Posted on 02/19/2007 5:45:02 AM PST by Zakeet
Conventional wisdom holds that sports builds character, but a new survey suggests U.S. high school athletes cheat more than classmates who don't play sports.
The two-year study of high school athletes -- conducted by the Josephson Institute of Ethics in Los Angeles -- also found growing acceptance of cheating as a way to gain competitive advantage, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Michael Josephson, president and founder of the institute, told the newspaper the report -- based on interviews with 5,275 high school athletes across the United States -- found that many coaches are "teaching our kids to cheat and cut corners."
"There is reason to worry that the sports fields of America are becoming the training grounds for the next generation of corporate and political villains and thieves," said Josephson.
(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...
OK, who funds these clowns and what's their agenda?
Gratutitous, stupid comment retracted. I was responding in general, not specificallyto the article content.
Same for my son. We homeschooled him and he swam for the fall and winter with the *Y*. A week after swim season was over, I could see a difference in his personality. I'm convinced that MANY of the behavior problems we see in kids today could be remedied with enough physical activity. They need to burn it off.
Our military academies are filled with Scholar Athletes as well as many of our High Schools and Colleges....
If you take note, there are very few students on the "Dean's List" but many are athletes.....
Now behave or I'll give you a wedgie in our next gym class.......
Competitive sports not only build character but also reveal it.
Pay attention to how an athlete behaves during the competition and after it. Do they gloat, trash talk or sulk? Or do they compete fiercely and respect their opponent during and after the competition?
I'm quite sure that those athletes who associate with the "C Word" reveal a lot more class, integrity and honesty as they compete.
Michael Josephson.
Try visiting charactercounts.org, if you would like to learn more. He was part of the Bush-Cheney transition team.
The headline is misleading. Sports does help build character. Big-time scholastic sports programs and their coaches and boosters do not.
The only athletes I've ever heard of had the intelligence of baboons. What would make me think there are many exceptions?
My son swam also...He always said he did his best in school during swim season because it forced him to make good use of his time...with swimming before and after school and meets 2-3 times a week I was always amazed at all the kids on the team. They all did well in school.
I agree kids need an outlet for the energy .
Having coached rec council sports when my kids were younger (10-12 years ago) ago, my perspective a bit different from yours. I saw way too much evidence of parents living their lives through their kids, or putting undue pressure on the kids to succeed, or (the worst, imo) the ridiculous yelling at players/coaches/refs when things don't go their way. It is pervasive, and to think that the kids don't walk away with negative lessons learned is crazy.
I don't know where you live, but I'm in the so-called People's Republic of Maryland, and high school sports are bigger than ever here. More county schools using more taxpayer money to build stadiums with lights, so they can charge admission. I'm not seeing anyone trying to kill off the moneymakers.
Still, sometimes you get coaches and or parents who are most crude, and they teach that.
One year my twins were playing soccer -- maybe 13-14 year olds. There was a player -- the son of the coach -- on the other team who throughout the game was taking cheap shots -- late hits on the goalie, trips, kicking the player and not the ball. The kid was mean, and whenever the kid-refs would call anything the bad player's father would bark there ears off, and no excuses for language.
I talked to my bigger twin who was playing fullback. Geesh, I said, we've got to do something about that kid before he hurts someone. There was a play were the goalie was drawn out and my son had to cover the goal. The meanie drove right into him and plowed him down. He got up, stepped right to the meanie, and walloped him in the gut. The other coach went ballistic, but the crowd had already started clapping, and my son got a yellow card.
When my son came off, I shook his hand. Good job, I said. The bullies got the message.
2 out of 3 ain't bad. Irvin and Bryant are absolutely character killers. Magic, otoh, has at least tried to do something positive since he left bball.
True, but his past dalliances are a hard thing to ignore.
Maybe not. But it's worked very well for "Global Warming."
Amazing!
An entire institute of Little League right-fielders.
Which weapon?
Haven't seen anyone else who fenced on here. I fenced epee a couple years in college, gave it up for 14 years, but started again a couple years ago.
People may nitpick the article but clearly the magical benefits of organized sports are probably oversold and certainly there's an overemphasis on CERTAIN sports in schools, definitely in certain parts of the country.
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