Ive been following this story, because it underlines everything wrong with high school sports. This is what happens when you let the tail wag the dog; that is, let athletics trump academics: it turns into a cult. I remember last year when people made a stink about the North High Redskins, some guy sent a letter to the Eagle which started off semi-lucid but then went into an unhinged rant about how the The Redskin is a fierce American Indian warrior who will vanquish his opponents. He is to be feared and respected on the football field, the basketball court, the track, the diamond. I love the following quote, because it really speaks to the unhealthiest aspects of small-town football. Whenever I hear about middle-aged men wearing high school merchandise--which I think is a terrible idea--it brings to mind Al Bundy wearing his Polk High jersey. Inside Angelo’s, a pizzeria on Main Street, that was what baffled John Shara, 56, a 20-year Sayreville resident. He motioned to the store owner at the counter and said: “They play a game on Friday night and he tells me that no one comes in here because everyone’s at the field. They play on Saturday, you go into the diner down the street and you’ve got all these 50-year-old men in their Bombers caps and sweatshirts. Honestly, I don’t get it. I understand if you’re in Texas, or Iowa, in a town where there’s nothing else around for 20 miles.”
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 16:56:00 +0000
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