"What the trophy case in the school lobby says about our values"

[Dawson Leery]

https://www.cpr.org/show-segment/what-the-trophy-case-in-the-school-lobby-says-about-our-values/

"There's an author making the case against high school sports, new research that shows a skyrocketing number of children being diagnosed with myopia and a major organization calling on parents to clamp down on kids' media intake. For this month’s education roundup, CPR education reporter Jenny Brundin talks with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner about several provocative stories she’s been reading. "

[Dawson Leery]

1. kick

[Loki Liesmith]

2. The Nerd's Complaint

All nerds whine like this in high school.

Most of us grow out of it.

[TheRealNorth]

4. I don't think sports are a bad thing....

But it says a lot about a society's values about which accomplishments we choose to celebrate.

[lagomorph777]

3. Yep. Only athletic prowess is important.

Because athletes are the people who design bridges, launch rockets, and develop more productive crops.

[lame54]

6. Even people who design bridges and launch rockets...

Would kill to be able to hit a fastball

[lagomorph777]

8. No, not really.

[Demovictory9]

12. because hitting fastball gets one public applause and fame, designing bridges does not

[lame54]

17. You can't hit a baseball unless there are other people around?...

Weird

[4Q2u2]

9. Society is made up of all types

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/neil-degrasse-tysons-wrestler_n_6471162

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2020-01-08/chiefs-doctor-laurent-duvernay-tardif

Disparaging and excluding one group hurts us all. There are plenty of very smart jocks, and that one snap shot of ones life does not define anybody. All accomplishments should be lauded. If not then fight to have them included. Not eliminate others to balance it out.

As for the bridges and rockets, they may not design them, but they sure as heck build them. What is a dream without reality? Just writing on a piece of paper!

[lagomorph777]

10. So... where are the science fair trophy cases? The battle-of-the-band homecoming parades?

Right. Those things would be for "whiny nerds" to quote a DUer. Real Americans don't celebrate productive efforts. We celebrate muscles as entertainment.

[4Q2u2]

11. All should be celebrated

The lesson for those groups would be that it is their school and country as well, and fight to be included and recognized.
Not to sit idly by and accept second class citizenship.
Democracy is not a spectator sport. They are being given a learning opportunity to teach others and grow themselves.

Sometimes you have to fight. It cannot and will not always be given to you.

[Dawson Leery]

13. Exactly.

Few care to celebrate the intellectuals and artists.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. I've seen schools where they're all right there with the athletic trophies. It happens.

[Dr. Strange]

16. That's where our school's trophies are.

[Silent3]

5. Gee, that link looks familiar

[Johnny2X2X]

7. Very good discussion

I am a sports fan, but I recognize that our society places way too much emphasis on sports. Especially at the high school level.

Sports can teach great values of teamwork, selflessness, hard work, and sacrifice. But taken to extreme hero worship it can also result in entitlement and a group of people not accountable. And as the article suggests, at most schools it takes away from the importance of academics.

[jmowreader]

15. My school has two trophy cases

The first one celebrated our athletic accomplishments, and was near the office. It was full of volleyball trophies because that's the only sport we were good at.

The other one was between the two science classrooms - we had one room for biology and another for physical sciences. It celebrated our science accomplishments, and it was much more full than the one with the volleyball trophies because St. Maries High School has always been good in science.

One of our alumni is Tom Mueller, who currently serves as CTO for Propulsion at SpaceX. You know those big-ass engines Elon Musk is using to shoot people into space? A guy from a 2500-resident hole in the wall in Idaho created them.