Some hard truths about the buying of student athletes

Dr Kevin Asher, a Wolmers Old Boy, youth football coach, former college and professional football player residing in the United States, throws himself fully behind the practice by schools of buying student athletes. In this article prepared fofr the Jamaica Observer, Dr Asher says that only in improving the academic and athletic infrastructure at all Jamaican high schools would we see Education Minister Ronald Thwaites and Minister of Transportation, Works and Housing Omar Davies “walking hand in hand on the issue of secondary school zoning”:

There has been much said recently about high school sports and the practice of importing players by certain schools and coaches. While it may seem easy to blame the coaches, we must not forget that the transfer of any student in high school also involves the parents and the headmasters.

Jamaican high schools have been tasked with the major role of preparing our children to become independent, functional, educated members of society. For the majority of Jamaicans, high school is their highest level of formal education. This underscores the importance of the quality of our high school education here. It is widely known that graduates from certain high schools in Jamaica have better chances of economic success. That these graduates make up the majority of our university students is also no coincidence. Parents will thus send their children to live, miles away with relatives, if they manage to get into any of these schools.

It is also common knowledge that children who attend certain high schools have limited academic or economic options upon graduation. The much maligned study by the Jamaica Constabulary Force showing the relationship between certain schools and criminal behaviour, drives home this point.

We see a similar trend with high school sports. Athletes from certain high schools perform consistently well in sports. I chose Wolmers Boys School, many years ago, primarily on the basis of its success in the Manning Cup competition. That it was one of the best high schools in Jamaica was secondary. It was easily one of the best decisions I made. I subsequently played Manning cup football for Wolmers and was lucky enough to earn a scholarship to a United States university after sixth form.

I was well prepared by Wolmers for university studies, and felt equally competent on the football field. In the United States, parents will often bypass free public education to send their children to expensive private schools with rich histories of academic and sporting accomplishments. It improves their chances of getting into elite universities where they can continue to pursue their dreams. This same mentality carries over to youth sports in the US. Using soccer as an example, kids are often driven upwards of 100 miles, two to three times per week, to practise with their select travel soccer teams. They will often exceed this mileage travelling to games on the weekends.

I was well prepared by Wolmers for university studies, and felt equally competent on the football field. In the United States, parents will often bypass free public education to send their children to expensive private schools with rich histories of academic and sporting accomplishments. It improves their chances of getting into elite universities where they can continue to pursue their dreams. This same mentality carries over to youth sports in the US. Using soccer as an example, kids are often driven upwards of 100 miles, two to three times per week, to practise with their select travel soccer teams. They will often exceed this mileage travelling to games on the weekends.

We need to appreciate this unique journey of the student athlete. Most spend many hours fine-tuning their craft and at the same time are expected to maintain the same academic standards as the general student body. When their schoolmates are off on summer vacation, they are out in the hot sun on the training fields. After school, when most of their classmates are safely at home, they are still toiling on the fields. Today’s athletes have also evolved: They have to be bigger, faster and stronger. It requires more work, dedication and time to be a competitive athlete today.

There are also more economic options now, beyond high school via professional careers, coaching, or the business industry of sports. We therefore should no longer minimise the value of their athletic development in high school as this is the period during which they have to master the skill sets necessary for professional success. Most professional coaches will tell you that if certain skills are not mastered by age 12, they will never be mastered by a footballer.

We all know the value of an academic education, but for those considering a professional athletic career, however, their sporting development is just as important. There are those who will say that schools are for learning, and I will agree. However, we have to expand our concept of learning to include sports as a career and a business industry. In the English Premier League(EPL), the average footballer makes more than 10 times the average salary of a medical doctor. Not all footballers make it to the EPL, but worldwide, football alone, is a trillion dollar industry. The vast majority of that money is generated off the field in affiliated industries where an athletic background makes you more competitive.

There is no doubt that Jamaican schools benefit from the hard work of their athletes. Sporting success brings money, media attention and bragging rights. The coaches have the best interest of their players in mind and recognise the value of education. They also know about the suspension of players if they don’t maintain the minimum academic standards set by ISSA. We also have to admit that some schools are much better at preparing their student athletes for academics and sports beyond high school. These schools actively support coaches who continue the culture of winning.

The savvy student athlete and any caring parent will instinctively gravitate to these schools. Nobody makes any noise when a student from Turks and Caicos, Anguilla, or Timbuk Three transfers to one of these high schools. We Jamaicans need to ask then, why is there such an uproar when a child from rural Jamaica or one of Kingston’s ghettoes makes such a transfer to further their education.

Clearly, Jamaican high school athletics is evolving, and it is also obvious that all the stakeholders have something to gain from winning. Parents instinctively want what is best for their children. The student athletes want to move on to the “next level”. Coaches want job security and opportunities at the national and international level as well.

Likewise, our concept of the student athlete must also change. St Georges College, with one of the best legacy of learning in Jamaica, recently embraced this reality when they announced their intention to start a football academy. They won the Manning Cup and Oliver Shield in 2012 and in the process, raised the bar in high school football. Others will soon follow. Let us not hate the players, but try to fix the game.

We should concentrate our efforts on improving the academic and athletic infrastructure at ALL Jamaican high schools. When we “level the playing fields”, the incentive for players to transfer to other school will be less, and “importation of ballers or track stars” may become a thing of the past. We may then see Education Minister Ronald Thwaites and Minister of Transportation, Works and Housing Omar Davies walking hand in hand on the issue of secondary school zoning.

Pic: Dr Kevin Asher