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By Bob Dyer
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Thursday, Jun 05, 2008
An English professor at the University of Akron took note of the hubbub surrounding a couple of columns I wrote about fairness in high school sports and declined to join the fray.
He was interested in a far more basic question: Should high school sports exist at all?
Thomas Dukes, Ph.D., offered an intriguing counterpoint to our collective obsession with sports.
''For some of us academic types, sports are, at best, only tangentially related to the academic enterprise. (Let me add that many who feel this way were terrible at sports in school, suffered greatly in gym classes designed for those who didn't need such classes, and no doubt require intense therapy over the experience.)
''Given the very limited resources devoted now to what I'll call 'classroom education,' I was wondering if you could tell me why sports should be part of education.
''I read an essay by Carl Sagan once that claimed young men battling on the athletic field were essentially engaged in a civilized form of re-enacting battles to expend their energy, and I'm aware of the mythic argument (football teams as warring armies, etc.).
''I'm still trying at my ripe old age (52) to get sports, especially team sports. I once e-mailed [legendary sportswriter and National Public Radio commentator] Frank Deford, who suggested I ask an academic. Of course, I am an academic.''
Well, if it makes you feel any better, professor, I will admit that a part of me is embarrassed to be a hard-core sports fan. The emphasis our society places on sports is absolutely absurd, and I have contributed more than my fair share of publicity.
But that being said, I do think team sports offer a number of extremely valuable benefits to the participants.
At the risk of incurring the cosmic wrath of Carl Sagan, the idea that young men are war re-enactors is a bit of a reach — especially considering the number of young women now immersed in team sports.
I love the fact that girls are into it, too, because they can derive exactly the same educational benefits. To wit:
• Learning how to work with others toward a common goal.
• Learning that the amount of effort you put into something often translates into how well you do.
• Learning to sometimes sacrifice your own goals and ego for the common good.
• Learning to work side by side with people who aren't like you, people you normally wouldn't associate with.
• Learning to perform in front of an audience.
• Learning to stand behind your mates, even when things go bad.
• Best of all, realizing that, when you lose, when you've played terribly, when you've tried your best and it wasn't good enough and your world is in the dumper, you can come right back another day and turn everything around.
Sports also keep kids in good physical condition, keep them off the streets and, in a world that is dominated by shades of gray, give them a nice psychological outlet: The playing field is a place where the outcome is absolutely clear. There's a scoreboard. You either win or you lose.
How many times in life do you get an indication of exactly where you stand?
Sports also can provide the sheer joy of mastering a skill, the same joy one would derive from learning to be an accomplished pianist or sculptor.
Unfortunately, most of the fans are far more focused on other things. And that's where sports go wrong.
Don't blame the game.
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
An English professor at the University of Akron took note of the hubbub surrounding a couple of columns I wrote about fairness in high school sports and declined to join the fray.
Get the full article here.
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