Lascelve Graham | Champs and Messrs Dallas

Messeurs Patrick and Garth Dallas, a very formidable pair, in an article titled, “In defence of Champs”, objected to previous articles by Major Basil Jarrett and me, which looked at some negatives associated with Champs. Of course, with the passion, enthusiasm and general strong support for Champs, an article like theirs was anticipated. It is also not surprising that the article was written by KC old boys (the elder of whom I know well), since it is alleged that KC has benefited handsomely, through the years, from the unwholesome practice of recruiting for sports.

I am sure Major Jarrett is more than capable of speaking for himself. I will just deal with the instances where my article was mentioned.

Of course, Major Jarrett and I defend Champs ourselves. Its intrinsic value has never been questioned. It is some of the practices that Champs has fuelled like the overemphasis on winning at sports, at the high-school level and the concomitant bringing in of athletes based on their sports ability, with all its negative ramifications, which we detest and would like to see changed.

I am flattered that where my views were mentioned, they were supported by the gentlemen, who said, for example, “Both Jarrett and Graham raise valid concerns about the commercialisation and potentially misplaced priorities within the Champs competition; Graham rightly highlighted that school is one of the main socialising agents of society. Indeed, high-school sporting activities ought to be, and remain, “co-curricular activities” and “the priority is to help teach life lessons” that aid in producing young citizens that are educated and also have experiences in a wide range of ideas or activities; Jarrett’s concerns about the commercialisation and potential loss of core values in Champs, and Graham’s concerns that high-profile high schools are now awash with athletes that did not qualify to do the curriculum at a particular school, are both worthy of attention”.

They seem to accept above, that high-school sporting activities ought to be and remain, “co-curricular activities”.

QUALIFY FOR CURRICULUM

Our publicly announced protocol to get into, especially the “better” high schools, demands that students qualify for the curriculum. This implies that one has to qualify for the curriculum before being eligible to engage in the co-curriculum at that school. Therefore to bring in persons based on their co-curricular ability is a corruption, an undermining, a compromising of the education/socialisation system which, among other things, does an injustice to the poor children who have sacrificed to legitimately earn their places at that school, as well as those who would legitimately be next in line to enter the school. They are unfairly barred from experiencing the full socialising effects of co-curricular activities, which they have earned or would earn. This is a negative socialising outcome for these children. Their places have been taken by outsiders, local and foreign, because of this win-at-all-costs approach to school sports.

Among other things, the children learn that there is nothing wrong with beating the system, since the authorities do it. There is nothing wrong with lying about it and rationalising it away, since the authorities do it, even when all in the system know they are lying. This is a weakening of the education/socialisation system for which Champs is one of the drivers.

To deny our poor students the opportunity to represent their school, because of a double standard whereby others are brought in through the back door, based on their co-curricular ability, is a grave injustice, an unfair act and should be banned! Champs because of the intense, counter-productive, win-at-all-costs competitiveness, which it now fosters, is one of the drivers of this activity.

Some years ago, in seeking the hard evidence to verify the many benefits proponents of recruiting for sports alleged (scholarships, etc.), the Ministry of Education engaged a reputable research firm, owned by a KC old boy (and agreed to by the leadership of ISSA, who confirmed that schools would be willing to cooperate with the researcher), to look at the number of sports recruits taken in by schools and their outcomes, including educational performance, over a period of time. One had expected that since so much good was being done for these many recruits, the schools would have been overjoyed to open their books and allow the proper assessment to be done, so that the positive results could be shouted from the mountaintops. Surprisingly, this was not the case. I wonder why. The company gave up in disgust after three months of trying.

RECRUITING HEAVILY

It is impossible for sometime now, to win Champs or schoolboy football without recruiting heavily. There is one school coach who stated in a social media video sometime ago that in the region of 70 per cent of the Champs team was recruited. The whole starting-11 of schoolboy football teams has been recruited. Schools recruit to win, full stop! When the need to win is so overpowering, sports is no longer the teaching/learning tool it should be in school. This leads to many ills as the education/socialisation system is compromised, distorted, weakened.

Many times this lack of pro-social strengthening does not come to public attention, but ever so often it vents as crass, crude, even violent, anti-social behaviour. Recently, a video made the rounds showing a Champs recruit at a school which does very well at Champs, jumping from a wall and shoving the teacher. The teacher, it is said, was told, by the authorities, to cool it, since the young man was due to perform at Champs shortly. Through the years there have been a number of instances of antisocial behaviour associated with school sports, Champs. Some years ago after Champs parties had to be banned because of the violence they generated.

Banning recruiting for sports would give other schools a chance to do well, to be associated with excellence and lessen the distortion in our education/socialisation system.

However, the business of Champs makes this very difficult to do as the hordes of supporters keep crying out for more ent ertainment, more excitement, more money. Our children will continue to be used and abused, as the efficacy of sports as a co-curricular, socialising, teaching/learning tool, continues to be eroded and Champs continues to grow as a spectacle.

Dr Lascelve ‘Muggy’ Graham is a former captain of Manning, All-Manning, All-Schools and All-Jamaica football teams. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com