Discussion outline sports In America: Has Our National Obsession Gone Too Far?

“Problem-solving Discussion is an effort on the part of a small group to reach a solution to a problem through informal interchange of facts, inferences, and judgments. This method of discussion seeks consensus rather than majority rule. The focus of this event should be the encouragement of cooperation and critical thinking to arrive at the collective goal of better understanding and problem solving.” (MSHSL Rules and Policies Manual)

The purpose and goal of the category of Discussion is to help students learn critical thinking skills, what constitutes quality research, effective group communication tactics, and problem-solving techniques. Unlike other forensics activities which are adversarial in nature, Discussion emphasizes that participants utilize consensus building tools to accomplish their goals. Encouraging a thoughtful exchange of substantive information, positive group interactions, and full participation by all should be the goal of every coach, judge, and student involved in this category. Subversive game-playing and confrontational verbal tactics should be dissuaded.

Overview of This Year’s Topic

By the time of the first Greek Olympic Games in 776 BCE, organized sporting events had already existed for centuries in many cultures across the globe. In modern times we have seen sports at all levels become a multi-billion dollar industry, directly responsible for at least 500,000 jobs nationwide. (The indirect numbers defy calculation.) The sheer amount of attention paid to sports -- media, merchandising, and money -- demonstrates just how ubiquitous sports has become and the level of obsession it has taken on. The purpose of this year’s topic is to explore how this obsession impacts the three distinct segments of people’s lifetimes. While each stage sees unique impacts and issues, there are other topics which overlap the age breakdowns.

While the Minnesota State High School League does not limit the use of topic areas used for Discussion at invitational speech tournaments, the Discussion Committee recommends the following “schedule” to give students experience with all parts of the outline:

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  January - February 6: State Topics (I. Youth/High School)
  
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  February 8 - February 27: Section Topics (II. Young Adult/College)
  
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  February 29 – March 26: Subsection Topics (III. Adult/Professional)
  
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  Tournament Managers Please Note: Whether or not you choose to follow the above schedule, it is vital that you communicate to your participating schools which part(s) of the outline you will use and how you will be organizing your Discussion rounds.
  

In a change from past years, subsection and section tournaments will no longer receive a full slate of tasks from which to choose. Instead they will receive a set of four or five tasks for those tournaments. Those tasks will be unique to one or two sets of tournaments and will not be repeated at other tournaments.

State tournament tasks will follow the same procedure as previous seasons.

1. 
   Length of season(s), time commitment, age of participants (how young is too young?)
   
2. 
   Specialization in one activity / Forgoing high school for junior leagues or similar
   
3. 
   Students or Athletes? (gpa requirements, graduation rates, drug testing)
   
4. 
   Impact of Title IX and Gender Equity
   
5. 
   Economic & Social Inequities (facilities, participants, community perceptions/priorities)
   
6. 
   Ethical Issues (cheating, out-of-control parents, hazing/bullying, social media)
   
7. 
   Health-related issues (concussions, body wear-and-tear, mental health)
   
8. 
   Separating Sports from School: What can we learn from other countries?
   

1. 
   Ethics / Culture of Sports and Athletes (hazing, racial issues, gender issues)
   
2. 
   Are They A Student? (gpa requirements, completion of degree, scholarships, preparing student athlete for life beyond sports)
   
3. 
   Are They An Athlete? (paying college players, professional leagues using colleges as a minor league, scholarships)
   
4. 
   Impact of Title IX and Gender Equity
   
5. 
   Economic, Social & Political Inequalities (public vs private colleges, revenue sharing)
   
6. 
   Media issues (exclusivity agreements, what gets broadcast, social media)
   
7. 
   Health-related issues (concussions, body wear-and-tear, mental health)
   
8. 
   Gambling/Betting (good or bad for sport?)
   

1. 
   Labor Issues (salaries/wages, working conditions, additional compensation)
   
2. 
   Ethics and culture (player scandals, team names, racial/diversity issues, hazing)
   
3. 
   Media Issues (revenue sharing, influence, perpetuation of stereotypes, social media)
   
4. 
   Gender Inequities (lack of opportunities, misogynistic attitudes, sexist actions)
   
5. 
   Economics & Politics of Leagues, Teams and Facilities (taxpayer subsidies, public vs private ownership, non-profit or for-profit)
   
6. 
   Health-related issues (concussions, body wear-and-tear, mental health, doping)
   
7. 
   Gambling/Betting (good or bad for sport?)
   
8. 
   Heroes & Role Models / Celebrities -- Are they? Should they be? Responsibilities?
   

Bennett, James. They Play, You Pay: Why Taxpayers Build Ballparks, Stadiums, and Arenas for BIllionaire Owners and Millionaire Players. (2012) ISBN: 146143312

Berg, Ted. “Many minor league baseball players earn less than minimum wage”. USA Today, March 8, 2015. http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/03/minor-league-baseball-players-lawsuit-mlb-mlbpa

Kelto, Anders. “How Likely Is It, Really, That Your Athletic Kid Will Turn Pro”. NPR News, September 4, 2015. http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/09/04/432795481/how-likely-is-it-really-that-your-athletic-kid-will-turn-pro

http://usatodayhss.com/2015/nata-tim-neal-mental-health-issues-in-student-athletes

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the-case-against-high-school-sports/309447/

Bowen, Daniel & Hitt, Colin. “High School Sports Aren’t Killing Academics”. The Atlantic, October 2013. http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/high-school-sports-arent-killing-academics/280155/

http://usatodayhss.com/2015/nata-tim-neal-mental-health-issues-in-student-athletes

Journal of Sports and Social Issues, http://jss.sagepub.com/

Journal of Sports Media, https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_sports_media/

National Collegiate Athletics Association, www.ncaa.org.

National Council of Youth Sports, http://www.ncys.org/

National Federation of State High School Associations, www.nhfs.org.

• 
  Rachel Schott – rachelgschott@gmail.com; rschott@graceville.k12.mn.us
  
• 
  Mike Worcester – mrmike55321@yahoo.com