A Rhode Island school board is debating whether to continue funding high school sports this fall. So is a New York panel.
Following music and fine arts cutbacks, athletics is the latest program threatened by financially-troubled school systems. Look at the European model, they claim. Those countries don’t have high school sports, opting for clubs and academies.
Are athletics worthwhile despite sometimes costing as little as one-tenth of one percent of overall school budgets? At what price comes community spirit created by sports programs? Do lessons of sacrifice and discipline on the field that often spill over to academics seem too costly?
Should the U.S. privatize high school sports after more than a century overall and a generation of the current model?
“I often ask parents, ‘Can you remember your first teacher?’ A lot of them struggle. When I ask them if they can remember their first coach, they almost all can,” said Paul Jansen, coordinator of student activities and athletics for Fairfax County Public Schools. “Here you have a world that operates on a shoe string that is the true laboratory and translate it to everyday practical life. Studies will show if you take 50 people using your own definition of successful and find that one common denominator, they have some background in athletics.”
Studies roll out the statistics of success. The National Federation of State High School Associations representing 11 million prep players says athletes average a full grade better academically than non-athletes. Ninety-two percent don’t use illegal drugs. A review of 75 Fortune 500 companies showed 95 percent of executives played high school sports.
“I don’t know how you would measure it,” said Landon football/lacrosse coach Rob Bordley. “The athletic field is one of the greatest classrooms in the world.”
The hidden value of the U.S. sports system seems to come a decade or more later when athletes become business leaders. It’s not just the kids from math and science clubs who run companies. There lies the reason many coaches say sports is worth keeping versus European models.
“Where did new technologies like Google or Microsoft come from? They’re coming from Americans,” Jansen said. “It’s because we foster that creativity that includes athletics. On a field, there are infinite variables you have to deal with. You take those skills into a board room. Your competitive juices get going. If you’re looking to develop pro athletes, the European model is better. If you’re looking for a complete citizen, our model is better.”
Coming tomorrow: Can community youth programs replace or supplement high schools?
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
