I met North Carolina State Senator Charlie Albertson when I was in middle school. He seemed as out of touch then as he does today. He’s held state office for a long time and maybe the length of time is telling. It’s long passed time for Mr. Albertson to retire.
Mr. Albertson recently introduced a bill to ban interscholastic athletics at North Carolina schools whose end of course and end of grade test scores are below average. Yeah, that’s a great idea… really.
Mr. Albertson obviously hasn’t thought this idea through or maybe he’s just completely out of touch with reality and the good that sports provide.
After school sports programs teach kids accountability (something our current culture is severly lacking). Students athletes have to maintain certain grade and attendance standards. They have to stay out of trouble as a general rule. After school sports give students something to do when most parents work, keeping them off the streets. After school sports also build responsibility and teach team work, things that can not be learned as well in any other school sponsored activity. Sports help kids understand the value of sacrifice and hardwork, and that even with your best efforts sometimes you fail.
But sports also provide opportunity and hope to many who were otherwise hopeless. A number of the people I played football with in High School had the chance to go to college in large part because of their athletic participation. Not that they all would have gotten scholarships or even played in college, but colleges looks for well-rounded applicants who are involved in extra-curricular activities… something most of my teammates would not have had without their participation in athletics.
In fact, I would wager that if you account for IQ, economic and family status, more children who play sports attend college and have better careers than other students of the same circumstance that do not. And, I would also wager that the grades of athletes are higher than the non-athletes (again when accounting for IQ, economic and family status).
But Mr. Alberston doesn’t see that. He doesn’t understand the big picture. Maybe he was in the chess club or something and never understood the value of afterschool team sports.
In this time of increasing crime, budget cuts and economic uncertainty, the last thing our youth needs is to have their sports programs cut because some lifelong politician wants to make a point about test scores. Punish the schools and the teachers that fail our kids if you want. Punish the kids themselves who are performing poorly or are otherwise off track. But don’t punish the good student athletes who are actually doing something right because their peers, teachers, or the idiots in Raleigh have failed them.
Mr Albertson, instead of getting rid of sports programs because their schools are failing, maybe we should get rid of lifelong idiot politicians like you. At least then our kids would have a chance.
I really think he played football when he went to school with my grandmother. I should pull out the old 1950 yearbook and see what he actually did…..
But you’re right–he’s past his prime.
You know, I was going to suggest that maybe Mr. Albertson was in the band and thus didn’t appreciate sports… you know its more important to keep the band uniforms clean for competitions than play at football games! But, I didn’t think that commentary would go over well with a few readers.
Seriously, I just don’t get it. Why punish the student athletes who may not be failing because the school is? This proposed bill doesn’t look at the test scores of the players, it looks at the test scores of the school in general. I’m sure there is some way to keep the school accountable without taking away something that only hurts the student-athletes.
And after the revenue sports are gone for a couple years (the revenue sports which generally pay for all the other sports), who is going to supply the excess funds necessary to start the programs back up? Once the poor and under performing schools lose their programs, it will be next to impossible for them to ever come back.
Just doesn’t make sense to take away some of the opportunity and hope from the kids at the same schools who are already failing them in the classroom.
As an arts educator I have often wondered why coaches never seemed to experience job jeopardy, while I wonder year-to-year if I’ll be employed the next school year. I recognize sports are a big money maker for the school and gives students a chance to be involved, teamwork, blah blah the list goes on and on. One of my favorite parts of the games was seeing the community together in the stands (and yes, some of them were band parents and cheerleaders parents). Certainly we should keep the athletes accountable for their grades–but I don’t think cutting the one thing that they excel in to make the grade. I have many special needs students who may not be able to count to 10, but MAN they can sing or play the crap out of their instrument. They come to school to come to my class–like the kids who keep themselves out of trouble in order to play the next game. It’s a terrible idea to cut any of these programs in general.
And while, yes, we chose to keep our uniforms clean for competitions (which was necessary since bands aren’t provided with a dry cleaning allowance or even washers and dryers) in order to compete. Seriously, a dirty band uniform is like a football player choosing to play without a cup. Small issue, big necessity.
First, as you know, I’m a big supporter of the arts too. I believe Arts Education, especially at a young age, is crucial to academic development and keeping children interested in learning. I certainly benefited from my creative outlets in the classroom and other students do as well. From the confidence that comes from students who might struggle with book work and excel in music or drawing to the critical and creative thinking processes that arts nourish, arts education is crucial. There is also significant evidence (as you are certainly aware) that arts programs help develop math skills and other more traditional education talents.
While I can’t speak to coaches jobs being in jeopardy as much as arts educators (that may change if this bill passes) I think that is irrelevant regarding the issue at hand. Neither arts nor sports should be cut, this doesn’t have to be an either or situation. Certainly you wouldn’t want to see chorus or band cut because some end-of-grade science scores were low. I would say the same for football.
Arts classes are first on the chopping blocks because of how bureaucracies naturally function, and as long as we are encouraging people to spend their entire budget before the end of the fiscal year, that will never change. But the people responsible are not the taxpayers nor the students… its the administrators, politicians, and yes the teacher’s unions who don’t look at improving efficiency our rewarding frugality. I would bet other line items are rarely cut in order to provide more funding to arts classes… yet there are likely plenty of other line items where waste can be found. But as long as bureaucracies, politicians, and unions are protecting their turf, and department heads and administrators are making sure every dollar is spent so no budget is cut… arts classes will always suffer. People who think arts classes are expendable, are the same people who think sports are expendable… they simply don’t understand the value and opportunity these activities offer to students and the overall education process.
As for band uniforms. I appreciated the band (and the flag team) more than most, and attended most of the competitions. I still think the band’s first priority should be playing at games and competition should be secondary… but that’s because I was on the field and often missed the fight song cheering us on. Maybe the football program should have shared some revenue with the traveling band… and maybe the marching band should have appreciated it likely wouldn’t exist without if there was no halftime show to perform.
Speaking of which… if football programs get cut at some local high school, what do you think will happen to the marching band? Yes I know many parents and fundraisers help support the band, but try telling some parent that their child can’t play soccer or football because of school wide test scores, but there’s still a marching band. At what halftime show will they play?
For the record, you must know I’m not supporting the cuts of any programs–I’m pro-arts and pro-sports. However, I’m simply stating that this is the very first time I’ve ever heard the cut of athletics–it’s always primarily the arts. It’s shocking to me. Unfortunately, while they may not “cut” my programs, they aren’t doing it any favors when they pull my chorus kids out of my class 4 days a week for math and reading remediation.
And I must say, that finally, maybe some people will stand up and take notice because the loss of the athletic will affect the entire community–not just the players, but their parents, the band, the cheerleaders, everyone.
Sadly, it will take the loss of an athletic program for people to say, “Hey, what about our Friday night games?” to get them to say, “Hey, didn’t we use to have a marching band program?” When the arts programs are cut, it’s usually only a small population that raises a stink. It makes me furious–because the arts (and especially music) affects EVERYONE innately. We all respond to it, even if we hate what we are hearing or seeing.
I am a sports fan, I married an addict, and I have friends who I sat in the rain to watch their games even when I couldn’t wear my precious uniform.
It’s clear he is an idiot.
However, I disagree that our primary goal was to support the football team. Our goal was to make music. We just graced you with our presence.
They choose to pull the kids out of chorus for remediation classes? That’s almost as bad as me losing my recess in elementary school to go to speech classes. UGH! I hated it… but I guess they have to get them out sometime.
You did grace us with your presence… can you blame us for wanting more? And really… I’m a music lover as much as the next guy, my grandfather was in the USMC Drum & Bugle Corp and my uncle was a JHS Drum Major himself… but do you really think marching band would even exist if the football program didn’t? Maybe I’m wrong, but surely the football team was there first and halftime shows existed long before band competitions.
And if you ever need someone to go to bat for your Arts programs… all you have to do is make me aware of it. I’ll always fight for Arts programs in schools… just don’t ask me to support the NEA.
Actually, marching bands have existed long before the football era. They have always marched in parades and celebrations, and accompanied the military during war (think “Yankee Doodle”).
Marching bands don’t need the football team–think of the professional drum corps and parade events alone. Of course it’s helpful to have a visible weekly concert to remind people that you exist in the school, too.
I will never, ever, ever ask you to support the NEA.
Yes I know this. I should have clarified. The question is… were they in schools first?
Hmm….I’m sure football in high schools may have started before marching bands were added. However, the marching band itself is older than the sport and did survive for centuries without it. There are indoor drum lines and winter guards too for the basketball season.
But honestly, how in the world would those lovely little cheerleaders have learned their cute routines without a band prior to the PA system? And, what would people do if they couldn’t yell “play ball!!!” at the end of the National Anthem? And, let’s get real, we all know the stands tunes and the fight songs are what makes the crowd excited and pumped when the team is down. And those band mommies made sure that Joe Popcorn had his endless supply of drinks and snacks to make the event more enjoyable.
I mean, the perks are endless aren’t they?
Either way, my dear friend, we both think he’s a moron. Agreed?
Agreed.
And he is in a band… I’m just saying.
Yeah, but have you heard them? TERRIBLE!!!!!!
My poor grandmother loves the guy….