Rob Murphy

Sounds like the author can't get over getting picked last for dodgeball :-)

Here's a magazine that will make you feel better about yourself:

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/

We should definitely blame academic performance on the success of a football team.

One study of 30,000 students at the University of Oregon found that the grades of men who did not play sports went down as the football team’s performance improved. Both men and women reported that the better their football team did, the less they studied and the more they partied.

Thanks for that link. I love all sports, including football, but I'm on both sides of this argument. In our school district, a new football/basketball complex (larger than many major college facilities) was built at a cost of $35MM and named after the superintendent who spent my tax money to build it. Even though this is Texas, most games are attended mainly by the parents of the players, band, drill team and cheerleaders. My son is now struggling with adult-onset ADHD which he acquired from getting rung up too many times while serving as varsity fodder as a backup JV quarterback in this same school district. I can run now because my dad didn't let me play football in high school. I think this writer is onto something. XC is the answer.

Thanks for the link, Rob. I will take a look at the AP article, but I know your students and athletes are lucky to have you (and who better to keep your young runners "from vices like gambling and prostitution"?)

Notice as Fritz points out the article is almost entirely about football even though other sports are mentioned. I don't care for football personally (my high school didn't have it) but I know it is important culturally. My guess is that it is also the most expensive sport to play.

There's nothing in the article that would suggest "let's stop cutting funding for schools." If money weren't an issue this problem would look a bit different.

Finally, a joke that is probably only funny to people who have studied philosophy (or other undervalued field in the humanities): There is a position open and talks take place about who should be hired. Someone suggests that they should replace the vacancy in the math department because it would be the cheapest. Administration says, "well what are the costs associated with the position?" The response is that "a mathematician requires paper, pencil, and a waste basket." Someone else suggest a philosopher would be a better choice because "he or she old needs a paper and pencil."