History of Interscholastic Sports Policy & Philosophy

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This will result in an unsatisfactory grade for the work submitted or for the entire course. It may also result in academic dismissal from the University. SM5006-8 Tracy Ljone, PhD Sports Governance and Policy Development Week 1 Assignment Faculty Use Only  FUCHSJSM5006-1: History of Interscholastic Sports Policy & Philosophy L. John Fuchs, Jr. Northcentral University January 27, 2015 Introduction Interscholastic athletics in the United States plays an important role in shaping the lives of nearly 8 million students per year (US News and World Report, 2011, September 2). Since its inauguration in 1859, the philosophy and purpose of interscholastic sport has shifted that of general health benefits and competition to that of character building and social responsibility. Interscholastic sports, in many instances, may be the only opportunity for these traits to develop in the youth of our nation today. Sport leaders in quality athletic programs today are rightfully scrutinized on their ability to effectively develop character, morals, and social responsibility of the student athletes they guide by modeling that very behavior as it is one of the most important roles of interscholastic sport coaches (Lumpkin, & Stokowski, 2011). By serving as positive role models themselves, effective scholastic sport leaders place emphasis on the character development of their young student athletes. When coaches themselves model ethical behavior, Lumpkin and Stokowski (2011) assert, “coaches reinforce the importance of ethical and moral behavior, as well as help athletes learn responsibility, respect, teamwork, accountability, time-management skills, the difference between right and wrong, how to cope with failure and success, and how to do the right thing despite peer pressure and other situational influences” (p. 125). Truly effective and successful athletic programs should not be judged by state championships alone, but also by the measure of character development and social responsibility of the young men and women the program produces. History of Interscholastic Sport Initially organized and overseen by students, interscholastic sports got its start in Massachusetts when a group of high school students formed a baseball team in 1859. The competitive drive of the students and their desire to win led to the recruitment of players who did not attend the school but were “ringers”, skilled at baseball. Consequently, school administrators stepped in to regulate school sport and provide structure and guidance. As scholastic sport quickly gained in popularity, the correlation between participation in athletics and the development of social goals was recognized. Scholastic athletics became purposeful and firmly established in the late 1800s when the correlation between participation in sports and the development of social responsibility was drawn (Jable, 1986). The Progressive Movement of the early 1900s rallied to reduce urban gang affiliation of the nation’s urban youth and minimize the negative, socially irresponsible behaviors in high school aged students. Scholastic athletics were seen as an avenue for instilling positive character traits and fostering sound moral and ethical behavior. Progressives believed athletics would keep youth occupied and guide them to become productive members of the community (Jable, 1986). In 1903, Luther Gulick, New York City’s Director of Physical Education, and Progressive reform advocate, developed the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), which organized competitions between public schools. The PSAL structure realized great success and other cities in the nation followed suit, adopting the PSAL structure for their own athletic programming. In 1905 Gulick and his assistant, Elizabeth Burchenal, organized the Girls' Branch of PSAL that emphasized noncompetitive activities. “In extolling the educational benefits of athletics, educators not only defended the necessity of high school athletics, but they now had reason to expand physical education programs where they could assign athletic coaches for full-time administrative control” (Jable, 1986). After World War I, interscholastic athletics saw tremendous growth as more and more students were enrolling in schools. Scholastic athletics served as a means of bolstering home town pride and community togetherness as well as a means of fostering teamwork, good character and social responsibility. As growth in numbers of participants continued, city and county schools crowned champions in baseball, football, and basketball. States organized tournaments for these major sports and the need for governance, regulation, and continuity gave birth to the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS). The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) Since 1920, The NFHS has led the development of interscholastic sports and activities that help students succeed in their lives. By providing leadership for the administration of interscholastic activities, which support academic achievement, good citizenship and equitable opportunities, the NFHS has help shape the perception of scholastic sports in to what it is today and give scholastic athletics its foothold in society. The NFHS mission statement offers the following beliefs as the foundation of their organization… The NFHS is the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs. Interscholastic activity programs enrich each student's educational experience. Participation in education-based activity programs promotes student academic achievement. Student participation in interscholastic activity programs is a privilege. Interscholastic participation develops good citizenship and healthy lifestyles. Interscholastic activity programs foster involvement of a diverse population. Interscholastic activity programs promote positive school/community relations. The NFHS is the pre-eminent authority on competition rules for interscholastic activity programs. National competition rules promote fair play and minimize risks for student participants. Cooperation among state associations advances their individual and collective well-being. Properly trained administrators/coaches/directors promote the educational mission of the interscholastic experience. Properly trained officials/judges enhance interscholastic competition (AboutUs, n.d.). The NFHS, since its establishment in 1920, has served as the governing body of scholastic sport by establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and by providing guidance and education for sport administrators across the nation. National Continuity for Athletic Administrators Scholastic athletics has enjoyed continuous growth since its inception in 1859. The need for national continuity among athletic administrators was finally realized in 1976 when the NFHS Athletic Directors Advisory Committee entertained the idea of the formation of a national organization of athletic administrators. Until that point, the NFHS considered individual state athletic director associations to be sufficient representation but those associations felt a void in national continuity and regulation. Upon hearing the concerns of the state athletic directors associations, the Executive Committee of the NFHS approved the formation of a national athletic administrators association and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) was formed. 2012 marked the 35th year since the NIAAA established itself as a professional organization for those who lead education based athletic programs in our nation’s schools with 8392 members and a budget of over $ 1.6 million (History of the NIAAA, n.d.). The NIAAA, as an affiliate of the NFHS, guides those who are leaders of scholastic athletic programs and provides training and certification in accordance with National standards of athletic leadership. Conclusion It is no secret that lessons learned while participating in sport last a lifetime. Effective athletic programming governed and guided by national authority has the potential to reach millions of young lives each year. Statistics show that high school sports participation has risen for the 22nd year in a row, with an estimated 7.6 million high school students in the United States involved in high school athletics (US News and World Report, 2011, September 2). Millions of families across the nation could potentially be affected by the student athlete in their household who has learned lessons of social responsibility through participating in athletics. In turn, these families could potentially impact the nation’s communities. The trickling effect of producing socially responsible citizens through effective athletic programming has the potential to affect the entire population. As a sport leader, it is a privilege and an honor to be able to teach character, ethical behavior, and social responsibility to young athletes. It is commonly held that athletics may be the only avenue that some of our nation’s youth today will have to develop important character traits that will lead them to become productive, socially responsible citizens. Student athletes that are the product of broken families, economically deprived communities, and influences that may guide the student toward drugs and crime, are more apt to complete a high school education while participating in sports (Jable, 2004). It is well documented that the lessons learned in sports will last a lifetime and build character as the student athlete grows and develops into a socially responsible, caring, productive adult. Since the social responsibility of young athletes is influenced by education, role models, character, and environment, athletic programming must create an environment where it is both expected and acceptable to care about each other, and act for the greater good of the team, community and society. The mere fact that the avenue of sport and athletics may be the only opportunity for a student athlete to develop social responsibility, ethical behavior, and good character is reason enough to build athletic programming built around the fundamental beliefs of teaching these important life lessons. References AboutUs. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2015, from http://nfhs.org/who-we-are/aboutus “High School Sports Participation Increases for 22nd Straight Year”. US News and World Report. (2011, September 2) Accessed January 25, 2015. http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2011/09/02/high-school-sports-participation-increases-for-22nd-straight-year. History of the NIAAA | NIAAA. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2015, from http://www.niaaa.org/aboutthe-niaaa/history-of-the-niaaa/ Jable, J. T. (1986). "High School Athletics, History Justifies Extracurricular Status." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance 57, no. 2: 61–68. Retrieved February 01, 2015 from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=87490259&site=eds-live Jable, J. T. (2004). "Interscholastic Athletics." Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society. Retrieved February 01, 2015 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3402800239.html Lumpkin, A., & Stokowski, S. (2011). INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS: A character-building PRIVILEGE. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 47(3), 124-128. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=59575315&site=eds-live UCHSJSM5006-1 8 Running head: FUCHSJSM5006-1 2