Ex-college coach says end high school sports

An interesting read. I could see a time in the near future where we'll see public charter schools geared toward athletics much like some focus on the arts or math and science.
Eliminate freshman and JV teams in sports where size doesn't pose a safety danger.

 

It's already happened. Some charter schools are bascially nothing more than fronts for AAU basketball franchises.

 

Probably in the 1990s. Or when the forward pass was invented.

 

High school sports have, changed a lot in my stints in sports. Instad of being an end to themselves, at times they seem like a massive JV program for AAU hoops or travel ball in baseball and softball, and the scholarship has become the Golden Ticket ... and nevermind that there's only partial rides in some sports (and if I don't pursue this story over the summer, someone in my department will).

Unlike the author, though, I'm not ready to throw in the towel and the let the Nikeistas win. I still think there's a lot more good than bad that comes from playing and lessons in life you just can't learn in a book or a classroom.

 

I think it's already that way. I agree with HanSenSE that high school is just a triple-A or double-A for AAU, especially when it comes to basketball. Baseball is getting closer to that too. We've had several players who left one h/s team to be closer to their AAU teams, most of which are based in bigger cities.

I also blame AAU/club sports for all of the specialization with athletes, especially at the bigger schools. I played three sports in high school, but now, I'd would've found one (probably baseball) and stuck with it. You play one sport, year-round, and that's it. I think that's a negative development, because it turns a game into a job. Ask any college golfer about how much they love golf when they head off to school and then, check back with them after graduation. Most of them leave the game behind because it became a horrific job that consumed their lives.

I like the whole "sports is a continuation of the classroom" ideal. You learn things about dealing with adversity, hard work and dealing with people that you'd never get in the classroom.

I don't see the complete end of prep athletics, though. It'd make sense on some levels, but I just sense a group assault on sports in general these days. It's kind of a piling-on effect.