Bullying in schools is a complex issue, often linked to various social dynamics and environments. Some argue that team sports can contribute to a culture of competitiveness and aggression, potentially fostering bullying behavior. On the other hand, sports are also seen as a valuable way for students to learn teamwork, discipline, and respect. This discussion explores whether removing team sports from high schools might decrease bullying incidents or if it would remove a beneficial outlet for young people.
By what logic would it eliminate bullying? Would getting rid of academic competition such as debate reduce bullying? What about band or theater? Parents and home life are the major factors in developing bullies. Not extracurricular activities.
No.
Lmao absolutely not.
Nope athletes are hardly the only bullies in school. Parents should teach all kids to fight. Bullies both male and female are more reluctant to harass kids that throw hands. I have 3 with 3 different personalities; athlete (track and cheerleading), weird vibe (anime,larping) and band nerd all were good students at Title 1 urban schools. One is still in school the other two are adults one even teaches middle school. When you can and will defend yourself people leave you alone.
@Tony1
Parents should teach all kids to fight, so that the victim can suffer the same or worse disciplinary consequences?
EducationExpert4 said:
@Tony1
Parents should teach all kids to fight, so that the victim can suffer the same or worse disciplinary consequences?
What consequences? A two day suspension is worth not having to have a mental breakdown because you have no way to defend yourself from bullies.
Why would it…?
No, sports is a good outlet to get out physical energy. Typically, the less physical activities available for kids, the more likely there will be bullies. Exercise is a good outlet for all the misplaced angst and aggression that comes with puberty.
No, probably not.
Should Reddit users accounts be eliminated if they post a question but don’t engage in comments?
As a teacher I’ve been able to use team sports as the carrot to improved behaviour in school. As a former high school athlete I was bullied mercilessly in settings outside of school sports. The idea of a jock bully is a TV trope.
Lol no, why would it. Sports are often a major outlet for people making friends outside of their established social groups.
Wtf
I might’ve thought this when I was 15. Kids that played sports bullied me because I wasn’t good at sports, so if we got rid of sports then I wouldn’t have been bullied. But now that I’m a teacher I realise that sports are somewhere these kids can excel and be themselves. I’ve coached a couple of soccer and basketball teams and seen some really rough and disruptive kids be leaders and amazing teammates. So yeah, go sports.
Possibly to some degree. But then so would eliminating high schools entirely. A better question in both instances might be ‘at what cost?’. I’m much more inclined to ask whether team sports at the high school level do more to produce better outcomes for the majority of those involved than they do to detract from them. Humans sort themselves into social hierarchies and groups and learn group dynamics largely through interacting with peers. High school sports are part of that process for many. In its absence… What would replace it? How would the outcomes from those replacement sorting, arranging, and learning processes compare? What would the ‘cool’ kids actually do instead of sports to prove it to others and earn their allegiances and sort their relative places? Would it be more healthy? More safe? More productive?
The only time i was bullied in high school was by someone on a sports team. It was a random assault in the locker room rather than anything consistent. That said, i don’t think it had anything to do with sports. I think the important thing with sports is to make sure the kids don’t get special privileges or treated like kings.
It’s complicated. It always depends on the situation. Eliminating team sports might not directly reduce bullying, and could even shift it to other areas. It’s not a simple solution to a complex problem like reducing bullying at school.
@MAC
And it will just result to negative effects such as loss of camaraderie. If we start eliminating teams without a valid reason, it could create divisions and promote favoritism that strengthens bullying. Sports should promote camaraderie and boost confidence that reduce bullying and should not promote bullying.
Possibly, but sports are so ingrained in American psyche that no one will let you try. Look at the injuries alone. Its odd that the same parents who keep their kids inside to be safe from imaginary danger will spur them on to athletics where outsized dangers both physical and mental are the norm. Just look at the sports injury industry which has grown due to kids getting injured. Its not there out of kindness. Its not that I am against kids participating in sports as it is on the outsized support and financial resources which are poured into them. NOT ALL KIDS ARE ATTRACTED TO SPORTS, yet there are very few, if any alternatives. This does not even consider the scouting and way in which very young kids are groomed for the slim possibility of college or pro sports career. Most, who given the false notion of further careers are thrown to the side when one defect or physical trait does not show as they mature.