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From: ccastkw@gitpyr.UUCP (Kenneth E. Walker)
Newsgroups: net.social,net.women
Subject: Re: Team Sports, an observation
Message-ID: <2253@gitpyr.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 14-Sep-86 17:00:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: gitpyr.2253
Posted: Sun Sep 14 17:00:27 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Sep-86 06:46:40 EDT
References: <1127@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU> <3357@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: ccastkw@gitpyr.UUCP (Kenneth E. Walker)
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 57
Xref: watmath net.social:1396 net.women:12813

In article <3357@umcp-cs.UUCP> tewok@umcp-cs.UUCP (Uncle Wayne) writes:
>In my first year of high school, I decided to go out for the football
>team.  I went to one day of practice and didn't go back.  The defensive
>coach told us that when we were coming in to block someone, we should
>bring our arms up hard underneath the face mask.  This would snap the
>person's had back and throw the person off balance.  This has been known
>to do such nasty stuff as cause paralysis when the back of the helmet
>impacts with the spine.  The coach then told us not to tell anyone he
>had told us that, since it was illegal to do so.  I decided then and
>there that I didn't want to have anything to do with someone or some
>system that cared so little about legality, let alone personal safety.
>I started at the same high school that Len Bias went to.  If anyone 
>has been following the news about the Len Bias case, you might remember
>that one of his high school coaches was possibly going to be indicted
>in the case.  I don't remember for absolutely certain if this guy was
>the one who told us that, but if it wasn't him, it could only have been
>one other of the other coaches.
>
>In my naivete, I couldn't believe that they would risk permanently
>injuring someone just to win a game.  In the years since then, I've
>lost more and more of my idealism due to similar happenings.  I guess
>in the case of pro sports and money, anything is legal unless you're caught.

We all know of people who'll do anything to win, no matter what the cost
may be in terms of money or lives or anything for that matter. These
sentiments exist in neighborhood leagues to high-school to college to
the pros to plain everyday business. It is not something that particular
to sports, but to the overall desire to win, and to make the other person
lose. Much of the practices that are described above have been removed
in many aspects of football. Litigation in the late 70's and early 80's
have established that the coaches that teach these techniques are responsible
for any and all injuries that occur due to them. In fact, it becomes
a matter of negligence if the coach doesn't point out that these techniques
can injure a player, and that it is possible to be killed or paralyzed 
for life playing football. Hopefully there are more people in coaching
today there because of the benefits they get from seeing young people
mature and grow.... I know that my high school was like that (our head
coach was a math teacher, and he was there because he WANTED to be a teacher,
the football was just another way to teach about life) and my team has
had nothing but winning seasons the past 15 years, 2 state champions,
and the head coach has 260+ career wins... Here at Georgia Tech, the football
is a bigger business, but the coaches are just as concerned with the 
welfare of their players... (if you've ever heard of Homer Rice's "Total
Person Program" concept... that's what's going on here)....

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience, hopefully the imnprovements
will make up for it in the future..

kenn
-- 
Standard Disclaimer in force..... (I think????)

Kenneth E. Walker  
Office of Computing Services
Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
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