There was a time when I would have read a report on the Colorado High School Athletics Association having a goal of supporting esports in at least 50 percent of high schools as a mislabeling of an activity. No, BTW, I don't know the date the association has in mind for reaching that percentage, and I assume the hope is for all schools to offer some level of esports eventually.
I had a limited view of what a sport was while growing up, but a ball was almost always involved. Wrestling was an exception as were most track events, but cheerleading and poms and dance teams? They seemed to fit in a specialized "performance" category, much like marching band. I mention marching band only because in my rapidly receding personal history I helped create a P.E. credit for marching band members in fall trimester. A P.E. credit is not a sport, of course, but it's a close cousin.
Esports are a late-comer to my evolving list of sports activities, though I'm not sure I would include them under "athletics." But that will likely change, particularly if one of our grandsons ends up joining a high school esports team.
One of the things I like most about high school sports is that students can be involved in teams, learning so much more about themselves and about how to function in a diverse society than mere games can accomplish. Most of what high school athletes truly treasure from their sports revolves around friendships, and learning to appreciate people they might never have even met, and bonding activities, and time-management and dedication.
Lots of people are like me, I assume, never playing organized sports after high school (and many students don't get to participate in sports at all as athletics tend to funnel the average out of the sport). But the lessons I learned follow me everywhere (and my ancient stories annoy even those who love me).
Still, esports?
A Japanese researcher proposed eight "defining characteristics" of sports: physical training, victory or defeat, mental training, pleasure, sport rules, world wide organization, fiction and modern rationalism. That seems quite comprehensive and I am still trying to link them all together. I am also not certain that all eight must be present to qualify an activity as a sport. In fact, I have hazy arguments against, say, the need for "world wide organization." Can't a kid invent her own sport, played exclusively in her neighborhood?
But esports certainly possesses most of those eight characteristics, with the "physical training" category being somewhat suspect. Yet it's hard to separate the discipline of focus and dexterity from that of concentration and patience and drive to win.
But here's the real reason I have come around to esports in particular: they provide an opportunity for community that many schools have difficulty creating. I guess when everyone gathers in the gym to cheer for their teams (or boo their opponents), there can be some sense of belonging, but most assemblies are "mandatory fun" activities.
It's a failing of how high schools are structured, I suppose, that most kids entering a large comprehensive high school may feel lost in the mob, feeling isolated and unsupported.
If I were in charge of public schools, I would consider a requirement that EVERY student must participate in a sport, club or performance group throughout their high school years. Mandates are a tough sell, of course, and the first thing that happens is the "what abouts?" and the unique exceptions that would occur to a critic.
I would love a serious debate that addresses all those exceptions to the rule and "what abouts?"
Bottom line: if esports provides some students with a place to gather and interact and work with others toward a competitive goal, I am for them.
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