Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

Well, it's football season now in the United States. And that means the dominance of Friday night football. I know football is king in the south and west. Especially in Texas and California. I'm a huge fan of high school football. Personally, I think it's more exciting than NCAA and NFL. But I recently saw that things are getting out of hand.

After a very successful season (10-0 regular season), undoubtedly Sherrard was excited about this season. But I think they took that excitement a little too far. It's a school tradition at many schools to run throught the big paper circle with the school logo on it when the team comes out onto the field. In previous years, Sherrard has had that where they come from the track entrance to the field, but this year they didn't have that. Nope, they had a BLOW UP TUNNEL! Like one of those you would see at a professional football game. Now, in their defense, they didn't spend a penny on this gimmick. One of the coaches had won it at a football conference he had gone to. But I believe the school took it one step too far by adding a smoke machine and I had heard there was supposed to be fireworks too but they didn't get them approved. Now the tunnel wasn't the only thing I thought was a bit over-the-edge. The boosters also sold posters of, what looked like, just half of the team on a pile of rocks looking intimidating. On the top of the poster it said "Sherrard Tigers" and on the bottom it said "Rock Solid." This is what threw me into a spin.

High school sports are not to be glamorized like this. I was not really irate when I saw this, just dissappointed that the administrators let this go. It is my sincere opinion that the school went way overboard with this.

My question to you is, after reading this, what is your opinion and does your school do something like this?

Now, if you're thinking, how does this relate to FIRST? Then let me express my opinion about FIRST and "celebration." I believe that FRC and high school sports like football should not share the same celebratory things. I think that, in FIRST, teams should celebrate their accomplishments like this. Celebration belongs in FIRST because everyone can celebrate with them. It's entertaining to watch matches where both alliances and all teams are excited and enthusiastic before the match. After the match, most of the time, the teams are still cheering and whatnot. In high school sports, there's usually an intense rivalry that throws hatred and the such into the mix of emotions. There's not many, if any, rivalries in FIRST because teams get the chance to compete with each other.

There's my opinion, now I would like to hear yours.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

High school sports have taken a disturbing trend to becomming more like college sports with even doping and national polls. It's hard to find whats true high school sports are now (as in local instead of traveling cross country to play top ranked teams).
Rochester NY has a good high school sports scene. There are good teams but nothing on the level of Texas, Ohio or FLorida. ANd the followings are also good but nothing on the fantical level that those states show. I attend alot of football, basketball and track events and I enjoy them alot. They're the best bargain in sports (a couple of bucks compared to almost $40 for a Bills game). I just think the point of high school sports have been shifted from building character to becoming a farm system for major college sports.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

I'm getting everything but this. Can you explain this part and why it threw you into a spin?

From reading it, I'm seeing it as clever marketing and a fundraiser, selling posters of the team to the students, parents, businesses in support of the team.
Jane

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

I hate to break it to you, but just as your opinion is that high school sports should not be glorified like this, the general opinion of pretty much all intense high school football programs is that yes, football should be celebrated like this, and that "nerd programs" are just academic extracurriculars that should work around football season.

I believe that it is complete instinct that leads people to want to justify what they love doing with celebration - the more the better. If you want to change this trend, do a celebration for your team when you guys do well. As for the posters...well, the parent council sells them, and I don't know what they do at your school, but at mine stuff like that generally goes to support Prom and other events. I choose not to buy these bits of fandom, but other people like them, love the spirit. Let them have that chance.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

They're showing a high scholl football game on ESPN right now.

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Uhh... that's going a bit too far in my humble opinion

But as far as the glitz and glamour of high school sports go, especially football, I think Grand Rapids is a wonderful example of going too far. Their local TV stations often have entire time slots of late night news devoted to the games locally, and even one station goes as far to make it another show after the 11pm newscast.

A bit much.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

Well high school sports show aren't all that big a deal or nothing new really.
The USA Today top 25 poll bothers me more.
The top ranked basketball team Oak Hill comes across more as a AAU all-star team than a high school. Made just to get ranked and be an NBA farm team (before the NBA banned drafting kids out of high school).

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

What happened to sports being just a game to have fun?

I know all about the character building aspects and all, but there are many other avenues in life that build character or teach you life lessons. I have no problem with people enjoying sports, as there is a fine line between passionate about something you enjoy and being an obsessed zealot. When your city spends millions of dollars to build "top notch high school sporting facilities", while test scores leave a lot to be desired, there's a big problem there.

Last I checked, the primary focus of high school was to recieve an education; and not to waste millions of taxpayer dollars on astroturf football fields that are used about five times a year.

I'm not being anti-sports here. I love to watch go to baseball games and or watch sports on television. I just think that the city can spend the money in better ways than buying fake grass.)

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

Segments on the 11:00 news devoted to high school football is nothing new in South Carolina. I don't see a problem with it--there's lots of games across the state on Friday nights, and we all want to know what happened at the game across town. (Alright, I seem to recall an occasional one-off special at the start of the season as well...but pre-empting Entertainment Tonight is a relatively common thing around here.)

(Deviation from topic: I used to be the videographer for Irmo High's football team. I believe it was my sophomore year when we were returning from the last regular-season game on the road. The only way that we could win the region title was if across-the-Lake-Murray-Dam rivals Lexington lost their game that night. About fifteen minutes into our hour-long bus ride, someone received the call on their cell phone: Lexington lost! If it weren't for that phone call, it would've been an awful tense ride back from Orangeburg.)

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

I'm not sure if the hype is bad if it translates to a positive school spirit and identity. Our school could use a heaping dose of spirit.

Football in this area doesn't seem to get the hype it does in other areas of the country. Many of the teams don't have lighted fields so the games are played Saturday afternoons and don't have the draw of a Friday night game. I remember it being the social event of the week when I was in high school, but I don't think either of my kids has gone to a single football game (one graduated, one is a senior) at this high school.

We had a vote this year for school facility improvements including a new football field with "astroturf," and a new running track. It failed miserably, the taxpayers felt academics was still the most important part of a school building. So it's not completely out of control. But top notch facilities do entice top notch homeowners and businesses to locate themselves in that community, which leads to a wider tax base and a more vibrant town or city. This also entices the groups that give scholarships to students to check out this school, because we've heard good thing about it which benefits more than just the football players. That's why the hype of a football team may be important to the whole area.

On the poster concept...Several of the Varsity teams at Penfield produce poster / team calendars to sell to raise funds. They almost all have some sort of theme to make them less "jock-y," and sort of in the macho pin-up style. I find them quite humorous. I almost think there is a judging of the posters, because I vaguely remember one of the teams winning something in the newspaper for their poster.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

Money.
And if FIRST isn't careful it could easily happen to them as well (And I know money has influenced FIRST to a degree but not to the level that it has in big time sports and I truly hope it never will).

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I remember an incident with the Penfield football team where many of the players were at a party drinking and about half the team was suspended, thus destroying their season. A move by the coach and the school that I applauded. If the kids do wrong they should be punished. Trophys be damned!
I just wonder if any of the coaches atthese big time programs would be just a brave to do such a thing.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

One of the teams on ESPN is from SOuth Carolina. Byrnes.
From the looks of it their ranked 2 in the nation, I suppose.

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Starting to look pretty pitaful and im sure any rochester team could give them a fight especially one of the webster teams could beat em.

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I remember on Syracuse.com an out out state poster bluntly noted that Webster wouldn't last a quarter against the Pennsylvania school or Ohio schools. I agree they're a whole different animal to NY state ball which isn't as intense.
The schools on ESPN have kids being recruited by top 10 division 1 school. Even the Webster schools don't get that kind of attention.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

man, one thing i really wished for when i was still playing was that one of the webster's go out of state and play someone big.

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At NBTHS, nothing goes to an extent as far as the example you mention. We usually have a pep rally at the start of each sports season – the entire student body is crammed into the gym, the band plays, the teams are introduced, the cheerleaders perfrom a routine, etc. However, the games are not shown on T.V, or anything really “over the top” happens. But there is a spirit amongst the students who participate in the sports. Members of the football team, for example, wear dress shirts and ties the day before the game, and their jerseys the day of the game, while the cheerleaders wear their uniforms in school the day of the game. There are rivalries amongst the local teams, North vs. South, and such, but nothing really gets too far out of hand.

This past year, my computers teacher was from Texas, and the day after our first pep rally, she was really shocked at how “lame” it was compared to the ones that she was used to attending at her old high school in Texas where the team would run through the banner, etc. [Like your description.]

I guess it all depends on how the sport is looked upon in the area, how important the school views it as and how successful the team is. But then again, our football team isn't too good, and the Robotics team is the most successful team to grace our school. ;) Go figure.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

Football is religion in Texas the way basketball is religion in Indiana.
New Jersy has some powerhouse teams in it. I seen them on MSG (like Don Boscoe Prep)

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

This might be a whole new topic, but what do other HS's have for no drinking / no drug policies?

From the incident mentioned above...While it didn't actually destroy their season, and the suspensions were from the sports activity only, the suspensions were severe enough to set a precedent. It also impacted almost all the sports teams throughout the rest of the year. If you were a baseball player and you attended that party, your sports suspension was for several of the baseball games the following spring.

And this summer the Board of Education approved a new policy that includes all extracurricular activities, not just sports teams. So if a member of the robotics team gets caught drinking at a party, or voluntarily attends a party where alcohol is served, they receive a suspension from the team's activities.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

High school sports have, in some cases, become bloated and unfocused on players, simply on seasons.


But I think we're kinda the pot calling the kettle black here- FIRST is a huge expenditure of money,(actually, our costs are about the same as our football team a year, all inclusive. We worked it out). We ultimately want what the football teams have- Television coverage, school support, money and kids pouring in.

The only thing we have going differently is that team and community are more or less always tied into the program, so it doesn't have the same propensities so as to end up the same as sports- kids sitting out etc.

I say let them have their tunnel. It was free. I wouldn't want to run through a giant blow up tunnel...but others do, so let them enjoy it.

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I think that it is fabulous that your sports teams have this sort of support from your school, booster club and community. We have to remember, there is life outside of FIRST. These kids are good at football, you are good at robot-building (and subsequent subgroups). Is it fair to hate them, to dislike when good things happen to them just because they have the support that we desire? Of course not! Be happy for them, befriend them even!

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This is quoted (in part) from the District 214 Co-Curricular Code. It is in force for all students at all times anywhere on the planet including events that take place when school is not in session. Robot team members, football, basketball, cheerleaders, even debate teams are subject to these rules.

A. General Rules
Students may be suspended from participation in cocurricular activities for misconduct including but not limited to the following:

1. Inflicting or attempting to inflict harm upon any person or property;

4. *Possession, sale, delivery, use or being under the influence of any controlled substance or the possession, sale, or delivery of “look alikes”;

5. Being present where others are, in violation of this code, in possession, selling, delivering, using, or under the influence of any controlled substance;


C. Cumulative Violations
Violations of the Cocurricular Code accumulate throughout a student's high school career beginning with his/her first participation in cocurricular activities and ending with graduation.

D. Consequences
From first violation to third violation, the intention of the consequences for violating the Cocurricular Code shifts from problem awareness (1st violation), to an emphasis on rehabilitation (2nd violation), to significant punishment (3rd violation). While the consequences for code violations are described below, the administration may, in its discretion, impose additional or more severe consequences for serious code violations.

1. First Violation
A student may be suspended from all participation in each of the cocurricular activities in which he/she is involved at the time of the violation.
The Assistant Principal for Student Activities shall have discretion to determine the date(s), duration, and nature of all suspensions.

Absent circumstances justifying more severe consequences, the suspension will last no longer than for 25% of the total number of contests/performances involved in each of the cocurricular activities in which the student is participating.

A student involved in an activity with no contests/performances or less than four contests/performances shall be assigned an appropriate consequence by the Assistant Principals for Student Activities.

If the violation is related to the possession, sale, or use of a controlled substance, the student will be referred to student services.

A student not involved in cocurricular activities at the time of violation will normally be assigned a consequence beginning upon his/her next involvement in a cocurricular activity. A student may not become involved in a new cocurricular activity solely to serve the assigned consequence. The Assistant Principal for Student Activities may prevent a student from doing so by assigning a consequence to be served during the student’s next involvement in his/her regular activity or activities.

2. Second Violation
Students will be suspended from all participation in cocurricular activities for one calendar year. After a full season suspension from all participation in cocurricular activities, the student may petition the school administration for reinstatement in the cocurricular program.

3. Third Violation
Students will be suspended from any further participation in cocurricular activities for the remainder of the student's high school career. After one calendar year of suspension, a student may petition the school administration for reinstatement in the cocurricular program.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

This was the most disturbing thing I saw that was added. It outlined the better players standing on the rocks. They were the outstanding stars from last year's season that returned for their senior season. I thought it was overglorifying those players.

The tunnel was good, and I didn't have a direct problem with it. It was the smoke and potential fireworks that I had a problem with. The football equiptment they have is in utter dismay. The uniforms are brand new, usually each year but if you saw the bad underneath, you might have the same feeling as I do. Football is undoubtedly the biggest income for SHS but don't you think that money should go toward the safety equiptment before the fireworks, posters, and, I don't know if I mentioned this, but the endzones being painted?

Sherrard already has, probably, the most school spirit of any Quad City Area school but those things just took it a little too far. It could have something to do with the new coach because the old one was "old school" and against all of this stuff. He didn't even let the players wear numbers 1-9 because it made them stand out. He was a successful coach because he made the players into good people. People I would be proud to work alongside. I know this because he coached me for three years.

I'm proud of the way this discussion has turned out. I thought it might take a more hostile turn than what it has. I wanted to point out the "problems" that I saw at this school. Tradition is tradition, let it remain tradition. Thanks a lot for responding and keep it coming.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

Wow, I think Arizona must actually have some kind of football following after hearing the responses in this thread.

There is typically a 30 minute show (Friday Night Fever) every Friday during football season here in Arizona from 11:30 to midnight. It shows highlights from many of the games, scores from everything they get scores for, and they invite a football team+cheerleaders+band to their studio every week. COX Cable (a local cable provider) airs one game every week on their local station. A radio station does highlights, and I found out that starting this year one of the stations will be covering a complete game every week.

Personally I think high school sports can be a great thing. I don't really see a problem with building a new stadium for example. Our stadium has been used by the football team, marching band, drum corps visiting the state, soccer team, track team, our graduation ceremonies, and YMCA football and soccer leagues, so it's by no means a wasted expenditure for an over-hyped sports program.

If we don't believe that high school football teams should be allowed on National TV or have tons of money spent on them, why on earth should a bunch of FIRST teams get the same thing?

In case you're wondering, football is huge at my school. Our football team has only missed the playoffs once in the past 25 years, and our team has made the State Championship 3 times in a row (finally winning last year).

If FIRST teams really want to receive all the school support they want, maybe some of the people on these teams need to start supporting the sports at their school in return. The most memorable comment I've ever recieved about our team was not a business owner telling us what a good community thing our team is, or a school administrator saying how wonderful a teaching program we are, but a varsity football player telling me how amazing he thought our robot was at a pep rally.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

Everything you've mentioned about high school football that you dislike is par for the course here in California, as well as Texas and Florida.

I don't really see a problem with it. Then again, I'm a football fan.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

I guess I'm a little old school but I'm a huge football fan, too. I haven't missed a game in a long time. All of the local stations here have segments for high school football. No big deal. It's news and channel 6, NBC affiliate, has a really great segment that I enjoy watching called "The Highlight Zone," but it's more about the fans than the football and that's probably why I like it the most.

I talked to my girlfriend lastnight about this and she is the manager for the football team. She told me before about the coach winning the tunnel and I thought, "Awesome," then she told me how they were trying to get fireworks and the smoke and I got really annoyed because the money should be put in better places. Then I saw the endzone painted Friday night and thought the money was being wasted. And THEN, they are going to paint more than just the endzones for the homecoming game. I hope this attracts more people but I highly doubt it will. The best way to get people to attend your games is to perform well.

Maybe I've thought about this all the wrong way but I compared this situation to the other schools in their conference and the schools that had to drop away from the conference because of lowering student populations, and the other schools' fields are in utter dismay while Sherrard has a brand new (I can't remember the $$) sports complex.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

That's the problem with the entire American sports scene, at a much too early age athletes with drive and talent are deified. Society too readily treats these athletes as if they are special, and above the status of mere mortals. They are given preferential treatment, and all too often their indiscretions are overlooked or covered up because it "would ruin a promising career". That's why these same athletes become self-absorbed, irresponsible, egomaniacs as professionals. Athletes who refuse to sign an autograph for a child unless they get paid for it, weren't always that way, they were made that way by the way society treats them.

It's also the reason why Dean started FIRST. America needs to put as least as much effort and enthusiasm into science and technology as it does sports, because in the end, its science and technology that made this country great and will keep it a world leader in the future, not sports.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not against sports, and I'm not some geek whose jealous of athletes. I ran competitive cross country and track in high school and played on a couple of adult softball leagues, but my true love is snowboarding. Back in prehistory (1984 & 85) I had the opportunity to race downhill and slalom in the US Open of Snowboarding, and I still recreational race snowboards to this day. I love competition, that's why I joined FIRST! :D

The point in this thread isn't whether sports are good or bad, but rather hasn't society taken support of sports to a ridiculous level? How many FIRST teams can claim they receive the same level of booster support as their local high school football programs? :confused:

I love football, too. Go Vikes!

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

One thing we may need to think about in considering this point, is time. Most football programs have been around since their school's inception, and I'm guessing there are some football teams out there that can date back more than 70 years. The oldest FIRST teams still top out at only 16 years, and unlike football teams the majority go to a single competition for 3 days that most of the school is not going to want to drive down to. To see the football team in action, you need but come to the same place you're going every day for school (or to drop your son/daughter off at).

Once (and if) FIRST gets to the level of teams that high school football has, and they can have many local competitions (local as in less than 30 minutes from most teams), it wouldn't surprise me if FIRST teams do start to get that kind of backing.

Of course we'll see how right that statement is in about 35 years, won't we?

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

Good point. We started in 1921, so ours is 85 years running. Before the 1920's schools were all about baseball. I bet football felt the same way.

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In the AISD district in Austin we don't have individual football stadiums with each school. We have centralized stadiums north, south, and central that the AISD schools play in. We have practice/play fields (keyword - fields) at our school for the football, lacrosse, soccer teams.

I think there is always that 'elite' aspect of competition that teams deal with and how each team handles it no matter the competition or level of competition, defines that team. There is an 'i' in elite, there is not an 'i' in team. Keeping things in perspective and balance is something districts have to contend with as well as the schools and the team. We have incredible marching bands in the Austin area that participate in the football half times and they also have competitions they participate in. People go to the games to see the bands as much as they do the game.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

We were almost tied with them at the end of the 1st half last season. We were down by 2 at the half but lost by 20...
I don't feel that there is anything with displaying a team on ESPN if they are from high school. My high school was on ESPN U last year in a basketball tournament. Look at the McDonalds All American Game (our basketball coach was the East's coach this past game), quite a few people watch those games here.
They are a business. Honestly, lets think about this. I garuntee that if I had the choice of watching one of LeBron James' broadcasted games than a NBA game, I would definately choose watching LeBron.
And what you talked about in your post about the tunnel, I don't think that there is anything wrong with that.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

Moline's football program has been around since 1902. Same with Rock Island's. They are, if I remember right, the longest running rivalry in the United States in HS sports. But I could be wrong. Neither of these schools do anything like what I have mentioned. Over 5,000 people come to watch the Moline-Rocky game each year.

I have come to terms and realized that the times are changing and for the most part I love change. But not this drastic and this quickly. I just think that this puts even more added pressure onto the student athletes to follow in the footsteps of previous teams. The expectations are highered even though this is a mostly new team.

And don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not limiting this to football. I have seen a recent trend in most high school sports. Especially the recruiting scandals of the parochial schools here in the area.

I forgot to mention one thing about those posters. They started selling them about 20 minutes before the game and were sold out before the game started. I don't know how many they had for sale, but they were selling them at $5 a pop and they must have made a boatload of money off of them. Great, now I just hope that that money goes towards safety equiptment and not field painting and other junk like that just to attract more people. It is a business, but at some point the boosters need to realize that it isn't good for the kids to do this kind of stuff. If only the smaller sports and extracurricular programs got the attention that the football team has gotten. I mean, heck, the soccer program was cancelled last year and this year they had to merge with neighboring Orion HS for soccer.

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Okay, I have not read every single post in this thread, and as this is the first time I'm seeing it since I returned from vacation, this is really in response to the first few posts...

I think high school sports has gone too far, like many of you have said. It was mentioned earlier that there was a high school football game on ESPN. The home team there had a Jumbotron recently bought for their football stadium.

Some high schools have nicer sports facilities than some Division I-A or even I-AA colleges. It's gone too far.

It just kinda bothers me that schools would rather spend tons of money each year to improve their sports facilities than to buy new textbooks or computers or something. Hey, why not buy a new piece of shop equipment, even?

Rick Reilly, a sportswriter, had a really good article about a month ago. He wrote about how sports are getting out of hand. People are hiring personal trainers, sports psychiatrists, nutritionists, agents, etc. for children as young as 8 or 9.

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It's all about the Benjamins.

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This is torrid in the Quad Cities. There's a company here named "Quad Cities Sports Performance." It's really expensive and all it is is conditioning. Pretty much for the rich families to send their kids to get "better" at any sport. There's rampant usage of steroids here, too.

Also, there was a topic grazed on earlier in the thread about discipline. I don't know how bad partying and drinking is in other cities but it's horrible here. When I was playing at Moline, there was at least 4 or 5 players each week being suspended because they were caught drinking, smoking pot, getting into fights, and for all kinds of other reasons. Illinois just passed a new standard for grades, too. You have to have D's and up... or 2 F's at most... or something like that. It's not tough enough. Our robotics team has a C and above policy and that's the same as Sherrard.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

True, but how many young athletes actually get to a level that the Bens start flowing like water? Aren't most parent pushing a pipe dream?

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But they truly believe that if they throw enough money at it that they will attain that dream.
As they always say : Denial is not just a river that runs through Africa.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

Over the past few years Zeeland High School has split into Zeeland East (the original) and Zeeland West(the new school). Both schools have their own teams but the great thing is saved a ton of $$ by renovating the old stadium. I know this is off topic but another great thing about the school district is the support Team 85 (Built On Brains) receives from the school district. From teachers to the superintendent they keep tabs on how the team is doing during build season. It just proves that with enough motivation and passion that a team can really be recognized for what they do.