>The real problem doesn’t seem to be the money spent on fields, but the lack of true sportsmanship and life skills being taught at the high school level

All extra-curricula activities deserve our support, in equal measure. Yet, sports activities should not be attacked simply because they involve a more visible platform, the playing field.

Some of our non-sports extra activities clearly deserve more attention than they currently receive, mostly because these activities enrich our children and therefore our society just as much as our sports programs do. And another reason is that these activities help make our children competitive for colleges. Many people fail to realize that, grades and other factors being equal, the treasurer of the art or drama club may very well be twice as attractive to a competitive college than will another lineman on the football team.

But, one also wonders if the outcry against field costs doesn’t reflect a deeper concern over the current state of our high school sports programs. Our most visible sports programs seem troubled. Perhaps that is why field and other expenditures are so readily and often attacked. Baseball, softball, football, boys and girls lacrosse may not be achieving all that they should. (Despite the winning records of certain of our teams.)

The real problem doesn’t seem to be the money spent on fields, but the lack of true sportsmanship and life skills being taught at the high school level. The last few years have seen a couple of demoralized teams. Neither players nor parents seem very happy. Walk around the sidelines and you will hear repeated tales of great coaches who inspire our children, but too often you will also hear of coaches who just shouldn’t be coaching. What seems to be particularly galling is that certain coaches view our high school teams and programs as showcases for their own family members. And although you hear some good things about the coaches in some of our programs, no one seems to speak in awed reverence for any one of the coaches. Just the opposite, some of our coaches are openly derided by parents and students alike, not because they lose games, but because, win or lose, they simply do not have the respect of their charges.

Something has give. Instead of attacking fields, we need to build programs that benefit our students. And, in response to the original post, yes, this must not only be in sports, but in all of extra curricula programs.

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