Claims
For
|
Claims
Against
|
Involves students in school activities and increase interest in
academic activities
|
Distract students from their academics and distort values in school
culture
|
Builds self-esteem, responsibility, achievement orientation, and
teamwork skills
|
Enable conformity, dependence, and a power of performance that is
useless in today’s society
|
Foster fitness and stimulate interest in physical activities among
students
|
Turn most students into passive spectators and cause too many serious
injuries to the athletes
|
Generate spirit, unity, and maintain the school as a viable
organization
|
Create a superficial, transitory spirit that is unrelated to
educational goals
|
Promote alumni, community, and parental support for school programs
|
Deprive educational programs of community support, facilities,
resources, and staff
|
Give students opportunities to develop and display skills in
activities valued in society; recognized for their competence
|
Create pressure on athletes and support a hierarchical status system
that gives athletes unfair privileges over other students
|
Both sides have
legit claims to support their respective arguments. I am for interscholastic sports because I believe sports hold
values that go beyond the current students and state of the school. The New York
Times recently published an article covering how the surprising success
of a small Southwestern, PA high school football team has been able to restore
pride in their community. The people of Avella have three things to define
their community: coal-mining, construction companies, and high school football.
Coming into this season Avella High School had totaled 9
wins in the past 11 seasons, having not experienced a winning season
since 1994, and having a playoff drought spanning all the way back to 1976. This
lack of success over the past 35 years had made a community that was once proud
and rich in football tradition lose their Avella pride. At the time of this
article, Avella had a 5-0 record and was within one win of clinching a 2012
WPIAL-Single A playoff spot. This year’s success of the team has rejuvenated
students to come out and support the team, but has also encouraged more boys to
join and play on the team. Just like the claims for interscholastic sport on
page 472 in Coakley’s text, this clearly resembles the first four (4) claims
listed above. The factor that I found most interesting was how the football
team’s success has also restored the pride and support of the Avella community,
clearly representing claims 5 and 6 from above. I can personally relate to the
people of Avella, because my hometown of Butler, Pa has also endured many years
of losing in high school football. This season so far has also been a pleasant
surprise from our football team, Butler Area who plays in WPIAL Quad A, as we
have ended many losing streaks and are primed to make our first WPAL playoff
appearance since 1998. The Butler community isn’t as small as Avella, but we take
pride in our football and the entire town is excited and happy at the success
of our team. The claims against interscholastic sport are all valid, and I’m
sure articles can be found in their favor. In my opinion, all six of the claims
against sport are more affected by the individual student’s own beliefs,
values, and upbringing rather than sport being the driving force behind them.
Interscholastic sports produce a lot more positive and beneficial influences on
students, then having a negative effect. Sports, as shown by Avella, can have a
positive impact, bring/restore pride, and unite any community. This is why I am
and will always be For Interscholastic sport.
To read the entire article on Avella, follow this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/sports/avella-high-school-in-pennsylvania-regains-football-pride.html?_r=0
If you are interested in following Avella, Butler, or any
other WPIAL schools then here you go! http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/highschool/
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