School putting too much emphasis on sports

[passionatefool]

Now before I go on this rant about school over-emphasizing sports. I was in track, and I have no problem with sports being part of school, in fact I think it is an important part of school. However, I am indeed quite bitter. I think we have too many idiots graduating, at least it is very common where I'm from. It is really scary when our high school graduates doesn't know basic algebra, science, history, or even how our government works.

First of all I do want to make it clear I am a senior attending a high school that seems like it came right out of a TV show. We have pep rallies, assemblies, and recognition days all throughout the school year for sports because those are the only school spirit, yet not even 2 assemblies during the school year to encourage students to perform better academically. Recognition for students who did well academically is just pathetic.

What really starting to pissed me off is the fact that teachers actually purposely raise the grades of students who performed poorly in class so they can play football. We spent million of dollars on a stadium as if we don't already have enough sport fields all around school. Our hideout "safe room" for tornado is as small as a mouse-hole that were expected to fit 2000+ students which wasn't possible, we tried.

I was in an astronomy class. I love astronomy but I couldn't learn anything, these dumb athletes with ego as big as the universe itself were literally harassing the teacher and the teacher literally lower his standard of teaching so they can pass, even that they can't. It upsets me because the already-low standard is now even lower.

Overall I can go on and on forever, but I think educators have a responsibility to give students some of the basic knowledge and skills across the variety fields of study. But if we have graduates who doesn't know literally anything, we got a HUGE problem. It is almost like a lot of schools are killing their own students, giving them a false illusion that they can go pro easily. Last time I check, the chance of getting into pro is less than 1% yet these people get scholarship and waste it because they can't get past basic courses in college.

This is not just from where I'm from, it happens everywhere, I know people who performs well academically and work hard to achieve it that are just not recognized or encouraged, and one of those people is myself. I feel like a lot of teachers and school administrator doesn't give a crap about students who are your typical "nerds" and "geeks", they almost seem invisible.

Okay i'm through.

[Minimalist]

I agree with you and it goes double for colleges and universities.

[Autumnlicious]

Ah, the consequences of forcing public funded entities to make a quick buck.

[5thHorseman]

Not a problem this side of the pond.

Saying that I think sports should be an opt in thing at school, your there to learn. And I was a 'jock'(no frankiej, not a northern mug)

[thesummerqueen]

It's a bit better depending on the state you're in, PF, although I had a huge problem with the school system in VA because they tailored it around those goddamn standardized tests, which effectively dumbed everything down since we were taught how to take a multiple choice quiz, not how to synthesize information.

It's why I wish there was slightly more federal influence on public schooling than state influence.

[frankiej]

Not a problem this side of the pond.

Saying that I think sports should be an opt in thing at school, your there to learn. And I was a 'jock'(no frankiej, not a northern mug)

Well, I have nothing to say then.

[chadster1976]

I wish there was more sport and properly competitive sport too. In the UK there is a problem insofar as it is assumed that most people will enjoy football(soccer), rugby, cricket, netball, hockey or athletics. There isn't enough diversity.

But, sport helps teach rules, respect, fitness (healthy living), the ideal of working hard to succeed and most important of all...
FAILURE!!!

For some reason, we seem to think it is bad to learn about failure, yet it is a necessary part of our capitalist world.
In the UK we have a generation of people who are content to fail and blame everyone else. That's not to say there aren't problems with social mobility but learning how to respond properly to failure equips you with skills to go on and succeed in the future.

I might sound odd saying it, but I genuinely believe that losing a football (soccer?) match, aged 10, helped me deal with losing my job aged 24.

[Kayenneh]

I understand your point of view PF and I agree that there is something rotten with that system.

Though here in Finland we have a troubling surge in child obesity and type II diabetes, because we don't get enough funds for our gym classes. No, here it's all on the academic part, if you're an artist or an athlete, you don't get much out of school. Our gym program focuses on children and youngsters getting comfortable in their bodies and getting used to moving. We try to incorporate as many sports as possible, all from basic gymnastics to skiing to running to baseball. The classes are once a week for two hours and actually teachers, (some) pupils and politicians alike agree that there should be more.

I don't want to diminish the athletic intellect,but I find it absurd that stupid jocks get in to Ivy League Colleges, just because they can run after a ball (that isn't even a ball!!). Fortunately here you get accepted to the universities based on your grades, not your physical ability.

[thesummerqueen]

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.

[Rev. Rye]

Tell me about it, I was on College Bowl for two years before funding was pulled; the coach decided to pull a few strings to see if I could play in a tournament solo as the school's college bowl; I got third place in schools (out of somewhere between five or seven schools) playing solo; I was the #1 scorer.