As all the controversy swirls around Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Roger Goodell and the latest infraction/crime committed by a professional football player I think it is time to step back and realize that this problem does not start at the NFL. Special status and opportunities are given to these young athletes as well as to professional football and basketball players and a few other chosen men. These indulgences can lead them to believe that they are above the law.
It starts so innocently. In second grade spelling tests are suspended during T-ball season because “everyone” is on a team; junior high students are excused from classes when the high school makes the state tournament; and the “star” quarterback is invited to the 7th-grade football practice to brag about the scholarships coming his way and encourage the boys to follow his path.
None of these practices on their own are toxic; they are the beginning of a lack of balance. Have you ever heard of a T-ball game called early so kids can go home to work on their diphthongs; junior high students dismissed to watch the state Mock Trial finals; or National Merit Scholars invited to come inspire a team? It is no wonder that many young men, especially young men of color envision sports as a path to success.
The numbers are not on their side.
- 59 percent of high school football and basketball players believe they will get a college scholarship.
- 98 out of 100 high school athletes never play collegiate sports of any kind at any level.
- Less than one out of every 100 high school athletes receive a scholarship of any kind to a Division I school.
- Only 1 in 16,000 high school athletes attains a professional career in sports.
Constant rewards
The ones who are succeeding are not paid until they reach the pros, but they are rewarded at special training tables, with college schedules that allow them to pass without academic rigor, and with every facility to build their muscle bulk and make them modern gladiators. We are learning more and more how they risk their health and their brains as paid coaches, trainers, and fans encourage them to play through pain. They learn that they are special and that if the ref doesn’t see it, it never happened. No doubt their fine physical condition and status impact their relationship with women in similar ways.
For those young men who do reach the NFL, the rewards are amazing — money, cars, cheering fans, and an entourage just for running faster and hitting harder. How can we —whose taxes and cheering support this system — not take some responsibility when these young men believe that hitting harder and yelling louder work at home too?
How can we not insist that all of those who profit from bulking up these players without giving them guidance and standards take some responsibility for the results? We need to yell just as loudly for the vulnerable 4-year-olds and the players’ fiancées as we do for the Super Bowl combatants.
If we don’t, we are the losers.
Beth-Ann Bloom is a mom, genetic counselor and community volunteer from Woodbury.
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This is an outstanding article
it should have been featured more prominently.
As I drove past a park in Stillwater where fully suited football players who weren’t even as high as my husband’s belt line were practicing I was wondering what on earth their parents were thinking.
And we wonder why more boys are ADHD and are now less likely to earn post secondary degrees then women http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0299.pdf .
It is time to put sports back in focus as simple recreation not constant competition. I played tackle football and baseball l too when I was in grade school and junior high with the neighborhood kids. There were four guys and two girls with two little kids who played out field and minimal equipment. But it wasn’t organized or competitive it was just something to do in the afternoon and a parent never watched us. We just had fun.
It may be time to refocus.
The really cynical part of me says this isn’t what kids want to do it’s what parents want to have in their portfolios of activities because they can’t entertain themselves. That would be the parents not the children.
Not to mention the fact that
the daily newspaper always has write-ups about high school and college athletes, and the nightly local news gives the high school and college football scores.
Other than committing a heinous crime, being a star athlete is the easiest way for a young person to become a local household name.
High school and college students sometimes put on amazing musical concerts and plays. Yet who but their parents ever hears about it?
You nailed it
Beth-Ann, when I was a kid, some survey said ‘government scientist’ was the most impressive job title. But for some reason a lot of people today think it’s easier to build muscles and sports prowess than brains. It’s no different from aspiring to be a movie star. The odds on success are like those for survival as a drug dealer. Not good.