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May 31, 2005 Title IX lawsuits, league commissioners at each others throats, recruiting outside of ones geographic area, alumni fighting to keep long-time rivalries intact, shady coaches, and faulty rankings systems. I'm talking about College football, right? Wrong. High School athletics. It used to be there were intra- and inter-city rivalries with rich histories. These were more than games. They were social events. Sometimes these rivalries were bitter, but there was always an opportunity for friends to do a little light-hearted wagering, hold bragging rights for a year, and enjoy the spirit of youthful competition. But since the mid-70’s the North Coast Section (California) has been butchering leagues—transferring schools based on size, so as to create more even competition. This failed experiment continues to this day. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Adult spin on childhood activities is ruining amateur athletics. Today high school sports are run by political entities that are destroying the innocence of that level of competition. This is not surprising, since many of these games are now televised. This means increased revenue streams, which means money, which in turn spawns greed, power struggles, legislative intervention and even court battles. Adult fans are getting into the act as well. Fistfights, shootings and profanity-laced tirades by drunks are literally turning sporting events into battlefields. Footballs games have been cancelled in Oakland and Los Angeles, or moved to neutral sites because of threats of violence. After a baseball game in Concord, California, a player was engaged in an altercation with a member of the opposing team. This player wielded a bat and killed his 16-year old counterpart. Recently, a fan of one school punched a referee and a coach from the opposing school. Adults are turning high school sports into the same disgraceful, distasteful cesspool collegiate athletics has become. It's a sad thing to say and see, but all of the charm of amateur athletics is gone. ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is the 45-year old author of "Tempest In The Stone" and the upcoming, "The Malice of Cain". He resides in Pittsburg, California with his three youngest children Dante, Kimberly and Lawrence. I have a new website: stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@sbcglobal.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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