School putting too much emphasis on sports

[passionatefool]

There needs to be a healthy balance. I hated my gym classes, but I love to be out and exercising. If they had stopped some of the stupid fitness crap they endorsed and encouraged other forms of activity (like hiking around the quarry we were right next to) to help people realize that being fit didn't mean body building, we probably would have enjoyed it more.

I agreed with thesummerqueen. We need a healthy balance.

I would not support a school taking away sports, infact I would encourage a wider variety of sports and activities with equal emphasis, not just football because here, football is the school's pride.

However having that said, I do think school's top priority is education and when education is becoming a second priority and under-emphasized by the school and adminstrators (and when I said emphasizing it, I dont mean putting pressure on students with those dumb standarized tests, but more encouragement), we are pretty much screwed. It is like we are raising mad bulls ......

and goodness yes! If only our gym do something fun like hiking!

[thesummerqueen]

Well, the reason I say it is because I very much advocate working your body out just as much as your mind. It's healthy, it's good for the endorphins, and provides a nice break from cramming things into your head.

Unfortunately, just as VA schools began to focus incredibly on test scores in order to get funding, I have the suspicion that's why your school would focus on football.

Entertain the masses, you'll always be the wheel that gets the grease.

[JollyForr]

In England that isn't a problem; there's a diverse mixture of subjects, including sport, but also science and history etc; and not one subject is exulted more than the other. If it's all equal then not one subject is always in your face - a subject which you can't get away from. It allows students to choose at their own leisure what they wish to do, and they can experience them all and what they have to offer.
My favourite subect, Art, doesn't seem very popular though; it isn't like sports anyway, which has always seemed like the "cool" subject.

[Minimalist]

Well, the reason I say it is because I very much advocate working your body out just as much as your mind.

But the issue here is not gym class.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/foo...roll_x.htm

[thesummerqueen]

That's what I was saying though - it's a money making scheme for the school, or the town or the district, all the way on up. I don't know about in that particular ridiculous case, but on a much smaller level the same shit is happening. Capitalize on your football team, because that's the way to generate money for your school.

[Autumnlicious]

I find it humorous that a bunch of Brits and Americans posture about there "needing to be a balance" while ignoring the two models of educational success, South Korea and Finland.

I would have thought that modeling after something that functions was the norm, not futzing with what we already have.

Perhaps the value of education in those societies contribute to the a better system as a whole?