Question for the Pack

[NWADawg]

A local school superintendent is in his 1st year at the new school. His old school and new school were set to play each other in the basketball championship game last year but game was canceled due to covid. Both schools made the state tournament again this year. On a twitter account for the old school, the super int. posted "good luck, win it all". To win it all would likely mean to beat his current school. So he's basically cheering against new school.

A player's parent was perusing the competitions sites and found it. Then proceeded for forward it to many. It didn't bother me too bad but many in the district are losing their mind. Just curious what your opinions are on this.

In business world, publicly cheering for a direct competitor can get you unemployed. Should the same happen for school leaders?

 

[jethreauxdawg]

Sounds like any school wanting to win needs to hire this guy.
And those angry parents need to go play in traffic

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

They may be the dumbest thing I've read today.

 

[DAWG61]

"Win it all" is just a nice way of saying good luck for some people. I agree with greenbean. This some dumb ****.

 

[Philly Dawg]

First, I’m not sure I’d call that cheering for an athletic opponent. Second, other schools are not competitors in the same sense as other businesses.

 

[mstateglfr]

A local school superintendent is in his 1st year at the new school. His old school and new school were set to play each other in the basketball championship game last year but game was canceled due to covid. Both schools made the state tournament again this year. On a twitter account for the old school, the super int. posted "good luck, win it all". To win it all would likely mean to beat his current school. So he's basically cheering against new school.

A player's parent was perusing the competitions sites and found it. Then proceeded for forward it to many. It didn't bother me too bad but many in the district are losing their mind. Just curious what your opinions are on this.

In business world, publicly cheering for a direct competitor can get you unemployed. Should the same happen for school leaders?

This is the point where adults need to wake the 17 up and recognize that high school athletics is not the be all end all of life. High school exists to educate first and foremost. A secondary part of that primary responsibility is offering activities that grow a student and athletics is simply one of those activities. Athletics is one of those activities just like debate, dance, show choir, and the av club.
Wishing a possible eventual opponent luck in winning is not worth firing a superintendent. Holy **** that is absurd to even have to type.

Alumni of a high school being way too invested in that school's sports is pathetic. Parents of current players being way too invested in that school's sports is pathetic.
If the superintendent is supporting the program in all the ways they should, then thats all that matters. If there is a safe location to practice and play with equipment that is in good condition and a coach that is professional in conduct, then that minimum support has been met. Anything beyond that is cake and schools work to secure beyond the minimum. Since this new school made it to the state tournament, Im guessing the program has been properly supported.


On a related note for all the 4TD Bundy's out there- nobody gives a 17 that you were the long snapper on the 1993 class X-AAAA state football championship team. It sucks that you peaked in life at 17, but dont make everyone else hear about it.

 

[MississippiTexan]

I'm surprised at the responses here. I'm just thinking how this board would implode if we were to fire Keenum and hire, let's say Georgia's president, and then we both made the college football playoffs or the big dance next year and they wished them luck and told them to win it all. I'm not sure this board could handle something like that. I'm not saying the superintendent should be fired, but to say people are dumb and pathetic to be upset about the comment seems to be a bit extreme.

 

[mstateglfr]

I'm surprised at the responses here. I'm just thinking how this board would implode if we were to fire Keenum and hire, let's say Georgia's president, and then we both made the college football playoffs or the big dance next year and they wished them luck and told them to win it all. I'm not sure this board could handle something like that. I'm not saying the superintendent should be fired, but to say people are dumb and pathetic to be upset about the comment seems to be a bit extreme.

I view high school sports and major D1 college football to be completely different animals. In this instance, as the level of competition increases, the acceptable amount of encouragement decreases. Its because there is big money in major college football(and basketball) so athletics are run like a business(since they are one, even if they are comically considered non-profit).

Unlike rival universities, public school districts arent competing against one another for tuition, research grants, and athletics support. That isnt to say there is 0 competition between schools in different districts, but the amount of competition is relatively none compared to major college athletics.

 

[dog12]

Athletics is one of those activities just like debate, dance, show choir, and the av club.

I agree that the parents are most likely overreacting.

I disagree that high school athletics is just an "activity."

In my mind, an "activity" is something like two 10-year old boys climbing trees or two people going for a walk.

In an "activity," there's no winner or loser . . . score isn't kept . . . the only concerns are having fun and not getting hurt.

That would be very different from the high school basketball and baseball games I played. There was a winner and loser . . . score was kept . . . and we intensely wanted to win.

Did you play any high school sports?

If so, then how important to you was winning the game?

(I'm just curious. Different people have different opinions on the same issue.)

 

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Does rollerblading count?

 

[Hump4Hoops]

This is highschool sports, who gives a ****?

It wasn't even a coach, and a perfectly fine comment - especially with context, but even without.. That parent needs help.

 

[thekimmer]

Not good optics given his position and it was probably a poor choice of words but no he should not come close to losing his job over it.

There are probably 100s of faculty members at most universities that openly root for different schools than the one that employs them because of alumni or home ties. Heck in the 80s I sat behind a prominent State football player with several of his buddies in the hump, wearing their MSU letter jackets, who were cheering like hell for bama because the one dude went to high school with Enis Whatley who was bama's point guard at the time. And no I didn't say a word to them. I like my teeth in my mouth.

 

[johnson86-1]

I'm surprised at the responses here. I'm just thinking how this board would implode if we were to fire Keenum and hire, let's say Georgia's president, and then we both made the college football playoffs or the big dance next year and they wished them luck and told them to win it all. I'm not sure this board could handle something like that. I'm not saying the superintendent should be fired, but to say people are dumb and pathetic to be upset about the comment seems to be a bit extreme.

If he wished UGA luck at the beginning of the NCAA tournament, when we're not likely to face them anyway, I'm not sure how big of a deal it'd be. I'm sure you don't have 68 teams play in the state tournament, but it's not like he said it before they played head to head.

 

[o_Hot Rock]

I agree that the parents are most likely overreacting.

I disagree that high school athletics is just an "activity."

In my mind, an "activity" is something like two 10-year old boys climbing trees or two people going for a walk.

In an "activity," there's no winner or loser . . . score isn't kept . . . the only concerns are having fun and not getting hurt.

That would be very different from the high school basketball and baseball games I played. There was a winner and loser . . . score was kept . . . and we intensely wanted to win.

Did you play any high school sports?

If so, then how important to you was winning the game?

(I'm just curious. Different people have different opinions on the same issue.)

lol, high school sports are not important a d a school superintendent that gives two ***** about it needs another occupation. His job is to educate not play games with kids.

 

[Bill Shankly]

I would say it isn't all that bright for an administrator to essentially be cheering for his former school against his current one, not when they are directly playing each other. Poof form.

 

[o_Hot Rock]

High School football, basketball and all HS sports are just activities and should not register anything on a superintendent's care monitor, ever. It's just a dang game the we as a society have put way too much emphasis on. Educating the students is his job and I would want to know test scores, teacher development, graduation levels, student retention levels, how many kids did your principals run off due to their ineptness. I would want to know if the superintendent actually was running a school and not a place that just wants to win games on Friday night.

At some schools almost every kid that does all four HS years in Band gets a scholarship somewhere to play. Many of them go on to have careers with music backgrounds or play at churches, on back porches and have better lives for the rest of their lives from the music background. Football players, what % even get a scholarships? Most quit by 9th grade because they can't cut it. Basketball? It's way less. Football is a waste of resources and are used on a small percentage of the student body. If people think it makes money, it does not. The facilities alone cost more that ticket revenue bring in, not to mention coaches salaries. I mean the full dam salary because most don't teach a dang thing.

I will go on to say that one qualification for a superintendent should be that he never was a coach. They get too buddy, buddy with their former coaches acquaintances and let them get away with murder. They hire their coaching buddies to be principals and most of them never taught a damn thing once in their whole life other than drivers ed or something. You end up with a bunch of former coaches running a school and no one ever knows a thing about teaching or how to evaluate good teachers or train them to be better.

Bottom line: A superintendents job is to educate, not worry about who wins a damn football game. And I love the sport but it's just a dang game, he should have bigger fish to fry.

 

[mstateglfr]

I agree that the parents are most likely overreacting.

I disagree that high school athletics is just an "activity."

In my mind, an "activity" is something like two 10-year old boys climbing trees or two people going for a walk.

In an "activity," there's no winner or loser . . . score isn't kept . . . the only concerns are having fun and not getting hurt.

That would be very different from the high school basketball and baseball games I played. There was a winner and loser . . . score was kept . . . and we intensely wanted to win.

Did you play any high school sports?

If so, then how important to you was winning the game?

(I'm just curious. Different people have different opinions on the same issue.)

- yes I played high school sports.

- athletics is no more important an activity than show choir, band, drama club, etc. All are extra curricular activities. That means they are activities the school provides in addition to education.
- your definition of 'activity' sucks. Get a new definition.

- even if you separate athletics from all other activities, it does not make them inherently more important to a school. A school can be known for its debate team(competition in an activity!), it's plays and musicals, or it's band. My high school had a laughably ****** football program and a marching band that brought home national competition trophies(uh oh, competition in an activity again!). Marching band was clearly more respected and well known than the football program.

- how badly kids want to win when playing a sport has no bearing on if that sport is more important to the school than other activities.


The superintendent that ran the high school I attended also oversaw 5 other high schools. That's 6 high schools overall.
That sup isn't loyal to a single school for athletics because it's his job to 17ing educate.
He oversaw the education of almost 12000 students.
https://www.d214.org/domain/434#:~:...huler is in his 21st year as a superintendent.

I get that the school structure I am referencing isn't how it's done where you grew up. Where I live now, there is a ton of eye rolling small town school pride where this sort of dumb scenario would likely happen because Bubba who still longs for the best years of his life is upset his high school has been 'disrespected' by the new guy.
Bubba doesn't realize the new guy is responsible for running a 17ing district in its entirety and athletics is a small part of it. A basketball team of 12 kids is no more important than a drama club or a debate team.

On a relates note, Bubba's lack of understanding priorities is partially why Bubba's best yesrs of his life were when he was in high school.

 

[dog12]

High School football, basketball and all HS sports are just activities and should not register anything on a superintendent's care monitor, ever. It's just a dang game the we as a society have put way too much emphasis on. Educating the students is his job and I would want to know test scores, teacher development, graduation levels, student retention levels, how many kids did your principals run off due to their ineptness. I would want to know if the superintendent actually was running a school and not a place that just wants to win games on Friday night.

At some schools almost every kid that does all four HS years in Band gets a scholarship somewhere to play. Many of them go on to have careers with music backgrounds or play at churches, on back porches and have better lives for the rest of their lives from the music background. Football players, what % even get a scholarships? Most quit by 9th grade because they can't cut it. Basketball? It's way less. Football is a waste of resources and are used on a small percentage of the student body. If people think it makes money, it does not. The facilities alone cost more that ticket revenue bring in, not to mention coaches salaries. I mean the full dam salary because most don't teach a dang thing.

I will go on to say that one qualification for a superintendent should be that he never was a coach. They get too buddy, buddy with their former coaches acquaintances and let them get away with murder. They hire their coaching buddies to be principals and most of them never taught a damn thing once in their whole life other than drivers ed or something. You end up with a bunch of former coaches running a school and no one ever knows a thing about teaching or how to evaluate good teachers or train them to be better.

Bottom line: A superintendents job is to educate, not worry about who wins a damn football game. And I love the sport but it's just a dang game, he should have bigger fish to fry.

Ultimately, isn't a Superintendent responsible for overseeing everything related to the school system . . . including the football team and the band?

Concerning the Superintendent's job to educate, how many classes does the typical Superintendent teach?

Do you work in the Education industry?

 

[dog12]

- yes I played high school sports.

You didn't answer the question of, when you played on your high school sports teams, how important winning was to you.

(Just an FYI . . . I'm not trying to "catch" you at saying anything. I'm just curious about how you felt about winning when you played.)

- your definition of 'activity' sucks. Get a new definition.

Okay.

What's your definition of "activity?"

- even if you separate athletics from all other activities, it does not make them inherently more important to a school.

- how badly kids want to win when playing a sport has no bearing on if that sport is more important to the school than other activities.

I agree with both of your statements.

I would never say, in a "high school" context, that football is more important than the band or the debate team. (Different strokes for different folks.)

I didn't say either of these things, and I did not intend to insinuate them either.

 

[MSUDAWGFAN]

On a related note for all the 4TD Bundy's out there- nobody gives a 17 that you were the long snapper on the 1993 class X-AAAA state football championship team. It sucks that you peaked in life at 17, but dont make everyone else hear about it.

Have you seen the new documentary about Operation Varsity Blues on Netflix? Somebody definitely gives a **** about a long snapper. Yes, literally a long snapper. Or someone pretending to be one.

 

[TrueMaroonGrind]

A lot of people need a hobby and/or do something with their lives.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

These type of mistaken parents are the same type who fuel the travel sports industry. They've been sold a bad bill of goods. They don't like the "every kid gets a trophy" mentality but they don't understand that they are getting played the exact same way. Uncontrolled, uber-competitiveness can be bad in some places, and education is one of them.

 

[mstateglfr]

You didn't answer the question of, when you played on your high school sports teams, how important winning was to you.

(Just an FYI . . . I'm not trying to "catch" you at saying anything. I'm just curious about how you felt about winning when you played.)


What's your definition of "activity?"



I agree with both of your statements.

I would never say, in a "high school" context, that football is more important than the band or the debate team. (Different strokes for different folks.)

I didn't say either of these things, and I did not intend to insinuate them either.

Winning was incredibly important to me. I played soccer year round, basketball, baseball, and golf- competition was my identity.


My definition of activity- something a person or people do. That's it. Pretty simple. Sports is an activity. Board games are an activity. Band is an activity. Drama club is an activity.

 

[LawDawg97]

Someone learned how to use a calculator

The superintendent that ran the high school I attended also oversaw 5 other high schools. That's 6 high schools overall.

Your superintendent would be so proud**

 

[jack daniels dog]

While I have not yet figured out the exact how, I am positive that in some way, social media will be the end of this world.....

 

[Bill Shankly]

High School football, basketball and all HS sports are just activities and should not register anything on a superintendent's care monitor, ever. It's just a dang game the we as a society have put way too much emphasis on. Educating the students is his job and I would want to know test scores, teacher development, graduation levels, student retention levels, how many kids did your principals run off due to their ineptness. I would want to know if the superintendent actually was running a school and not a place that just wants to win games on Friday night.

At some schools almost every kid that does all four HS years in Band gets a scholarship somewhere to play. Many of them go on to have careers with music backgrounds or play at churches, on back porches and have better lives for the rest of their lives from the music background. Football players, what % even get a scholarships? Most quit by 9th grade because they can't cut it. Basketball? It's way less. Football is a waste of resources and are used on a small percentage of the student body. If people think it makes money, it does not. The facilities alone cost more that ticket revenue bring in, not to mention coaches salaries. I mean the full dam salary because most don't teach a dang thing.

I will go on to say that one qualification for a superintendent should be that he never was a coach. They get too buddy, buddy with their former coaches acquaintances and let them get away with murder. They hire their coaching buddies to be principals and most of them never taught a damn thing once in their whole life other than drivers ed or something. You end up with a bunch of former coaches running a school and no one ever knows a thing about teaching or how to evaluate good teachers or train them to be better.

Bottom line: A superintendents job is to educate, not worry about who wins a damn football game. And I love the sport but it's just a dang game, he should have bigger fish to fry.

Bottom line.....you know absolutely nothing about this subject, obviously.

 

[mstateglfr]

Your superintendent would be so proud**

I can believe you took time to post this ****.

 

[dog12]

Winning was incredibly important to me. I played soccer year round, basketball, baseball, and golf- competition was my identity.


My definition of activity- something a person or people do. That's it. Pretty simple. Sports is an activity. Board games are an activity. Band is an activity. Drama club is an activity.

Right. When it comes to sports, I competed at 100% intensity and winning every game was the goal.

Your definition of "activity" is very broad and generic.

Is studying for a test an activity? Attending class? Receiving an education?

Is sleeping an activity? Twiddling your thumbs? Getting into a fight? Going to war? Giving birth? Dying?

My point is this: an "activity" is a minor thing that is not very important.

Sports is not an activity, because it tests you, makes you work to become a better player, forces you to cooperate with your teammates to make the team better, forces you to handle adversity, teaches you how to deal with winning and losing . . . in other words, sports teaches you about life.

You cannot get those "life lessons" in a classroom. You must step into the world of competition . . . whether it be on the football team, the debate club or the band.

Of course, that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.

 

[mstateglfr]

Sports is not an activity, because it tests you, makes you work to become a better player, forces you to cooperate with your teammates to make the team better, forces you to handle adversity, teaches you how to deal with winning and losing . . . in other words, sports teaches you about life.

You cannot get those "life lessons" in a classroom. You must step into the world of competition . . . whether it be on the football team, the debate club or the band.

Of course, that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.

1- I am not sure why this distinction continues to be made as even if it is a distinction, it doesnt change anything as it relates to the point of the thread.
If sports are 'more than activities'...so what? How does that change anything? Are you saying the AD should care more about sports then, or what?

2- basically you hold competitive activities as more important/in a better light than non-competitive activities. It can be traditional sports or debate, band, color guard, etc- if its a competition you view it as more important because life lessons can be learned.
But life lessons of cooperation, preparation, etc can be learned in drama club through preparing for a play. Or in robotics club by working on a project with others.




I'm just not sure why the competition aspect matters here when it comes to if some parents overreacted because a high school superintendent wished his old school success.

 

[dog12]

1- I am not sure why this distinction continues to be made as even if it is a distinction, it doesnt change anything as it relates to the point of the thread.
If sports are 'more than activities'...so what? How does that change anything? Are you saying the AD should care more about sports then, or what?

2- basically you hold competitive activities as more important/in a better light than non-competitive activities. It can be traditional sports or debate, band, color guard, etc- if its a competition you view it as more important because life lessons can be learned.
But life lessons of cooperation, preparation, etc can be learned in drama club through preparing for a play. Or in robotics club by working on a project with others.




I'm just not sure why the competition aspect matters here when it comes to if some parents overreacted because a high school superintendent wished his old school success.

1 - The point of the thread had already been settled . . . parents overreacted and should just chill out. The discussion then moved to whether or not high school sports is an "activity."

2 - I agree that life lessons can be learned in drama club and/or robotics club . . . and in many other scenarios not expressly set forth in this thread.

It appears that when I say "sports teaches life lessons," you automatically presume that I am also saying "non-sports does not teach life lessons."

I'm not saying that at all.

 

[o_Hot Rock]

Bottom line.....you know absolutely nothing about this subject, obviously.

Superintendents job is all of if for sure but the job of the school is to educate all the kids, not win football games. You put a coach in charge and they do things that undermine the education of the entire student body for instance:

You will have Thursday games and ruin at least one day and possibly two days of classes.
They think its fine to have half the kids leaving at noon to go to a game that night at 7pm that is an hour drive away.
Or schedule a day game the same day as a state test that is required to graduate.
They make announcements during class time to the tune of 10 to 15 times a day and mostly because some coach wanted something said. For every interruption to a class it can mean several lost minutes of instruction.
They make sure the starting QB doesn't end up going to IS and is allowed to walk out of classes and flip off teachers because they need him on friday night.

Coaches do not value class time because they never had to actually teach kids tough subjects that need every damn minute of instruction time.

No big deal right? There are many reasons education in Mississippi is near the bottom, coaches being allowed to be in charge of schools ranks up there for one of the biggest problems.