Sports tied to some bad behaviors

[SportsGuy92]

Exactly! It's common sense. Sports is just an activity, neither good or bad --and not a gift from the gods that teaches teamwork, social skills, manliness, and guarantees good behavior!

I agree but everybody here always tries to blame sports when something goes wrong. The kids who binge drink probably would anyway with or without sports.

[Sergey]

Actually sports bend you to anger and loud screaming.

Tabletop/Chess bend you toleration and subtle breathing.

[Earl]

Exactly! It's common sense. Sports is just an activity, neither good or bad --and not a gift from the gods that teaches teamwork, social skills, manliness, and guarantees good behavior!

I agree but everybody here always tries to blame sports when something goes wrong. The kids who binge drink probably would anyway with or without sports.

I don't blame sports per se when something goes wrong. I blame what the sportswriter Robert Lipsyte calls the jock culture (his words), which is associated with particular sports to a greater or lesser degree. In my opinion, frequently in discussions like this one, confusion and misunderstanding arise because no distinction is made between the actual game and a particular culture that may be associated with the game but is not inherently a part of it. Of course, there is nothing bad about throwing, tossing, catching, hitting, or kicking a ball. The problem arises with certain attitudes that individual coaches and players bring to the game -- such as false concepts of masculinity (which Coach Joe Ehrmann, a former professional football player, teaches against to his players and to his credit), how young women should be viewed, and how others should be treated off the playing field. Some players may be inclined to engage in binge drinking because they think it's macho (something that tough guys do) instead of recognizing that it's hazardous to one's health, not to mention others. Coaches can make a big difference; but like Coach Ehrmann, they need to have the right moral values. Tim Tebow and former Cornhuskers player Matt Davison, who has spoken out against bullying and advocates moral leadership, are examples of players who obviously have excelled at the game but have rejected the jock culture, morally speaking. A player who has a lot of athletic talent, but has no use for moral ideals will not be someone to be admired (except by hardcore sports fans).

[Ray]

Exactly! It's common sense. Sports is just an activity, neither good or bad --and not a gift from the gods that teaches teamwork, social skills, manliness, and guarantees good behavior!

I agree but everybody here always tries to blame sports when something goes wrong. The kids who binge drink probably would anyway with or without sports.

What I said is that sports themselves --the actual game --is not bad. But when you throw in coaches, jock culture, preferential treatment, and its appeal to the simple-minded, like Earl said, it tends to have a bad effect. The data doesn't lie.

[SportsGuy92]

What I said is that sports themselves --the actual game --is not bad. But when you throw in coaches, jock culture, preferential treatment, and its appeal to the simple-minded, like Earl said, it tends to have a bad effect. The data doesn't lie.

Here we go again with your nonsense argument about how everybody who likes sports is dumb

[Sergey]

Here we go with your nonsense about how athletes tend to be smarter than non-athletes