4 ms·

Growing up in a very small rural school in Texas, I've seen, and been a victim of, the attitudes surrounding sports. In my school, if you didn't play football o

Growing up in a very small rural school in Texas, I've seen, and been a victim of, the attitudes surrounding sports. In my school, if you didn't play football or basketball, you weren't a man (track didn't really count - it was just pre-pre-season for football). I played basketball (badly) and did UIL competitions (well), but no one really gave a damn about the scholastic stuff - you couldn't letter in it. Game night would come around and there was literally nothing else to do in town (also, you didn't call anyone during Monday Night Football unless you wanted an earful of colorful invective). The coach was the highest paid, yet least qualified, teacher out of any of our instructors (he usually taught the Health class - we actually got more sex ed in the Ag class (don't laugh)). Of the colleges I've attended, they spend more money on the sports programs than any two or three other programs collectively, even though very few players would be able to move on to a higher level than college football or basketball. It's maddening and frustrating to be surrounded by that culture and unable to convince anyone that a little bit more emphasis on academics would pay far greater dividends. I'm not against sports for the health benefits, but beyond that, it's mostly luck and I just don't buy that it's worth it.

MandieD 10y ago
Grew up in Texas and went to a 5A high school that got easy electoral approval for (at the time) a ridiculous stadium, but did give letters for UIL academics and band. In fact, there was a banquet each year for the top 3% GPAs. Everyone at least feigned interest in football, but at least among the college-bound bunch, being good at a sport was a feather in your cap, but not a social necessity. Our football coach was still grossly overpaid, though. Life was less pleasant for non-sports guys out in the 2A and 3A districts - I was able to switch to my big high school from one of those semi-rural "white flight" ones, and I'm so glad I did.
- drivingmenuts 10y ago
  And now, there's this: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20160819-mckinney-isd-s-69.9-million-high-school-stadium-nation-s-most-expensive.ece?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20160819-mckinney-... I am ... I don't know how I feel about this. Certainly not happy. Probably a good thing I don't live in McKinney.
  - ArkyBeagle 10y ago
    I lived in Allen (S. of McKinney ) for quite a while. At least at the time, the Allen Valedictorian was already slated to go to Harvard Med. after he finished undergrad. Dunno how that worked out.. The academics were outstanding there, but about 1/3 dropped out before graduation. Wasn't a lot of effort put into retention, either. We left around the the they were building that massive Allen sports complex and the new high school. My youngest was still in high school at the time, and moving her out of it was the best thing we could have done, as it turns out. But I think that's mainly that she got to reinvent herself, and she really liked where we moved to. Plus, the Internet was beginning to make social media (MySpace) available, which really helped her socially. I'm pretty sure the land for the Allen monstrosity was donated by the founder of one of the companies I worked for. Guy lives extremely frugally, but he was worth untold millions. The whole Dallas area has dumbed down a lot in the wake of the first dotcom bust. It's all $20 an hour contract Java work now; $30 if you're lucky.
T2_t2 10y ago
Want to get even madder? The highest paid public servant in over half of American states is a College football coach. https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--OsmROR7U--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/ykdkqhstdm1ptubyuct2.jpg https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--OsmROR7... Oh, and in states where it isn't the football coach? second most common? A college Basketball coach is the highest paid in half.
johan_larson 10y ago
I once visited Lubbock, Texas, home of Texas Tech, a big football school. And there, the stadium just towered above the rest of town. The good burghers of Lubbock didn't build themselves a sports arena. They built a damn cathedral.
- angry_octet 10y ago
  This is the reason questioning sports is blasphemy: sport is religion. Stadiums are places of worship. Coaches are bishops. Fortunately the mechanism of feeding pro sports (TV advertising) is fading somewhat, as people's attention is drawn to other activities. But I wouldn't be surprised if Facebook bought the rights to e.g. basketball.
  - zipwitch 10y ago
    Sports-worship is an accepted sect of American Civic Religion.

MandieD 10y ago

Grew up in Texas and went to a 5A high school that got easy electoral approval for (at the time) a ridiculous stadium, but did give letters for UIL academics and band. In fact, there was a banquet each year for the top 3% GPAs. Everyone at least feigned interest in football, but at least among the college-bound bunch, being good at a sport was a feather in your cap, but not a social necessity. Our football coach was still grossly overpaid, though. Life was less pleasant for non-sports guys out in the 2A and 3A districts - I was able to switch to my big high school from one of those semi-rural "white flight" ones, and I'm so glad I did.

drivingmenuts 10y ago
And now, there's this: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20160819-mckinney-isd-s-69.9-million-high-school-stadium-nation-s-most-expensive.ece?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20160819-mckinney-... I am ... I don't know how I feel about this. Certainly not happy. Probably a good thing I don't live in McKinney.
- ArkyBeagle 10y ago
  I lived in Allen (S. of McKinney ) for quite a while. At least at the time, the Allen Valedictorian was already slated to go to Harvard Med. after he finished undergrad. Dunno how that worked out.. The academics were outstanding there, but about 1/3 dropped out before graduation. Wasn't a lot of effort put into retention, either. We left around the the they were building that massive Allen sports complex and the new high school. My youngest was still in high school at the time, and moving her out of it was the best thing we could have done, as it turns out. But I think that's mainly that she got to reinvent herself, and she really liked where we moved to. Plus, the Internet was beginning to make social media (MySpace) available, which really helped her socially. I'm pretty sure the land for the Allen monstrosity was donated by the founder of one of the companies I worked for. Guy lives extremely frugally, but he was worth untold millions. The whole Dallas area has dumbed down a lot in the wake of the first dotcom bust. It's all $20 an hour contract Java work now; $30 if you're lucky.

T2_t2 10y ago

Want to get even madder? The highest paid public servant in over half of American states is a College football coach. https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--OsmROR7U--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/ykdkqhstdm1ptubyuct2.jpg https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--OsmROR7... Oh, and in states where it isn't the football coach? second most common? A college Basketball coach is the highest paid in half.

johan_larson 10y ago

I once visited Lubbock, Texas, home of Texas Tech, a big football school. And there, the stadium just towered above the rest of town. The good burghers of Lubbock didn't build themselves a sports arena. They built a damn cathedral.

angry_octet 10y ago
This is the reason questioning sports is blasphemy: sport is religion. Stadiums are places of worship. Coaches are bishops. Fortunately the mechanism of feeding pro sports (TV advertising) is fading somewhat, as people's attention is drawn to other activities. But I wouldn't be surprised if Facebook bought the rights to e.g. basketball.
- zipwitch 10y ago
  Sports-worship is an accepted sect of American Civic Religion.