Topic LectureResolved: On balance, students in grade 6-

12 benefit when their schools offer interscholastic sports.

David Childree & Donny Peters

Preview

What is a resolution?

Key terms

Pro and Con

Benefits & Harms: Different topic perspectives

What is a resolution?

Resolution

“a formal statement expressing the basics of a controversy”

“a formal statement expressing the basics of a controversy”

determines the topic “playing field”

Define Terms

On Balance

Source: Dictionary.com1. (v) “to have an equality or equivalence in weights, parts, etc.; be in equilibrium"

Source: Collins English Dictionary2. “after weighing up all the factors”

Source: Your Dictionary3. considering everything; all in all

Students in grades 6-12

● in the US, this is students ages 12-18

● includes public and private schools

Benefit

Dictionary.reference.com“1. something that is advantageous or good; an advantage”

Merriam Webster.com

“2. something that promotes well being”

Offer1of·fer verb \ˈo-fər, ˈä-\

: to give someone the opportunity to accept or take (something)

: to say you are willing to do something

: to make (something) available : to provide or supply (something)

-Merriam Webster Dictionary

It is provided and made available, but it is still an option people can choose to participate in, and students are not forced to participate. It also suggests funding and organization and management.

OFFER

Does the resolution assume that a school or school system knows how to intelligently offer sports? If schools do this for the first time, and are inexperienced at offering sports, what could go wrong?

The “offer” is not definite, but the benefits and harms might be definite.

Interscholastic sports

LADH.org

"sports events, competitions, etc. occurring between two or more schools"

Interscholastic vs. Intramural

Interscholastic = athletic competition between at least 2 different schools

Intramural = athletic competition within asingle school

Pro and Con

Pro

supports the resolution

should prove the resolution true/beneficial

Con

against the resolution

proves the resolution false/not beneficial

argues the pro does not support the resolution

Benefits & Harms: Different Topic Perspectives

Skill Development

Benefitso Social skills, leadership skills, ability to work with others

o Seeing many aspects of a big picture at once

o Strategy, problem-solving skills, endurance, competition

o Mobility, goal-setting, planning

o Seeing obstacles as overcome-able

Skill Development

Harmso competition over emphasized leads to lack of development of

non-competitive based skills

o focus shifted away from classes/ studies

o peer pressure or feeling of anxiety to fit in.. popular v unpopular

Health and Physical EffectsBenefits

o Builds muscle, flexibility, cardio-respiratory function

o Increases life expectancy

o Can help prevent colon cancer, breast cancer

o Reduces inactivity and related disease risk

o Reduces depression

o Reduces pregnancy rate

Health and Physical Effects

Harmso Dangers and injuries

o Performance enhancing drugs

o Spread of disease/sickness

Health DataApproximately 40% of deaths related to coronary heart disease are related to inadequate physical activity. Physical inactivity can double risk of coronary heart disease – UK’s leading cause of death.

Physical activity helps lower risk of developing (type 2) diabetes. It increases insulin sensitivity as much as 25%, so circulating concentrations of insulin and adrenaline are much lower in a physically active person. It improves blood glucose levels.

The risk of colon cancer is up to 3 times higher for sedentary people than for the most active members of the population.

According to the British Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

Individual, Community, Society

Benefitso Lower dropout rate→ increase health, decrease crime, increase job

placement, money, quality of life...

o College Scholarships

o Rule of Law

o Social Capital

o Problem-solving skills in a complex world - good for politics, peace, economy, innovation...

Individual, Community, Society

Harmso divides communities

o a community’s worth is based on athletic success

Suicide● Effects of playing sports

o Social skills, leadership skills, work with others

o Seeing many aspects of a big picture at once

o being able to live with a combination of good and bad outcomes, still endure, striving for better outcomes

o Unhealthy side of competition

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2563797/

Suicide

● differences for boys and girls

● difference between athletes and non-athletes

● enforcing stereotypes

● reliability

Economic Issues

Benefits● can bring in money to the school

● reduced health and hospital costs, due to less overweight and unhealthy people

● less sick days at work, more productive workforce

● skills on the job, making our workforce more valuable, productive, resilient, and innovative

Economic Issues

Harms● can shift money and focus away from academics

● high insurance costs and litigious society

● create imbalance and conflict within a school

● economic disparity can discourage some kids/schools

● Could take years to perfect a profitable system… so it could be that the costs are now and the benefits are later

Review

What is a resolution

Key terms

Pro & Con

Benefits & harms

Next: Demonstration Debate