Football A Method To Teach Our Youth

It seems that in this day and age the art programs in schools are always being cut. Sports programs on the other hand never seem to feel the sharp edge of the knife. Its my opinion that schools need both. Kids can learn so much from the arts as well as sports if they are given the right opportunity. The problem is that most of the time the emphasis is put on sports because it draws in money into the school and money after all is what is all about.

Sports can be limiting. Most teens who play sports don't get the opportunity to play again after high school unless they live in a city that has a recreational league. And lets face it you don't see many 80 year-old football players out there but I know several senior citizens that continue to sing in their church choir enriching the lives of many.

In my life time I have sat through more sporting events than I can count from baseball to hockey to volleyball to football and it always seems that the team that is having the winning season will have the most fans at the venue. Which brings me to what I don't like about sports; the emphasis is always on winning and not about how to play the game and being a good sport or even about letting everyone get a chance to play. I understand and appreciate what it means to watch and root for a winning team. If your team is 5-0 you will have a lot more fans in the stands than when your team is 0-5 but shouldn't we be sitting in the stands to cheer on our youth and as adults show them that it doesn't really matter if you win or loose but rather how you play the game and whether or not you have fun.

I realize that there is probably not a school administration around that feels the same way I do because they all seem to want a winning season so that the stands are packed and the coffers are full. But sometimes I like to sit back and wonder about what the world would be like if we weren't so fixated on always winning but rather building up one another instead.

Then there are times when I come across a sporting clip that gives me hope for the future. Such as this clip of the school in Snohomish Washington whose football team allows everyone to play, even Ike a down syndrome kid and he doesn't just warm the bench. He may not win a football scholarship but he and his team mates are learning about more than just the game. They are learning how you treat people and really isn't that what we should be teaching our kids--how to be great adults?

*note: the clip that I have posted is from 2009 but there is also a clip of the 2010 touchdown as well.