Comments on: Sports Do Not Belong in Schools http://gluontheferengi.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/sports-do-not-belong-in-schools/ A Wealth of Online Commentary Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:27:25 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: unclegluon http://gluontheferengi.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/sports-do-not-belong-in-schools/#comment-13 unclegluon Mon, 15 Oct 2007 03:38:01 +0000 http://gluontheferengi.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/sports-do-not-belong-in-schools/#comment-13 You ask some good questions, Ray, and I don't think most sports supporters would have the answers. As to where they even came from, internet research is inconclusive so far. The best I can determine is that team sports started up in British private schools in the 19th century due to the era's fixation upon fair play and sportsmanship(Chariots of Fire is an excellent film about this older ethic coming into conflict with a budding modern mentality). It was the age in which the modern Olympics were founded, a time in which it was thought such games brought out the best in humanity and were thus an effective means of promoting world peace and human unity. Apparently the practice caught on and over time became an unquestioned part of the scholastic environment. Today, ubiquitous sport is still romanticized, but this old reverence has grown into a worship of such fanatical intensity that the pursuit of learning is shoved aside. The resulting environment is inimical to everything a school should be; a place that is hostile towards those who aspire to knowledge and doing good in the cause of humanity. I wish I could find more information on the subject of the history of sports in schools. Flat out searches on American sport yield mostly websites concerning the statistics of recent high school athletic events around the world. If a fellow web surfer could give me a tip: the name of an individual or movement related to school sports, it would give me the lead I need to get into to greater and more accurate detail. Certainly gigantic training facilities for the exclusive use of a mere handful of students would have seemed absurd to the people that introduced sports in schools! The values of those times dictated that an athlete be of sound character, a cardinal virtue that came before victory and high budget training programs. Furthermore, school athletics was not then an abuse to the extent it has become today. Roger Bannister, the first human to break the 4 minute mile, was famous for a level of training that would be scandalously lax today. He had never even used running spikes or run on a track until he started competing at the world level. Ultimately, he was a medical student who had his athletic pursuits as a hobby. In brief, it would seem a small, well intentioned transgression against the integrity of the educational institution gradually grew into a monster. I would be interested in knowing more of that story. You ask some good questions, Ray, and I don’t think most sports supporters would have the answers. As to where they even came from, internet research is inconclusive so far. The best I can determine is that team sports started up in British private schools in the 19th century due to the era’s fixation upon fair play and sportsmanship(Chariots of Fire is an excellent film about this older ethic coming into conflict with a budding modern mentality). It was the age in which the modern Olympics were founded, a time in which it was thought such games brought out the best in humanity and were thus an effective means of promoting world peace and human unity. Apparently the practice caught on and over time became an unquestioned part of the scholastic environment. Today, ubiquitous sport
is still romanticized, but this old reverence has grown into a worship of such fanatical intensity that the pursuit of learning is shoved aside. The resulting environment is inimical to everything a school should be; a place that is hostile towards those who aspire to knowledge and doing good in the cause of humanity.
I wish I could find more information on the
subject of the history of sports in schools. Flat out searches on American sport
yield mostly websites concerning the statistics
of recent high school athletic events around the
world. If a fellow web surfer could give me a tip: the name of an individual or movement related to school sports, it would give me the lead I need to get into to greater and more accurate detail.
Certainly gigantic training facilities for the exclusive use of a mere handful of students would have seemed absurd to the people that introduced sports in schools! The values of those times dictated that an athlete be of sound character, a cardinal virtue that came before victory and high budget training programs. Furthermore, school athletics was not then an abuse to the extent it has become today.
Roger Bannister, the first human to break the 4 minute mile, was famous for a level of training that would be scandalously lax today. He had never even used running spikes or run on a track until he started competing at the world level. Ultimately, he was a medical student who had his athletic pursuits as a hobby.

In brief, it would seem a small, well intentioned transgression against the integrity of the educational institution gradually grew into a monster. I would be interested in knowing more of that story.

]]> By: Ray http://gluontheferengi.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/sports-do-not-belong-in-schools/#comment-12 Ray Sun, 14 Oct 2007 11:16:43 +0000 http://gluontheferengi.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/sports-do-not-belong-in-schools/#comment-12 I agree completely. I often wonder how sports in schools got started in the first place! I can certainly understand a need for kids to burn off a little energy so they can settle down and study during class but that's called recess. I don't see any need at all for football or baseball or basketball teams! They have no utility in the goal of learning. Our schools are supposed to be places of learning. They are supposed to be sanctuaries of education. But they have become centers of atleticism! What is the first you see as you approach a high school? A life-sized picture of the school's sports team mascot! What's the first thing you see when you enter a high school's front door? Trophies! Cabinet after cabinet of sports trophies! Why? What message does that send? That the goal of high school is to produce quality sports teams and that athletes are more important than students and education -obviously! To drive home that belief, the school sponsors monthly "Assemblies" where the student athletes are introduced one by one --by the principal --as they enter the auditorium as if they were royalty. They have reserved seating in the front row. The masses are forced to listen as the female auxillary, a group of surreal female clowns, sing the praises of the privileged student athletes. The jocks and the female auxillary are the most popular members of the student body and most likely to be elected as class president. The yearbook, a tome produced by students 10 times smarter than jocks, devotes over a quarter of its contents to the athletes and their accomplishments. There are pictures hung in all the halls of this year's star athletes. There are glass cases with shelves and shelves of their trophies and accolades. The school mascot's sole purpose is to cheer on the athletes. The school has an official song they sing about the athletic students and their daring exploits. School is all about the jocks and the cheerleaders. They are all important. And learning takes a back seat. Less than 10% of the student body ever get involved with school sports. Yet we all go along and accept what's shoveled out at assemblies. We all just accept that we're second class citizens and that learning is secondary and that's just the way it is. We're so accustomed to our position and stature that we don't even question this insanity! WHY do we have to attend assemblies to praise the jocks?! WHY are sports so important?! WHY is fully as much real estate devoted to the playing fields as to the school? WHY is more money spent on athletic gear and athletic programs than on books or lab equipment and computers?! WHY is the school's sign board only used to announce school games?! WHY is sports more important than learning when most of us aren't included?! It's time to end this insanity and take back our schools NOW! I agree completely. I often wonder how sports in schools got started in the first place! I can certainly understand a need for kids to burn off a little energy so they can settle down and study during class but that’s called recess. I don’t see any need at all for football or baseball or basketball teams! They have no utility in the goal of learning.

Our schools are supposed to be places of learning. They are supposed to be sanctuaries of education. But they have become centers of atleticism! What is the first you see as you approach a high school? A life-sized picture of the school’s sports team mascot! What’s the first thing you see when you enter a high school’s front door? Trophies! Cabinet after cabinet of sports trophies! Why? What message does that send?

That the goal of high school is to produce quality sports teams and that athletes are more important than students and education -obviously!

To drive home that belief, the school sponsors monthly “Assemblies” where the student athletes are introduced one by one –by the principal –as they enter the auditorium as if they were royalty. They have reserved seating in the front row. The masses are forced to listen as the female auxillary, a group of surreal female clowns, sing the praises of the privileged student athletes. The jocks and the female auxillary are the most popular members of the student body and most likely to be elected as class president. The yearbook, a tome produced by students 10 times smarter than jocks, devotes over a quarter of its contents to the athletes and their accomplishments. There are pictures hung in all the halls of this year’s star athletes. There are glass cases with shelves and shelves of their trophies and accolades. The school mascot’s sole purpose is to cheer on the athletes. The school has an official song they sing about the athletic students and their daring exploits. School is all about the jocks and the cheerleaders. They are all important. And learning takes a back seat.

Less than 10% of the student body ever get involved with school sports. Yet we all go along and accept what’s shoveled out at assemblies. We all just accept that we’re second class citizens and that learning is secondary and that’s just the way it is. We’re so accustomed to our position and stature that we don’t even question this insanity! WHY do we have to attend assemblies to praise the jocks?! WHY are sports so important?! WHY is fully as much real estate devoted to the playing fields as to the school? WHY is more money spent on athletic gear and athletic programs than on books or lab equipment and computers?! WHY is the school’s sign board only used to announce school games?! WHY is sports more important than learning when most of us aren’t included?! It’s time to end this insanity and take back our schools NOW!

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