In response to a Charleston, SC Post and Courier newspaper article Sat Sept 2 2017 about on-line physical education being available and popular, the following is offered in response/opposition. Good grief.

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No kidding.

The nation-wide emphasis on varsity and junior varsity competition, down to 7th grade, has existed for decades to serve only a tiny minority of enrolled students everywhere. The talented few compete, the rest are expected to enthusiastically support them, whether they want to or not. Makes no difference the sport.

Meanwhile, out on the grassy fields of multiple sports, CTE continues to take lives/damage brains, eventually, through repeated knocks to the developing brains and skulls of the young and sometimes gifted. Parents continue to look the other way. Why, I have no idea.

On-line physical education classes are nothing more than logging what you may or may not have done over time. Seriously? Intramural sports, on the other hand, guarantees: actual physical activity, increased heartrate, aerobic gain, sweat, effort, learning about competition, digging down inside one's self to try harder, never give up, to win and lose with grace. You know, sportsmanship, win or lose. Are these key-tappers receiving these types of benefits sitting in the bleachers? Ehh, probably not. Definitely not. The same group of young people afraid to shower with their peers, has zero problem walking in public with their pants hanging below their buttocks and their chests exposed. Weak excuse.

Parents, and taxpayers without children in the school systems, constantly complain about costs.
Well, here's an area to dramatically trim costs. Eliminate high school varsity sports entirely. If your child wants to play enroll him/her in an off-campus program at your expense, not ours.

Implement intramural sports program across the curriculum starting in 7th grade. Every student including special needs, must enroll in one sport, preferably two, every year. Flag football, volleyball, basketball, badminton, softball, wrestling, field hockey, soccer, you name it. EVERYONE participates. We can dial down this letter jacket/bmoc thing. Teachers and students have their favorite sports team player's name and number all over the hallways and classrooms, while National Honor Society and IB students and the musically and artistically gifted routinely get ignored. No pep rallies for them, have you noticed?

No Friday night light bill. No stadium maintenance. No security. Far less insurance. Far less equipment needed. Flag football requires plastic belts and flags, tennis shoes, and a grass field. No traveling budget. No traveling on the nation's apparently oldest school busses. No students bouncing along on C averages, being released from desperately needed classroom time early, to go knock themselves senseless somewhere. Concussions will happen during intramurals too, but in far less numbers and should occur at less impact speed.

School spirit, often cited by principals as key to an entire school's self-worth, won't suffer. Indeed, the number of students feeling better and more self-confident about themselves should actually rise. The inclusion of ALL students in physical fitness training and competition is better for our society as a whole. Isn't this the point of public education, to educate and improve ALL students? Take a look around next time you're out running errands, etc. We are a woefully out of shape nation. Our education system's failings in this crucial area of student development is a prime reason, but not the only one.

Anyone swallowing this bilge water about on-line physical education needs to have their head examined.