Show THE POSITION OF ATHLETICS A high school editorial by allen alien stephenson Stop henson athletics do not hot hold the tha position they should in tile tho average high school in the united states toy today tho the instructors Instruct ora have stressed the ha doof development qt of a few athletes at tile tho expense of the largo majority of tho the students the ones who do not got this training are usually tho the very ones who need it most moat the standard american games basketball and football do not offer development and diversion for tho the masses of the students they morely merely develop a few of the most promising individuals in fit the school while tile tho rest of tho the students get no training at all school have two important missions to perform to develop tho the body physically and to develop sportsmanship and a sense of fair play that will tit fit those who gettko get the benefit of this training to play the he groat great game of life fairly tho the united states Is noted for its athletes yet careful observation shows that it Is not a n nation of athletes it a thousand men were choson choa from tile the united states at random and another in othor thousand from england or germany many the americans would bo be found to average lower physically than either of the other groups those these are facts established by army records and are absolutely true the united states has a small per contato of exceptionally well developed mon men and then there Is a gap with a comparative tow few persons persona while the largo large majority fall all below the average both england suit and germany have a much better balanced manhood physically than the U cited states who boasts of being a nation of at athletes all this should prove conclusively to the american people and to the instructors that games should bo be om am aloyed that wilt will bring brine a beator number of students to this training competition and tho the spirit of win nang means too much in school athletics today A clearer conception ot of tho the real value of this activity would bring much better results than thoice w i obtained by tho methods employed today |