That’s the question I ask as I read
about people urging area school districts to cut middle school and high school
sports funding in the face of budget shortfalls.
As of this writing, talks about
cutting back on sports funding are ongoing in the Pittston Area and Hazleton
Area school districts. As other districts seek to shape their budgets, similar discussions
surely will pop up.
When talk turns to slashing costs,
sports is frequently the first item on the agenda. For some parents, athletics
represent an investment in programs from which their kids will never benefit,
and that only a small percentage of students enjoy. It’s always the same
rallying cry: Privatize high school sports! If kids want to play, make their
parents pay!
But let’s back up a second. Have
these critics ever stopped to think of the many children and adolescents who
benefit from interscholastic sports programs?
According to the National Federation
of State High School Associations, 7,628,377 high school students participated
in interscholastic athletics during the 2009-2010 school year. Compared with
other states, Pennsylvania ranks sixth in terms of total number of high school
student-athletes, with 317,456 boys and girls, behind only Texas, California,
New York, Illinois and Ohio.
What I see in those numbers are
hundreds of thousands of young people involved in an activity that builds
character, teaches discipline and commitment, and promotes physical fitness. In
my book, those are the kinds of lessons that our schools should be teaching,
and that you can’t always learn in a classroom.
Sure, you can say that if parents
want their students to participate in sports, they should be financing the
endeavor. But I would argue that the funds provided by school districts for
sports are a worthwhile investment.
As an example, I point to my best
friend, who I will call C.J. Through his participation in sports in high
school, C.J. was well-prepared to follow his dream of becoming a Pennsylvania
state policeman. As I write this commentary, I know that he is out on patrol
with fellow troopers across the commonwealth, making sure we have a safe and
peaceful place in which to live and work.
There are certainly many other
elements that have gone into C.J.’s success over the years, but participation
in sports was a big part of it. And certainly not everyone who participates in
sports is guaranteed to develop into a productive citizen. Sadly, some of our
former teammates might wind up on the wrong end of C.J.’s job in the years to
come.
But, as I see it, the positive
aspects that students have the chance to gain from sports far outweigh the
negatives.
While some teenagers are harassing
pedestrians on Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square, smoking cigarettes or getting
involved in more troubling activities, high school sports serve as a way for
students to channel their energy productively. They teach teamwork. They
promote school spirit. And they help kids attain physical fitness goals that
promote healthy living.
I’m not saying that high school
sports should be exempt from possible cuts. In fact, there are many areas of
cost-savings that can be explored when it comes to athletics. But I am bothered
when parents and students point at the athletics program as a whole and view it
as a big, fat target.
After all, the all-too-common
alternative is for students to hang out on the corner, right?
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