NFL Evolution will feature a guest columnist every Tuesday, each with a different viewpoint of player health and safety from the youth level to pro football.
By Amanda Rodriguez, NFL Evolution columnist
Education or athletics.
So often these two elements are pitted against each other -- there is an either or approach that won't allow for equal support of the two.
Like I can't want my children to excel at academics and athletics because being an amazing and talented athlete doesn't allow you to also be an amazing and talented student. Like I can't push for funding of the booster club and the PTA simultaneously. Like I can't sit on the board of both. Even though I do.
It makes me sad, especially when difficult choices have to be made as is often the case in today's economy and landscape of educational budget cuts.
In my community, there was recently a battle raging over the future of freshman sports.
In order to cut costs and reserve money for more essential programs, the board of education decided to discuss the eliminate the freshman athletic programs for high schools in my county. Needless to say, the decision was met with strong opinions on both sides, particularly before the vote was made.
When families against the elimination launched a petition to save the programs, their seemingly altruistic efforts were met with anger and outrage from some other members of the community. Why? Because apparently, if you want the public school system to financially support programs that are not part of the core curriculum, particularly those that are athletic in nature, you are also someone who is against teachers and education and knowledge and intelligence.
That is at least according to Facebook, where everything is taken out of context and commented on without the humanity filter installed.
It's important to note, I've simplified this issue greatly, because most of you don't have a dog in the fight of some small, suburban community on the outskirts of Baltimore and Washington D.C. (we are commuting distance to both metro areas). But, on a grander scale, I think it inspires some important discourse over the roll athletics plays in many children's lives and the dismissive and often uncompassionate way some people feel about that truth.
As a parent to three active student athletes, when hundreds of comments like, "It's just football and basketball," and "You should be thinking about the teachers," along with many more that were much more insensitive and nowhere near kind were posted in response to the petition being shared, I got upset.
Because "just" is such an annoying and belittling word. It diminishes the importance of a thing and demonstrates that you not only don't care about, but also don't think anyone else should. Plus, I am thinking about the teachers, I just also happen to be thinking about the students.
The ones like my son and the countless others I've taught who were not playing sports "just" for fun, or "just" for exercise. The ones for whom sports mean more than "just" that. And I'm not talking about the super-power athletes who are hoping to go to college and ultimately make a living on some court or field.
They may lead the teams to winning seasons and get all of the attention, but they aren't the only ones who wake up every day filled with joy about their opportunity to compete. It's also about the students who are motivated, inspired and called to focus because of the sport that fuels their lives and puts a fire in their blood. Those are the ones I'm, thinking about. The ones for whom a day without the opportunity to engage in this thing that they are passionate about is a sad, unfulfilling and potentially even frightening day.
I could tell you countless stories of my days in the classroom where athletics were the glue that held my students to their chairs. Stories of parentless children in tragic situations for whom athletics and the caring individuals who devoted hours to running them made marked difference in the lives otherwise loss students.
But, most people don't identify with those stories.
So I will use my own son as the perfect example. He wakes up every morning and dresses for the sport he plans to play later. He craves the activity and interaction he receives on the sports teams he's a part of and there are days that his 10-year old brain can hardly contain itself as it awaits an opportunity to release and enjoy one of the sports he's passionate about. The same way some kids feel about art or music or math or books.
And, similar to those other activities that many seem more willing to support, being involved in athletics is helping him become a confident, independent, well-rounded, contributing citizen that I am proud to be raising. Sports have taught him focus and discipline. They allow him to build confidence and find his voice. The people he plays with and learn from inspire and motivate him to be great in all aspects of his life, particularly in his academic endeavors.
I would not begin to discount the impact athletics have had on him and our family as a result. For a spirited child who struggled to find space in the world, already the opportunity to express himself in this way has changed his outcome and impacted his person. I am fortunate that we are able to provide him with many opportunities outside of the school system –a luxury many other families cannot afford.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the difficult position the school system is often put in when it comes to funding. As a former classroom teacher and current PTA board member, I have witnessed the daily struggles educators face to put academics first, and to find a way to support those activities deemed extracurricular. I know the right decision is to fund classroom teachers and academic programs first, always.
But I also want to give a voice to those children -- like my son -- whose lives are as tightly woven to the sports they play as they are to the books from which they learn.
Because to us, it is "just" that important.
Amanda Rodriguez is a humor and lifestyle blogger at DudeMom.com. In addition to having a loose grip on reality, Amanda enjoys traveling to far off lands (or, not so far off lands) with her family and cheering herself hoarse on the sidelines of her sons' games. They will thank her one day, she's certain.
