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Sports for All, Not Just a Few!
Because of the current emphasis on superstar" athletes,
many girls and boys who are not "superstar" material are
not encouraged to play sports or participate in fitness
activities. Certain college sports such as football and
men's basketball function not as an athletic component to
a solid college education, but as the "farm leagues" of
professional sports. The stars of these sports receive large
scholarships and other perks and, in exchange, are expected
to practice and play without regard to their own health
or injuries. It is expected that some of these athletes
will go on to earn fortunes for themselves as well as for
the owners of professional football and basketball teams.
In contrast, other sports receive much less funding and
attention. This type of preferential treatment of "superstars"
would never be tolerated by other departments at universities.
Imagine if the English department gave huge scholarships
and the best professors only to the future "Stephen Kings"!
By putting so much time and energy into only the "super"
male athletes, we have made sports an entertainment vehicle
at the expense of the athlete's health and well-being. The
current system denies both girls and boys a good health
and exercise education.
An alternative would be an emphasis on "lifetime" sports
in which everyone could participate. Walking, jogging, swimming,
golf, tennis, cross-country skiing, biking, hiking, folk-dancing,
and horseback riding are fitness activities that people
of all ages can enjoy, with little risk of injury. Intramural
sports are often a hidden, unpublicized component of high
school and college life, yet they can provide opportunities
for exercise, fun, and teamwork for almost everyone.
(Empowering Women in Sports, The Empowering
Women Series, No. 4; A Publication of the Feminist Majority
Foundation, 1995)
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