[Speed Gibson,
Thursday July 26, 2007 at 11:19pm]
First Down
If I'm watching my TV accounts correctly, Wayzata High School has opened football practice, in July, and before the Minnesota Vikings. Has high school football become that big a business?
July is the peak of summer. These kids should be out enjoying their summer, or maybe working, not gearing up for football in the heat. Granted, many can't wait, but peer pressure no doubt has some others there a bit sooner than they would otherwise like.
July at least used to be the one month the family could count on for vacations. Graduations and weddings wrap up in June, and back to school shopping can wait until August. When I was growing up, the Calhoun and Harriet beaches closed for the season in early August (algae I think), so even I started thinking about school.
There ought to be a law. For at least one full month a year, the public school systems should leave our kids completely alone.
July is the peak of summer. These kids should be out enjoying their summer, or maybe working, not gearing up for football in the heat. Granted, many can't wait, but peer pressure no doubt has some others there a bit sooner than they would otherwise like.
July at least used to be the one month the family could count on for vacations. Graduations and weddings wrap up in June, and back to school shopping can wait until August. When I was growing up, the Calhoun and Harriet beaches closed for the season in early August (algae I think), so even I started thinking about school.
There ought to be a law. For at least one full month a year, the public school systems should leave our kids completely alone.
IIRC, at one time the state high school league prohibited official practices until a few weeks before the season started. Of course, the schools got around that by having "captain's practices" that were (allegedly) organized by parents or other non-paid volunteers.
High school athletics is turning into a business just like college sports. I noticed that the HS hockey games were on TV last season (not just the tourneys, but regular-season games), complete with coach and player interviews.