It’s long been my opinion that sports need to be eliminated from school. They are little more than a distraction from the school’s mission- education. At worst, they are a profiteering money grab. Now we have high school students signing multimillion dollar deals to go to certain colleges.
Bryce Underwood, a high school quarterback from Belleville, Michigan, has reportedly received the largest high school NIL offer, with figures suggesting a four-year package worth up to $12 million. A high school kid, making $3 million a year to play football. With all of this money flying around, students and parents have forgotten about education and sportsmanship. It’s all about the money.
It’s no wonder that high school sport recruiting has become a big business. I know of schools that are buying students and their families houses in their district, so the student can attend. That’s right- if your kid is good at one of the big money sports, you get a free house in a rich neighborhood, at least until he graduates.
Students who are good at sports don’t have to worry about such mundane things like following school rules, dress codes, or even school work. Nope, they are going places, and no one will stop them. Back during the time when I was teaching high school, the Principal approached me and asked that I change a previous student’s grade from the year before, because the ‘F’ he had earned in my class was making him ineligible to play football. Student athletes get a pass when breaking rules. We can’t have them getting in trouble and winding up suspended- there is a big game this week, haven’t you heard?
That’s why it comes as no surprise that a Pennsylvania football coach resigned after he and his family received threats from parents for benching two players that had been acting in an unsportsmanlike like manner. They were only suspended for the first half of a game. When those players sat longer than they had initially been told for that game, school administrators sided with parents and suspended the coach as well as his father, who served as the team’s defensive coordinator, for two games.
Our tax dollars are paying for that shit. That’s one of the many reasons why, when I hear people complain that cutting property taxes will hurt schools, that I just don’t get excited. Here is what your tax dollars pay for:
- Buford, GA has a $62 million football stadium for its high school
- McKinley Senior High School in Canton, OH cost $175 million
- In fact, Texas has 8 of the ten most expensive high school football facilities, and to make the top 10, your school district’s taxpayers have to shell out at least $56 million.
In many places, the high school football coach is the highest paid member of the staff, making more than the principal. I just don’t think that sports should be paid for with taxpayer dollars. If you want your kid to play a sport, pay for it yourself. Many parents pay for things like gymnastics, dance, and even weekend soccer. One of my grandkids plays hockey, but his dad is paying for it. Why should I be forced to pay for your kid to play a game, under penalty of losing my home if I refuse?
