Pay to play sports

[billwald]

Professional and inter-school sports are a form of military training in which students are taught to beat, kill, and murder the opposition.

Why isn't ping pong an olympic sport? Because it doesn't require athletic ability? No, because it isn't dangerous and no one gets hurt.

 

[targus]

Professional and inter-school sports are a form of military training in which students are taught to beat, kill, and murder the opposition.

You mean inter-school sports like swimming, track, cross country, tennis, baseball, ect.?

 

[Oldtimer]

The logical conclusion then is that every student should play rather than only the students that excell at a particular sport.With competative sports played between schools most students are not allowed to participate because they are not good enough to make the team.

Why should they be denied this particular path to physical fitness and therefore subjected to a life of poor health?

Wouldn't you agree?

You've hit the nail on the head as to why I'm opposed to so much emphasis on "sports" in schools. Big dollars are going to sports programs that benefit a very small number of students in a given school. And that's at the expense of the rest of the student body.

Regardless of how you slice the pie, there's only so many dollars in a school system's budget to educate our children. Classroom teachers often have to resort to paying for supplies out of their own pockets, begging for donations from local charities, and sending longer must-have lists home with students. Students are selling "stuff" (I've got enough wrapping paper to last for who knows how long).

There's something wrong when every student has to bring in a roll of toilet paper for the bathrooms. Yet, there's enough money to pay for coaches, trainers, activity buses, stadium lights, grounds keepers, etc. for a select few from a student body to "play". A select few that have a real opportunity for exercise that means anything for fitness. Will ALL the students have access to the athletes's weight room?

IMHO, there's a big difference between a school's focus on physical fitness for the entire student body and a focus on "sports".

Concentrating on exercise for physical fitness doesn't have to be expensive, relatively speaking. When I was in college, square dancing was an option for the required PE class per semester. PE instructor, a record player, some records, and room was all that was needed. Even less for a semester of jump rope. What's the extra expense for jumping jacks, pushups, walking, jogging, etc. For those younger, I've played hopscotch with stones and lines drawn in the dirt of a playground.

Yes, I'm getting long winded. So, I'd better close.

Final point. Every step society takes to make the education system the "parent" removes control and RESPONSIBILITY from the natural parents of the children. Being an old timer, I've seen this turn over of responsibility and accountability since the 1950's.

I want someone else to pay for a school system that will turn my junior into a professional athlete. I could care less if the school doesn't have toilet paper as long as there's plenty in the locker room for MY SON.

 

[billwald]

>You mean inter-school sports like swimming, track, cross country, tennis, baseball, ect.?

Baseball, "Kill the umpire. murder the bum." It trains the fans. Most every major sport season ends with a fan riot.

 

[targus]

>You mean inter-school sports like swimming, track, cross country, tennis, baseball, ect.?

Baseball, "Kill the umpire. murder the bum." It trains the fans. Most every major sport season ends with a fan riot.

Yes, I have frequently seen it at swimming, cross country, track, and tennis events.

Why is it that every time that you make an insipid remark, instead of being satisfied with merely embarrassing yourself, you insist on digging yourself deeper?

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

Most every major sport season ends with a fan riot.

Wow, really? That is where this argument has gone?

When we mainstreamed our kids from homeschool I was shocked at how much I had to pay for our "free" public school system that my tax dollars had been funding for years. But at the same time I have no problem with extracurricular activities coming with a charge. Fund raisers for the band, a work day on at the baseball field, I don’t have a problem with any of that. When my oldest boy was a senior and they wanted to go on a senior trip they had multiple fund raisers. Kids who did not want to participate had the option of simply paying their cost. While they obviously play a role in some children’s education, these extra activities like sports, drama, art, music, travel, and others don’t benefit the entire school, so why not make the students getting the benefit help with the cost.

Now Benjamin was talking about overall health education and PE. I feel that should be a part of the curriculum, not an extra and should be covered with paid staff and facilities. Then you have the fact that some extra activities pay for themselves and others don’t. A football game might bring out several thousand fans while the chorus concert might bring only a few hundred. Charging admission and collecting some money from the performances is one way to help with the cost.

Honestly Benjamin, I don’t know that sports programs play that great a role in long term fitness compared to traditional health and PE classes. Yea, the football strength training program is great, but do I really need to bench 500 to stay healthy later in life. I am living proof the answer is no.

 

[billwald]

Anyone who can't see a BIG difference between football or boxing and ping pong must be a Baptist.

 

[Benjamin]

Wow, really? That is where this argument has gone?

Par for the course when trying to stick to a point of debate around here and draw out some truth, unfortunately.

While they obviously play a role in some children’s education, these extra activities like sports, drama, art, music, travel, and others don’t benefit the entire school, so why not make the students getting the benefit help with the cost.

My point is this role needs more unselfish support and is productive toward raising standards for all.

Now Benjamin was talking about overall health education and PE. I feel that should be a part of the curriculum, not an extra and should be covered with paid staff and facilities.

Yup, agreed, PE is a very important part of education that is becoming more and more discounted and ignored.

Honestly Benjamin, I don’t know that sports programs play that great a role in long term fitness compared to traditional health and PE classes.

I see sports as the icing on the cake… accelerating the experience of how to test oneself, a way to learn work with others while working toward the same goal, involving motivational driving force, producing goal orientated directives, and a basic and general way to teach that hard work and striving for excellence makes one an achiever…even in losing one learns that by giving their best they have achieved self-improvement along the way. ( I still get excited telling about working my way up to a second place in State finish in wrestling in the 8th grade…after earlier in the season wanting to quit because of losing, but the coach encouraged me to stay and work harder… I lost by one point because of putting on an illegal hold in my excitement in the last few seconds…first place had been mine if we had went into overtime…this experince taught me a lot. I use this story often to encourage others with...but I digress ) And I have no problem with those motivated children and their supportive parent contributing to costs of extracurricular activities but think it throwing out the baby with the bathwater to disregard the importance of maintaining competitive sports in school.

 

[Benjamin]

Anyone who can't see a BIG difference between football or boxing and ping pong must be a Baptist.

I do believe I would show you the BIG difference of the overall advantages of learning how to condition ones body and be competitive with others through sports applies if you were to ever play me ping-pong when balls went flying by you.

 

[Benjamin]

Why isn't ping pong an olympic sport? Because it doesn't require athletic ability? No, because it isn't dangerous and no one gets hurt.

Rather than try to explain all the problems with your reasoning, which points would most likely be ignored, I'll just simply give you this which destroys your premise from the get-go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_tennis

Since 1988, table tennis has been an Olympic sport,[3] with several event categories. In particular, from 1988 until 2004, these were: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles. Since 2008 the doubles have been replaced by the team events.

 

[targus]

Anyone who can't see a BIG difference between football or boxing and ping pong must be a Baptist.

You were the one that was making generalizations:

"Professional and inter-school sports are a form of military training in which students are taught to beat, kill, and murder the opposition."

No qualifications there.

"Most every major sport season ends with a fan riot."

No qualifications there.

Now you want us to believe that you said something different than you actually did say.

Like I said, you should be content with just embarrassing yourself.

Why do you always insist on making things worse for yourself?

Better stop before they decide to regrade your MESA test. :laugh:

 

[gb93433]

Here's the problem with your entire post....the government shouldn't be providing healthcare for people.

why not let everyone pay for their own benefits. If we did away with Medicare and insurance we would save a lot of money. If we had to post a bond instead of insurance then we would have less cars, less pollution, and fewer people would be driving cars. We would also have less road maintenance too. After all the insurance companies are already running our nation. A large portion of the cost in building an airplane lies in the costs of insurance. Doctors pay a huge amount for mal practice insurance. Profits in the last few years have exceeded the cost of living increase by three times.

A few months ago I was talking with an elderly man who was complaining about taxes. He also said that we should not have healthcare for everyone. I told him that I would like to see medicare done away and go back to where we were years ago because it would reduce my taxes. He never said another word. He quickly realized that when he was much younger people often lost their homes to pay for medical care near the end of their life instead of Medicare today.

If we did not have Social security then people would work longer and their health would improve.

If we did not have compulsory education then people could pay for their own education and the rich could benefit more.

If we did not have taxes that paid for sports in universities then money would be spent on education and maybe people would read their Bible more rather than Tebowing among others QBs.

 

[targus]

What are the chances that gb93433 and billwald are the same person? :laugh:

 

[gb93433]

What are the chances that gb93433 and billwald are the same person? :laugh:

ZERO percentage and zero numerical chance.

 

[gb93433]

Professional and inter-school sports are a form of military training in which students are taught to beat, kill, and murder the opposition.

Would you would include archery, equestrian competitions, and tennis in your list?

 

[billwald]

First, someone tell me what Medicare has to do with sports.

 

[gb93433]

First, someone tell me what Medicare has to do with sports.

A certain group of people in American society get much of their medical bills paid by the American taxpayers. So if you are an athlete and on Medicare and incur medical bills then most likely the American taxpayers help you to pay your bills. If one sugests that the individual should pay their own way in everything then why not have the elderly pay their own medical bills without any help from the American taxpayer.

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

ZERO percentage and zero numerical chance.

No matter what the odds are, you always have a 50/50 chance.

 

[gb93433]

No matter what the odds are, you always have a 50/50 chance.

Zero chance that I am billwald.

 

[targus]

A certain group of people in American society get much of their medical bills paid by the American taxpayers. So if you are an athlete and on Medicare and incur medical bills then most likely the American taxpayers help you to pay your bills. If one sugests that the individual should pay their own way in everything then why not have the elderly pay their own medical bills without any help from the American taxpayer.

gb93433, you certainly do have a way of taking both sides of an issue at the same time, while not making any discernable sense.

You must be spoofing us! :laugh: