High school sports are a sacred institution- one that many towns take very, very seriously. And if these sports are sacred, football is the holy of holies. It receives the lion’s share of the funding, the fans, and the fanaticism. Players are revered as demigods. Their front yards are adorned with lawn signs trumpeting their name, number and the position they play.
They wear their jerseys to class on game days as if to remind everyone of the truly serious matter of the day- not the academics, but the body-crushing game that will be taking place once this other stuff is out of the way. Tales of players receiving favors and special treatment from faculty, staff, and fellow students are nothing new, and stories of players who can’t do even rudimentary work receiving passing grades so they can continue to bring the school glory on the field are so commonplace they rarely even raise an eyebrow anymore. Like it or not, this is the way it has always been. (more…)