Think About It. Good Sports. A couple of years ago, the ruling that private college athletes may form unions to negotiate their compensation was briefly wiped off the front page by the final NCAA championship game. It pit the “Kentucky Freshmen” against UCONN Internationals. The Wildcats lost the game after losing most of their roster to the pros while the Huskies recruited (Should I say hired?) five of their players after searching the earth for talent.
Your friendly local Sage thinks that private schools at all levels should spend their time and money doing whatever they like. However, if governments at any level must get involved in education, they should limit the activities to scholarship of all the students, not scholarships for professional athletic trainees. Yes, I’ll stay in hiding for awhile.
They say that school sports provide participants Fitness, Leadership skills, Time management and of course Sportsmanship. Some say that’s how to be a good loser. As Vince Lombardi famously said, “Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser.”
Perhaps intramural sports provide an opportunity to tune up young bodies. School-sponsored travelling teams provide opportunities for a precious few. Those who are satisfactorily tall, overweight or comfortable with missing teeth are sure to be picked for the more popular teams.
One argument is that game ticket sales bring in much-needed funds to the school. However that doesn’t explain the need to bring in Sponsors to offset costs of sports equipment and clothing. If your school needs help in training your aspiring professionals, here’s a link that should help.
Our schools are having enough trouble getting through the impediments to education without mixing business with the pleasure of preparing for a productive life. Let’s work toward having good students and Good Sports. Think About It.