School Choice and High School Athletics

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Feb 7, 2014
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This topic has been approached before on this site - once again Doug I think you're ahead of your time! Sports would find avenues without schools. Softball and baseball are a great example of that scenario. How many kids in this country start their participation in either sport through a school ?

No one would deny the role schools have played in sports now and in the past, but that doesn't mean that schools are the best vehicle for sports in the future.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
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Florida
This topic has been approached before on this site - once again Doug I think you're ahead of your time! Sports would find avenues without schools. Softball and baseball are a great example of that scenario. How many kids in this country start their participation in either sport through a school ?

No one would deny the role schools have played in sports now and in the past, but that doesn't mean that schools are the best vehicle for sports in the future.

You have to remember - the USA is really the only country in the world that so tightly combines sports and schools. The club system is worldwide in almost every sport in every country and is extremely effective - and in fact is more effective in keeping players not looking to (or not capable of) being elite athletes playing various sports. Pro team overseas have farm systems and developmental leagues down into 8U.

Take the example of softball in Australia. There is only a few thousand players across the country yet they have probably more adult woman fastpitch leagues than there are in the USA. That is how they compete internationally - the players play until they can no longer physically play - not until their eligibility runs out. That means the Australian national team tends be all average mid-late 20's while if you take out the occasional outlier, most of the USA squad are either barely out of, college or are still in college. So what that the Australian team are barely seen as semi-professional or even are just playing for fun (some play pro-ball overseas but most have jobs) - they are still playing and enjoying the sport.

Being done in your sport at 22 years old OR YOUNGER is just stupid.
 

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