Quote:
Originally Posted by ebarker
In the article at the link above:
"If the US really wants to make a dent in the number of kids that go into the sciences, it needs to start to change its priorities from athletic to academic. –"
I don't agree. It isn't a zero sum game. We don't have to give up athletics in order to have academics / robotics.
We have a great WindRiver c++ programmer. She is also a varsity cheerleader. She has the best of both worlds..
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It sort of is a zero sum game, because sports are prioritized so much higher than other school activities. Sports do nothing but entertain our society. Yes they fund some scientific pursuits. But if we took the revenue of the top professional sports and gave it to NASA. Holy crap, we be watching astronauts singing Christmas carols on Mars by 2014.
I am not discounting the need for student athletics, our national diabetes rate dictates that physical activity must be a part of a balanced path forward. But stop ranking athletics a 9 with outrageous funding, insane celebrity and unhealthy national focus while ranking academics a 2 or a 3. It should b academics a 9 and athletics maybe a 5.
The letter issue is indicative of the value system that can be found when we look at how schools celibate math clubs, science clubs, rocketry clubs and so on. These clubs needs to be moved to the top of the food chain at every school level. Let cheerleaders and football players go get funding to let them run around and be thrown in the air. Or better yet cancel cheer leading and football and let them all join cross country so the only thing they need to stay fit is a pair of shoes. The schools should divert sports coaching funds, field maintenance funds and travel funds towards academic activities.
I know that's how most of Asia looks at this problem.
OK I am off my soap box. Sorry if i offended anyone. I played high school sports and it taught me a lot of things, never paid a dime and traveled all over the east coast. But the high school debate team i was on required dues and all trips came out of my pocket, errrr my parents pocket. Looking back i see how bass ackwards that was. I learned more from two seasons of debate than i ever did playing sports.