Sports in School: The Future of an Institution. - Review - book review

Black Issues in Higher Education, April 26, 2001 by Karen A. Celestan

Sports in School: The Future of an Institution By John R. Gerdy, editor Teachers College Press 192 pp. $19.95

Organized sports as an educational and recreational tool for children has received a lot of attention recently with the good, the bad and the ugly parent or coach at the forefront. The violent death of a hockey coach at the hands of an irate parent after a Little League game in 2000 drew national attention. However, the ultimate question remains: Are sports truly serving the best interest of children and contributing to their physical and emotional well-being, or is the institution merely supporting the needs of ego-driven parents and hypercritical, undertrained coaches?

John R. Gerdy, a former NBA player, sports administrator and college professor, has gathered an impressive collection of essays from coaches, ex-players and academics to take a pointed look at the influence of sports on young people and society at large. Sports in School: The Future of an Institution turns over the shiny rock to expose the myth of this system as a moral compass believed to aid in the positive development of children and young adults.

With contributions from a cross section of professors and administrators, Sports in Schools states that the organized sport is actually a business for many colleges and the "role model" icon is a racially motivated attempt to placate nervous White fans. The book also looks at the role of women in sports, the lack of training for coaches and the detrimental effect of modem-day sports on American culture.

The "superstar" essays in this collection include Todd W. Crosset's "Role Model," Derrick Gragg's "Race in Athletics," Darlene Bailey's "Women in Sports," Bill Curry's "The Pedestals Are Vacant" and Gerdy's "Want Value for Education Dollars? Try Music!"

These entries hit their central points in a clear and concise manner and are unafraid of toppling long-held institutions or cherished beliefs to expose the underbelly of the profiteering and status that often come at the expense of young people and their precious development.

While Sports in Schools is a critical work in this age of a pervasive win-at-all-costs mentality, it will fail to reach the very audience that needs the message most: coaches, parents and a public that craves excitement coupled with the desire to bask in the glow of "I Wanna Be Like Mike" stardom. The book reads like a straight doctoral thesis, complete with tables, an overabundance of footnotes and references to dusty Jungian and Freudian theories that will make most folks' eyes glaze over. The excellent points about racism and sexism in sports at the collegiate level and the destruction of the "playtime" element for children who participate in organized sports are buffed in statistics and minutiae.

Gerdy and his fellow administrators and professors meant well in their effort to expose the inconsistencies of sports in today's society and the effect on our children's delicate, overassaulted psyches, but they obviously got caught up in fact-telling and theory rattling. It's almost as if two books should have been written: one to flesh out several professors' academic portfolios, and the other to send a strong and urgent message to reshape organized sports.

-- Karen A. Celestan is a free-lance writer, media coordinator for Festival Productions, Inc., and a host of the Writers' Forum radio program on WRBH-FM in New Orleans.