Why is trying for diversity in HS sports not a thing?

[Anonymous]

Genuinely trying to understand. It's spring so it's magnet admissions and wait list season where race is brought up all the time. Why is this not an issue for public school sports where teams in many schools tend to be of certain races even though a diverse group tries out?

I've seen commentaries that say that if teams were formed with diversity in mind they would lose all the time. But that does not seem like a fair argument. Opportunities are denied which leads to college opportunities denied and professional opportunities denied.

[Anonymous]

Academics and sports are two completely different things.

[Anonymous]

Go on

[Anonymous]

Enough. Professional opportunities will not be denied because there is no diversity on a high school team.

If your white son isn’t up to snuff to make the high school basketball team, big whoop. Majority of those kids will not even play in college key alone pros. They will hopefully play basketball recreationally or pick up some other form of exercise once they are older.

But all students need an education. They will all hopefully be using their minds in one form or another as an adult. Making sure everyone gets a good, challenging education is much more important to society than making sure a high school basketball team is diverse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Enough. Professional opportunities will not be denied because there is no diversity on a high school team.

If your white son isn’t up to snuff to make the high school basketball team, big whoop. Majority of those kids will not even play in college key alone pros. They will hopefully play basketball recreationally or pick up some other form of exercise once they are older.

But all students need an education. They will all hopefully be using their minds in one form or another as an adult. Making sure everyone gets a good, challenging education is much more important to society than making sure a high school basketball team is diverse.

Yes. It is not the least bit useful to compare sports and academics. Why do people keep doing this?

[Anonymous]

Because people want to win and major sports are individually billion-dollar enterprises. If your kid can beat the other kid at their particular sport, then they're in. Full stop.

If your kid is too short to reach the basketball hoop or not strong enough to rush a football or not fast enough to pick up soccer - too bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Enough. Professional opportunities will not be denied because there is no diversity on a high school team.

If your white son isn’t up to snuff to make the high school basketball team, big whoop. Majority of those kids will not even play in college key alone pros. They will hopefully play basketball recreationally or pick up some other form of exercise once they are older.

But all students need an education. They will all hopefully be using their minds in one form or another as an adult. Making sure everyone gets a good, challenging education is much more important to society than making sure a high school basketball team is diverse.

Is the justification for high school sports that they are part of a well rounded education? What justification is there for denying that facet of a public education to less athletic kids? Dumb dumbs can sign up for ap classes and fail, why can’t fat kids play for the basketball team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Enough. Professional opportunities will not be denied because there is no diversity on a high school team.

If your white son isn’t up to snuff to make the high school basketball team, big whoop. Majority of those kids will not even play in college key alone pros. They will hopefully play basketball recreationally or pick up some other form of exercise once they are older.

But all students need an education. They will all hopefully be using their minds in one form or another as an adult. Making sure everyone gets a good, challenging education is much more important to society than making sure a high school basketball team is diverse.

Is the justification for high school sports that they are part of a well rounded education? What justification is there for denying that facet of a public education to less athletic kids? Dumb dumbs can sign up for ap classes and fail, why can’t fat kids play for the basketball team?

They can. If they make the team. The goal of any team is to win games. If a player is of value to a team and will help them win, they get a spot. It’s that simple. Some fat kids can play sports. You can’t play any sport and any position you want but no one can unless they earn that spot. So if your kid wants to play high school sports, find one that is best for them or find one that accepts walk ons.

-former fat kid on a HS varsity team

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Enough. Professional opportunities will not be denied because there is no diversity on a high school team.

If your white son isn’t up to snuff to make the high school basketball team, big whoop. Majority of those kids will not even play in college key alone pros. They will hopefully play basketball recreationally or pick up some other form of exercise once they are older.

But all students need an education. They will all hopefully be using their minds in one form or another as an adult. Making sure everyone gets a good, challenging education is much more important to society than making sure a high school basketball team is diverse.

Is the justification for high school sports that they are part of a well rounded education? What justification is there for denying that facet of a public education to less athletic kids? Dumb dumbs can sign up for ap classes and fail, why can’t fat kids play for the basketball team?

No one is stopping fat kids from a) trying out for the basketball team or b) shaping up and playing for the basketball team.

I mean if you want to advocate for a remedial sports team with its own league - that's a solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Academics and sports are two completely different things.

No, it's not. It's an avenue for all people to feel a sense of self-worth and purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Enough. Professional opportunities will not be denied because there is no diversity on a high school team.

If your white son isn’t up to snuff to make the high school basketball team, big whoop. Majority of those kids will not even play in college key alone pros. They will hopefully play basketball recreationally or pick up some other form of exercise once they are older.

But all students need an education. They will all hopefully be using their minds in one form or another as an adult. Making sure everyone gets a good, challenging education is much more important to society than making sure a high school basketball team is diverse.

I don't agree with you on this. Sports plays a great impact for many kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Enough. Professional opportunities will not be denied because there is no diversity on a high school team.

If your white son isn’t up to snuff to make the high school basketball team, big whoop. Majority of those kids will not even play in college key alone pros. They will hopefully play basketball recreationally or pick up some other form of exercise once they are older.

But all students need an education. They will all hopefully be using their minds in one form or another as an adult. Making sure everyone gets a good, challenging education is much more important to society than making sure a high school basketball team is diverse.

Is the justification for high school sports that they are part of a well rounded education? What justification is there for denying that facet of a public education to less athletic kids? Dumb dumbs can sign up for ap classes and fail, why can’t fat kids play for the basketball team?

They can. If they make the team. The goal of any team is to win games. If a player is of value to a team and will help them win, they get a spot. It’s that simple. Some fat kids can play sports. You can’t play any sport and any position you want but no one can unless they earn that spot. So if your kid wants to play high school sports, find one that is best for them or find one that accepts walk ons.

-former fat kid on a HS varsity team

If any kid who want to play can’t, what is the justification for funding it in a public school setting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Enough. Professional opportunities will not be denied because there is no diversity on a high school team.

If your white son isn’t up to snuff to make the high school basketball team, big whoop. Majority of those kids will not even play in college key alone pros. They will hopefully play basketball recreationally or pick up some other form of exercise once they are older.

But all students need an education. They will all hopefully be using their minds in one form or another as an adult. Making sure everyone gets a good, challenging education is much more important to society than making sure a high school basketball team is diverse.

Is the justification for high school sports that they are part of a well rounded education? What justification is there for denying that facet of a public education to less athletic kids? Dumb dumbs can sign up for ap classes and fail, why can’t fat kids play for the basketball team?

They can. If they make the team. The goal of any team is to win games. If a player is of value to a team and will help them win, they get a spot. It’s that simple. Some fat kids can play sports. You can’t play any sport and any position you want but no one can unless they earn that spot. So if your kid wants to play high school sports, find one that is best for them or find one that accepts walk ons.

-former fat kid on a HS varsity team

If any kid who want to play can’t, what is the justification for funding it in a public school setting?

With that reasoning, do you think schools should also cut the theater and music programs? They need to audition to be in theater, musicals and some select band and orchestras. Shall we also cut any advanced academic programs, where ALL students may not be successful in the classes? Would it be better to privatize everything, so only families with money can have their child participate and others don’t get a chance at all?

Why are you on the sports forum if you don’t think they should be happening?

[Anonymous]

Some sports and some schools have no-cut JV teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Enough. Professional opportunities will not be denied because there is no diversity on a high school team.

If your white son isn’t up to snuff to make the high school basketball team, big whoop. Majority of those kids will not even play in college key alone pros. They will hopefully play basketball recreationally or pick up some other form of exercise once they are older.

But all students need an education. They will all hopefully be using their minds in one form or another as an adult. Making sure everyone gets a good, challenging education is much more important to society than making sure a high school basketball team is diverse.

Is the justification for high school sports that they are part of a well rounded education? What justification is there for denying that facet of a public education to less athletic kids? Dumb dumbs can sign up for ap classes and fail, why can’t fat kids play for the basketball team?

They can. If they make the team. The goal of any team is to win games. If a player is of value to a team and will help them win, they get a spot. It’s that simple. Some fat kids can play sports. You can’t play any sport and any position you want but no one can unless they earn that spot. So if your kid wants to play high school sports, find one that is best for them or find one that accepts walk ons.

-former fat kid on a HS varsity team

If any kid who want to play can’t, what is the justification for funding it in a public school setting?

With that reasoning, do you think schools should also cut the theater and music programs? They need to audition to be in theater, musicals and some select band and orchestras. Shall we also cut any advanced academic programs, where ALL students may not be successful in the classes? Would it be better to privatize everything, so only families with money can have their child participate and others don’t get a chance at all?

Why are you on the sports forum if you don’t think they should be happening?

Purist view would be that public K-12 schools are for educating everyone. Therefore, music, arts, athletics, and academics should be taught and available to all. However, ‘competitive’ activities are supplemental and if offered via a public school are subject to a filtered participation set. Hence, why kids have to try out and make the team. The only criteria is talent and learned skill for the number of available slots. Now, should public dollars go to school-run extra-curricular activities? Apparently yes, as that is how local and state elections have gone over the last 100 years. Should college be a public funded right for all? Apparently no, according to voters’ elected officials. Should there be race-based college admissions policies? So far it appears yes, but this social engineering experiment is floundering a bit as while it does provide some opportunity it also creates animosity and a sense of unfairness (hence why you get posts like the OP’s). There is probably a better way that deals with anonymous applications devoid of applicant names, genders, race, and school names and uses computer algorithms vs. humans to decide. Just like the rich kid whose parents have connections or the minority kid with good but not great grades both get into Harvard, these unfair decisions would mostly be eliminated.