Should high school football be abolished?

[YankeeFan]

Patrick Hruby takes a look at the question.

 

[TyWebb]

What?

 

[Riptide]

No. It should be vetted, though.

 

[Buck]

I think you may have posted the wrong link.
But the question of scholastic athletics in general is a good one.
Athletics and other extra-curriculars are reportedly linked to improved student engagement and retention, thus credited with reducing drop-out rates and improved graduation rates.
But at what cost? Could those resources be used more effectively through other avenues to achieve the same or better results.

 

[RickStain]

Yes

 

[Inky_Wretch]

I think YF meant to post this link ...

Friday Night Lights Out: The Case for Abolishing High School Football | VICE Sports

 

[Riptide]

Patrick Hruby takes a look at the question.

I think you may have posted the wrong link.

Wow. Fly-by posting at its best! :eek:

 

[Starman]

So are we just going to move on?

 

[Baron Scicluna]

No way. How else will journalists meet their quota of live tweets?

 

[LongTimeListener]

I don't think it needs to be abolished in high school, even the doctors have said that, but tackle football should definitely be banned before then.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Were high school football to be abolished in this state, the social structure of quite a few of these small towns would be indelibly changed. It is the place where the town meets, often their single shared experience. Whether that's worth the cost is a valid question. But I do believe that some people who consider this question have never lived in that existence, and as a result, they don't believe that matters.

 

[RickStain]

Were high school football to be abolished in this state, the social structure of quite a few of these small towns would be indelibly changed. It is the place where the town meets, often their single shared experience. Whether that's worth the cost is a valid question. But I do believe that some people who consider this question have never lived in that existence.

I have. Born and raised small-town Midwest.

 

[outofplace]

Wow. Fly-by posting at its best! :eek:

Agreed. Not just posting the wrong link, but not bothering to offer his own take on the situation. I guess he couldn't find an opinion of Rush Limbaugh's that he could present as if it was his own thought.

I'm having trouble getting the correct link to load, so I can't respond to that. If the argument is related to brain injuries, it does seem like people are over-reacting to that particular issue, but that is a good thing. It is an improvement over years of ignoring the story.

 

[jr/shotglass]

I have. Born and raised small-town Midwest.

Then you understand it, and I'd certainly take your stance against it more seriously than someone who hasn't.

My experience is like this.

In my previous unemployed state, I didn't have a hell of a lot to do this fall. What I did have was 13 Friday nights to go to my hometown, or wherever the hometown team was playing. I'd make the 50-mile drive in late afternoon, meet up with one of my oldest friends and grab dinner. Then we'd go to the stadium and I'd catch up with 15-20 other people who I haven't kept up with nearly as much as I should have over the years. Old friendships are rekindled. We see how our lives have branched out.

It's not all about high school football. It is all about high school football. It's about the quarterback, at halftime of a 17-17 ballgame, trotting along the edge of the field, slapping hands with 9- and 10-year-olds who want to be him. It's about your sophomore running back showing some raw skills, and you and your buddies begin wondering where his talents might take him a few years down the line. It's about community pride, the way you knew it once.

And I know -- of course I know -- that if it's hurting our young people, it's not worth it. I just want to be sure that the people making such decisions also realize what would be lost.

 

[BTExpress]

It is the place where the town meets, often their single shared experience.

I don't doubt that for a minute. I grew up in a small town with a (usually) powerful HS team, and everybody met at Big Ed's Pizza afterwards. But I do wonder: When did that start? And what did the town do before that?

I don't mean that to sound flippant, but it's like Facebook or sj.com or other places where people "meet." What did they do before such things? They did other things. shared other experiences. Sometimes these things we can't imagine doing without can get to be a crutch.

 

[User 1019]

He was in such a rush to be the first person with the story that he got all the details wrong. Even those who were there got it wrong and he didn't bother to do the reporting to make sure he got it right.

Sad.

 

[jr/shotglass]

I don't doubt that for a minute. But I do wonder: When did that start? And what did the town do before that?

I don't mean that to sound flippant, but it's like Facebook or sj.com or other places where people "meet." What did they do before such things? They did other things. shared other experiences. Sometimes these things we can't imagine doing without can get to be a crutch.

It's a fair question. And in my experience, I'd have a hard time thinking of anything that could match this opportunity to bring a small town together.

 

[QYFW]

I have. Born and raised small-town Midwest.

Play football?

 

[da man]

If high school football is banned, Texas will HAVE to secede.

 

[jr/shotglass]

Play football?

Totally not the point. I didn't play high school football, and that doesn't change my passion for it.