Sports should take backseat
Morning briefing
Friday, February 26, 2021
I spent the first half of my newspaper career - 20 years - working in the sports department. I spent another 10 years watching my own son compete in a sports and have always been a fan.
It gives me a unique perspective about whether to play or not to play.
As a sports editor, I got to see up close the impact sports had on the boys and girls who competed. I got to see my own son grow as an athlete and a person because of sports. I also got to see how the competitions were often dramatically blown out of proportion by the adults in the room, specifically the parents.
My son’s high school experience would have been far less richer without sports, the school musical and orchestra concerts in which he participated, so I get it. The students are losing a lot during this pandemic.
But no one group’s interests should ever supersede the interests of the entire community.
The Queensbury Board of Education recently made a decision not to play indoor sports like basketball and wrestling. It was a 5-4 vote. It was a tough call and one that stands out because most of the other schools have decided to take a risk. Maybe they just buckled to the pressure from parents.
Too often we heard from parents that students are trying to win scholarships to go to college. The reality is almost no one gets a full scholarship to go to college. Those that pay sports at the Division II level might get small scholarships or the tuition reduced if you bring certain activities to the table. But that is true of all students, not just athletes.
What was startling to hear in reading The Post-Star was that one member of the Queensbury Board of Education who voted not to play suddenly resigned without giving a reason.
Scrivner had earlier said, “If there were one instance of somebody being infected because of high risk sports and it means the loss of life, I couldn’t life with myself.”
That is someone who is voting his conscious - something in short supply these days - and standing up for the overall welfare of the community.
You have to respect that.
And you must accept it without reservation.
Last night, the Queensbury Board of Education had to decide whether it would go forward with the canceled fall sports in the spring - sports like football and soccer.
This time it voted 8-0 to allow those sports to go forward. The Post-Star reported that board members indicated Scrivner had resigned because of harassment including this one statement from board member Kathleen Holser:
”Everyone is entitled to their viewpoint. However, what I cannot support; what I cannot respect is the harassment and the intimidation and the attacks on the individuals’ character due to those differences. Our community is better than that,” Holser said.
Bravos to Ms. Holser.
But it appears the community is not better than that. At least, not yet.
Golden Globes
I’m a big movie fan and I love awards season. The Golden Globes will be held Sunday night on NBC so I’ve been hurrying to take in as many of the nominated films as possible. I’ve seen all but a few of the films nominated. It’s been a little easier this season because because so many of the films have been streaming online instead of being in theaters.
Hoping to take in “Nomadland” and “The United States vs. Billie Holliday” before Sunday night.
One of the films nominated for Best Motion Picture, Drama can be rented online for $19.99. It raises a quandary for me. While I would think nothing of paying $20 for two tickets in a theater, I’m reluctant to spend the same amount at home where the popcorn is a lot cheaper.
I’m wondering if others have the same issues? I wonder if this is the future?
Great journalism
I often hear there are is no good journalism taking place. There is less of it in our community newspapers, but many news organizations are still doing great journalism.
We are at the beginning of the journalism awards season, so you might want to check out some of the great work being honored. The George Polk Awards were announced on Wednesday.
Here is a link to some of the great work being done: