sports and adolescent school violence

Likewise, Good and Youth Radio have an infographic up questioning some common assumptions about sports in schools, where it is assumed all sports add value. In hard economic times, expanding sports programs may mean turning to less traditional sports with lower overhead and stronger anti-violence effects. Opening schools up to longer hours to those who need or want after school programs could increase employment and offer kids more support. Using that same approach and allowing all families to choose what services they need and want could begin to transform schools by empowering families in a core way. 

Short Fuses: Do Some Sports Make Kids More Violent? - News - GOOD:
Pump money into youth athletics and you'll decrease anti-social behavior and fighting, right? Well, the truth is far murkier, points out Elias De Leon from Youth Radio.

Coakley and McKenna stand on two sides of a divide when it comes to scientific and common-sense understandings of youth violence and how sports can be used to control it. Across the country, midnight basketball leagues and after-school teams claim to reduce juvenile violent crimes by keeping kids off the streets and playing games. But of all the model violence prevention programs in a national database out of University of Colorado in Boulder, none are sports-based. The divide is there even among people whose jobs are to bridge the science and the policies of curbing juvenile crime.


4 comments:

Ben Lloyd said...

Some interesting statistics there. Obviously I would like to see more of the research which has led to these conclusions though so I can see how the conclusions were reached for myself.

Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

A high school in Appleton, Wisconsin tried an experiment under the enlightened guidance of their principal, LuAnn Coenen. She wanted to see if she could positively affect the fighting, weapons-carrying and general lack of focus and discipline in the school by changing the food the kids ate.

Vending machines were replaced with water coolers; hamburgers and French fries were taken off the menu and replaced with fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grain breads and a salad bar. With the departure of junk food, she also saw the departure of vandalism, litter and the need for police patrolling her hallways. The students were calm, socially engaged and focused on their schoolwork. Problems were minimal. And all Ms. Coenen did was change the menu!

Please watch "Forks Over Knives" for FREE to learn about the implications of a meat-based diet vs a plant-based diet. Go to http://www.hulu.com/watch/279734 and do yourself and your family a favor!

defter said...

I found this from the Source listed on the infographic: http://asr.sagepub.com/content/72/6/1019.extract Yes, I wish they would link to the source.

defter said...

That's amazing. I'll watch the movie. But I firmly believe that it could have a powerful impact. Thanks for the heads up.