On Thursdays I will throw out a topic for debate. "I will"? Well, let me say I will try. This should be a regular thing, God willing. I think debate is healthy. It does several things, and all at the same time.
1. It fires synapses: A person will have to engage all of their mind, including memory, logic, creative, and learning.
2. It exposes: If somebody has difficulty learning new things, being exposed to new concepts will broaden their knowledge base.
3. Engages: "Opinions are like..." The problem with opinions is just that, they are baseless, for the most part. If a person is forced to find out why they believe something they may come to the conclusion they don't believe it at all. Or they find the reasons why they believe it. Take the philosophy professor who assigns new meaning to the color blue. Idiot. It is blue because society has assigned the value, if you want to change the value build a time machine and go back to the formation of languages.
Now on to the topic.
This afternoon Fox News (which I seldom watch) had a panel discussing youth athletics. The usual things came up. It is beneficial because it teaches certain traits like leadership, perseverance, and prioritization. It is not beneficial because it teaches success at all costs, glorification of one type or another, and excludes people. I won't go into it further, but it was Fox News so it wasn't too deep.
My question is this: Are organized athletics necessary?
Father Cekada on organized sports. A nice preface.
I'm going with a no. Here is why:
1. Society has functioned just fine without any form of organized athletics. In fact they prospered. The early empires that built all of those marvels did not have a professional athletic class. The Cherokee, Sioux, and all the rest of the people that populated this continent did not have a professional athletic class. In fact, just off the top of my head, I don't think we had a professional athletic class until some years had passed in the 20th century. Even then they were not wealthy. They had other jobs (Rocky worked in a meat packing plant, thanks 80s reference).
2. They are not necessary for our survival. If an alien race showed up outside the perimeter of our atmosphere and somehow abducted the entire NFL we would not be any worse. BTW I am going to write about that, so no stealing. However if that same alien race managed to get our trash men and plumbers we would be screwed. Cholera and Typhus outbreaks, rodent infestations, you name it would be an apocalyptic nightmare (BTW I am going to write that one as well).
So here is my point: If the manner in which you make money offers less to society than the people who deal with our filth, you are probably not necessary. You are not worth glorification. And you are certainly not worth multi-million dollar contracts. I understand the free market thing with NFL/NBA/MLB salaries, so don't go there. But do go to the necessary/unnecessary argument. We could apply the same to any celebrity or faux celebrity (Kardashian is thy name). If anybody can do it, and trust me anybody can run, punt, sprint, hit, it is not necessary as a social class. Maybe they cannot do it as well as the one who was abducted by those aliens, but they can still accomplish the task without any special training.
The reason I wanted to work through this is football. The boy plays it. He has decided not to play it this coming season due to the time it will take away from his academics. Remember, if he does not finish we don't thru-hike the AT. Some of our relatives (grandparents, go figure) are a little perturbed by this. They bring up the usual benefits of organized athletics, but I am dubious.
Can a twelve-year-old learn leadership without being on a football team?
Not everybody on the team is a leader. From what I have seen very few players are leaders, it is normally the coach. If one were to look at the crop of players in college football that are becoming household names I am certain they would not want their son to emulate that kind of leadership. Sexual assault, theft, DUI, drug possession, and just plain stupid (North Carolina anybody?) seem to be some of the problems. Did those men learn leadership and morals through organized athletics? I am going to say they did not. Now I will admit athletics does instill the values I like in some people, however it does not have any influence over others. It actually has a negative influence. They are groomed to believe they are exceptional without producing any evidence other than athletic prowess. This is a free country and you can believe whatever you wish, but is it wise to reward athletic prowess despite poor character? No. Jameis Winston is a perfect example. The institutions associated with his poor character covered for him. The school? Probably. The criminal justice system? It seems that way. NCAA? They bestowed an honor on him. What happened next? He steals food, which he can pay for. Not all people involved in organized athletics act like fools. There are plenty who do good things for society. But is that a product of their involvement or the character traits already instilled in them? Would they not be the same way if they were suffering from an affliction that kept them from being athletes?
Organized athletics have value, but not enough to warrant them as being popular as they are. The Boy Scouts have turned out leaders, and it is (or was) a requirement for participation. The military demands it (JROTC and its associated groups are another post altogether). Teamwork can be taught in a myriad of ways (most of which do not involve a ball). Many proponents of organized athletics get carried away by the assumption it is the only way, or even the best way. It is neither. Plenty of people get through life without engaging in organized athletics. Plenty of people go on to be valued members of society without participating in organized athletics.
I am a little shocked by my opinion. I loved watching my son play. I like watching college and professional football. I have tempered my enjoyment of it over the years. Especially after watching, and listening to some parents. Am I sad my son does not want to play this year. No. What about the following season? I don't care. I have come to the realization it is not necessary. It is not important, it is not the best method, or even a favored method, for rearing your children.
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