GIVE UP ON LANCER FOOTBALL (12-2003)

Considering the team's abysmal record, the Edinburgh Lancers football fans seem to still have
some school spirit left. After all, they do at show up for the games. 

So what is school spirit? 

Traditionally, it means to show a great deal of support for one's school athletic teams. It means
you show up at the games, yell loudly at pep sessions, and show pride in your team, whether they
win or lose.

Unfortunately, school spirit seldom trickles down to the academic standing of a school. Schools
are generally well known for their football or basketball programs, not for their academic
records.

I have taught at three different school systems in different regions of the state. I've also
substituted at several more. And one thing they all have in common is school spirit.

Generally, the more victories a team can muster in a season, the higher the degree of school spirit
the student body will show. In a good year, school spirit can run amok throughout the entire
community.

School spirit for sports teams is all well and good. But, in my tenure as a high school teacher, and
as a former student, I have seen the academic programs suffer as a result of too much emphasis
on athletics. I have too often witnessed teachers, who were also coaches, shirking their teaching
responsibility. Many times, they spend entire class periods talking about the "big game," or about
the contributions of various team members.

I have seen teachers who consider themselves coaches first and teachers second. They teach only
because they have to teach in order to be a coach.

I have seen well-qualified teachers who were not coaches passed over for teaching positions so
the school could hire a less qualified teacher who could coach.

Athletics is an important extracurricular activity in most school systems. I agree with those who
say it builds character and teaches sportsmanship. And I agree with those who say some students
may not make it through school if it were not for their participation in sports.

But at Edinburgh, regardless of how high the school spirit may run, I believe the time has come
to acknowledge the fact that the Lancer football program has become more of a liability than an
asset. For the past 52 years, Edinburgh has fielded a football team. For at least 42 of those years,
the team has had a losing record. 

The Lancers not only regularly lose every game of the season, they often lose by 50 or 60 points.
How can a record like that be anything but an embarrassment for the school? Adding to the mix
the coaching scandals and lawsuits, one should come to the conclusion that the 52-year football
experiment should come to an end.

A school as small as Edinburgh should concentrate on doing one major sport well, either
basketball or football, and leave the other one alone. At Edinburgh, the basketball program has
historically had more success. In addition, it requires fewer students, so there should never be any
trouble getting enough of them to try out for the team, avoiding what happened at the beginning
of one school year when only 14 students showed up for football tryouts.

Additionally, more emphasis could be placed on the performing arts and on building the
academic team. After all, the academic program is the core of any school, although it is often
difficult to tell. 

I would much rather be proud of my school for having superior music and drama productions,
performed in a first-rate auditorium, than for having a winning football season. As a taxpayer, I
would rather see my money go to building that auditorium so performances don't have to be
relegated to the cafeteria while the school spends millions building another sports facility.

I am certainly not against sports programs in schools. And my opinion about the Lancers football
program may be in the minority in Edinburgh. But I'm firmly convinced that priorities should
simply be reevaluated.