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.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

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).

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

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.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

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.

Re: Glitz and Glamor of HS Sports
 

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.