I love sports. But I see an alarming trend of focus under the attention away from the sport to the university.
I understand the pressure to ensure that your child is a top competitor in their sport. For example, I understand the parents whose child dreams of being the starting shortstop in high school. Since there is only one shortstop as a baseball team, you want to do everything possible to achieve this goal. It is extremely difficult to discuss this request with sufficient time for its academic excellence balance. I should also add that for those who can take the balance is not a problem.
But today, monomania on the evolution of size in some sports to create a culture of too many athletes try to ignore its scientists.
For example, it has the case for those who grew up in the last century that the students a sport, played in a season. Several student-athletes have played two different sports in two different seasons. The best athletes could manage the three sports. True, for some people who seemed destined scholarships, there was a focus outside of the season. But for most every student-athlete, baseball, for example, was a spring sport. This was to experience. It may have been a few games and certainly a lot of game pick-ups.
But now we are with the students, which are almost the equivalent of one season of Major League Baseball through their combined high school baseball team and their first team (s) work, the spring, summer, autumn and timing. In addition, many of our students to practice winter baseball league that play 6-8 hours consumed.
Here is the tricky part: under the general philosophy with regard to reading, students do exactly what we propose. You will receive excellent training and then they sat through a rigorous training program to gain a skill master.
There is something about controlling anything – even if it has no practical application in particular – deserves praise. If the students can take the same vigor that they have control of the baseball game and then there are other areas, it is an extremely valuable learning process.
» Read more: Sports Focus Should Not Trump Academic Focus