Are sports really “good” for our children? Do sports “build character” and if so, does it build the kind of character that we want to foster in our children? It has come to my attention that middle school students from the Lakeport Unified School District can have poor grades (even an F) and still play team sports. These students are told all they have to do is get the F to a D-.
And we wonder why American school standards are lower in comparison to many other countries. As an American citizen I ask, what can we do to change the lowered standards that our community leaders have set for our children? As parents, should we allow our children to play sports with grades below even a C?
From my experience and many others, “winning” tends to be the priority. All too often the more aggressively competitive students are selected over the harder working students that display a more positive team spirit. In many cases, the hard working students are even more skilled in the sport yet lack the aggressive attitude that most coaches prefer. I have seen the negative impact this process has on our children. The good news is, some children get through and are able to maintain their integrity, but what about the ones that don”t?
What message are we sending our youth? That being aggressive and overly competitive are traits more important than a strong work ethic and a healthy team spirit? In my observation, the more aggressive teams with less team spirit actually lose more games overall. And if they do “win” a game, do they really “win” with these lowered academic standards? It”s unfortunate that poor school policies, aggressive trait preference, power hierarchy and parental favoritism dictate the team selection process in our community and has for years. Will this ever change? Giving our children lower standards of achievement and rewarding this through school sports, has the potential of creating a lower functioning society.
So, parents, I ask you, what legacy will we leave behind? As a concerned parent, I choose strong work ethic and a positive team attitude over aggressive competition and lower academic standards. If we expect more from our children, I believe we will get more from them both academically and in team sports. Our children”s future depends greatly on the skills we teach them today. They truly are the leaders of tomorrow.
June Wilson
Lakeport
