? If so, why isn't it showing up in other parts of these peoples lives? Like passing bad checks, tax cheating, etc.
I think it's something like, "Everyone does it, it's not a real crime, it's only cutting a corner here and there, and if we don't do it somebody else will and then their team will win the game, not ours." This is so widespread as to be almost universal. It had spread beyond those directly involved and has infected non-affiliated fans as well. How many North Carolina fans have said, "I'm not going to watch the game because some of the players were admitted fraudulently"? No, the only they won't watch the game is if the team is a loser.
How many people would rather have tickets to an Oberlin vs. Davidson football game instead of Alabama vs. Auburn? Until more people would rather watch the former, the way things are is the way they're going to be.
I also witnessed this and it wasn't just high school. They were reaching down into elementary school. I even had coaches telling students in fourth grade that sports came first. Forget the homework and come to practice.
As for which we are talking about, I don't think you can separate high school from college or professional sports. The recruiting starts in high school. They know that the ability to continue playing ends at a fairly early age; so, they start them early.
We used to have physical education, a planned program for developing physical skills. Maybe some schools still have. Ours cancelled that at about the same time they stopped teaching art and music. Now only the best get a chance at physical activity. The rest make up the cheering section.
These are not school coaches in 4th grade are they? Most districts don't have school sanctioned interscholastic sports until middle school IME. My kids did club gymnastics, and some of their coaches came close to saying the above, but we as parents had different ideas.
No, these aren't school coaches. As a rule, they are parents. I actually telephoned one father whose son said he'd told him to forget the homework and get out on the field. The father admitted that he did and that he'd rather see his son playing football as sitting in a corner reading a book like some *********** (I'll skip the rest. It wasn't pretty.)
As for alumni, I read this long ago. Someone had asked a university person - dean? coach? - why the university spent so much on football and neglected the other departments. His answer was that alumni contribute a lot of money to the school and they want their alma mater shining - in sports.
As Troyfan said, there is good and bad in this. Children need sports or some kind of physical activity. It develops coordination and team spirit. But, as the OP asked, is it being over-stressed to the detriment of a good scholastic education? How many university students are able to hold themselves to high standards in both a sport and in scholastic attainment? A professional can play a sport for about 40 years, I'm told. Will that support him for life?
I have to say, I do think that team sports (at least the way they used to be played) are important and teach certain skills. However, the emphasis today does seem to be on sports rather than academics.
I'm also dismayed by the sports scholarships. Yes, I understand that sports brings recognition and appeal to colleges and universities but, again, the emphasis is on the sports. Coaches recruit kids to play, and many of them fail at their perfunctory studies; the abysmal graduation rate reflects it. All many are looking for is a National gig. We are, indeed sports-obsessed in this country.
IMO, Karl Marx was wrong. Sports is the opiate of the people.
I have to say, I do think that team sports (at least the way they used to be played) are important and teach certain skills. However, the emphasis today does seem to be on sports rather than academics.
I'm also dismayed by the sports scholarships. Yes, I understand that sports brings recognition and appeal to colleges and universities but, again, the emphasis is on the sports. Coaches recruit kids to play, and many of them fail at their perfunctory studies; the abysmal graduation rate reflects it. All many are looking for is a National gig. We are, indeed sports-obsessed in this country.
IMO, Karl Marx was wrong. Sports is the opiate of the people.
Well, there are many people who worship sports as a religion.
No, these aren't school coaches. As a rule, they are parents. I actually telephoned one father whose son said he'd told him to forget the homework and get out on the field. The father admitted that he did and that he'd rather see his son playing football as sitting in a corner reading a book like some *********** (I'll skip the rest. It wasn't pretty.)
As for alumni, I read this long ago. Someone had asked a university person - dean? coach? - why the university spent so much on football and neglected the other departments. His answer was that alumni contribute a lot of money to the school and they want their alma mater shining - in sports.
As Troyfan said, there is good and bad in this. Children need sports or some kind of physical activity. It develops coordination and team spirit. But, as the OP asked, is it being over-stressed to the detriment of a good scholastic education? How many university students are able to hold themselves to high standards in both a sport and in scholastic attainment? A professional can play a sport for about 40 years, I'm told. Will that support him for life?
IMO too many Americans are attending College. If you aren't involved in STEM (Science, technology, engineering & mathematics) you are wasting your money and time. If the number of students attending college was decreased, there would be no need for Sports to finance some of these schools. The entire logic behind the system is backwards. More students means bigger classrooms, less tutors available, more watered down Professors etc. No wonder so many college degrees no longer hold worth
"Does our educational system focus too much on sports?"
No.
However, do too many for-profit colleges and some pockets of the country where HS football is a "religion" focus too much on sports?
Yes.
But I don't see a focus on sports being systemized/institutionalized below 9th grade pretty much anywhere other than a few isolated incidents. Unless you're going to counter that a game of 5th grade kickball inevitably leads to Michael Vick.
I actually wish our educational system - K-12 - would focus on something. Because it's not focusing on education. I see it everyday in my current job, which involves grading tests that became required under NCLB. I routinely punish kids who understand math concepts but didn't phrase a written answer precisely by deducting points while rewarding future delinquents who have no grasp of either math or English by interpreting gibberish as "minimal understanding" for a point. And I do that particularly well because my job depends on "agreeing" with the state school board, whose interest is in "passing" as many kids as possible, whether they deserve it or not.
1) Does Our Educational System Focus Too Much On Sports?
Absolutely!
2) If so, are college and university resources not prioritized correctly?
No, they are not.
3) What can be done?
Nothing. That is America!
4) Conclusion?
Case closed! Lets move on.
Last edited by oberon_1; 04-19-2014 at 07:10 PM..
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