Athletics and Economy

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/06/23/stoneham_cuts_all_sports_at_high_school/
http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2007/09/02/more_high_school_athletes_have_to_pay_to_play/
This is an interesting article that I found regarding a public school in Massachusetts that decided to cut all sports from their program due to financial reasons. Will North and South Carolina eventually implement a similar idea to rid our financial problems?

It is shocking to me that the athletic program is the first thing to go when financial problems arise. I understand that having various athletic teams in the school system does put a financial burden on the school board as well as the community. However, the impact of taking sports out of schools could cause a controversy that may outweigh the benefits of cutting sports. In a community of 23,000 people, Stoneham’s residents have problems paying the taxes to keep their public high school operating as well as pay for sport programs to stay up and running. The sports program alone at Stoneham requires $600,000 of the school’s total budget. If schools start to get rid of athletics, then how many students will actually stay? Will this decision increase the amount of drop outs each year and put a damper on the amount of athletes that pursue a college education? The increasing popularity of athletics in the public school system has kept many students in school as well as pushed other students to strive hard to make necessary grades in order to stay on their team. Athletics promote students to socialize and forces them to attend classes. If they do not attend classes, they cannot play in the games. Some students that cannot afford to attend college have the chance of receiving a full ride for athletics. If the athletic programs are taken out of the school system then how will these individuals showcase their talent in order to receive a scholarship? Could this keep athletes from attending college and bettering themselves as well as their future? Athletics are a huge part of today’s public school system and the idea to dismiss them from the school system will not be taken lightly.

This article is continued in a more recent one published in September. Stoneham as well as other public schools in the area of Boston decided on raising taxes by implementing a trash fee to all residents of the community. This tax increase on top of a participation fee, to be paid by the athletes, has helped to reinstate athletics back into local schools. The only problem that has been seen so far is that those who are less fortunate do not have the money to participate and this may cause these particular students to leave the school or to drop out all together. Will this controversy continue to the point of excluding sports from public education all together and if it does will the number of students attending college decrease? Will college and professional sports go downhill as well?