I have a great deal of interests. Some of them are not typical for a person that has been in the FACS profession. I like to be a girlie, girl, but I also like to ride motorcycle all over the countryside. Another thing I do is follow professional sports pretty closely. I love baseball and football.
My mother listened to baseball on the radio very avidly. She got to the point at the end of her life where she would talk about a person from the Minnesota Twins by his first name (like they were a close friend) and we would say, "Who are you talking about?" I watch more sports than my husband. Not because he doesn't like sports but because he says he has better things to do with his time. (Point taken.)
This past week while I followed the news coverage about the Miami Dolphins football team my heart sank. As I read the stories and watch the interviews I feel as though some of the locker room antics resemble school or should I say, school gone out of control. We have a large group of men, playing a game, making a great deal of money in a short period of time. Often they have not experienced this type of financial gain and don't know how to handle it or the notoriety that goes with it. (They need a FACS professional!) Like a group of teens, going through school in four years, meeting a bunch of people, studying many subjects in a short period of time.
But more disturbing than anything is the locker room shenanigans that for some seems the norm and others, a not so pleasant situation that is coped with to move forward. I have heard many players say the Martin should have just asked these men to stop with the behavior that bothered him. I say, although none of us really knows what happened with that team; if it was so bad he had to leave, it was not as simple as requesting people to stop with the comments. It wasn't as simple as a punch in the face or a message on the phone either.
Many have said that this is the way it is, no one else will understand. I don't really think that is true. Every industry has a group of people working together and there are teams are formed in their work environments. They are not as extreme as a football field but there are teams. And...having a husband and friends working in the manufacturing industry it is pretty darn cut throat.
Some football locker rooms have not moved forward with time. I remember in the 70's hearing stories about my winning hometown high school coach and being shocked at what happened in the locker room and thinking, "That is awful!" I know you can't just pat a man on the back and say do better next time, but there have to be better ways than using racial comments and slurs.
Sometimes when I look at my former place of employment I feel like we have taken steps back in time with racial equality and it bothers me a great deal. We can not judge people by their ethnic background and their race. It is a very unfair practice to hold a couple of peoples bad behavior to a single population, and classify all that fit into that category on the same level. At the same time, when I see the most popular sport in the United States model this very poor behavior it does not speak well for the future of our children.
I suggest professionals working with young children use this football scandal as a teachable moment. You may be very surprised about the discussion and the conversation. It seems there are times as educators that we do not discuss certain subject areas because it is uncomfortable. I feel as though this is wrong. Kind of the, if we don't talk about race in my classroom it does not exist, mentality. Personally the less we talk about it the more uncomfortable it gets. And, just maybe, this not talking about it behavior might very well be where the friction begins.
I will be very interested in the outcome of this latest football issue and I hope that the industry chooses wisely in its investigation. A whole nation of young people are watching along with the rest of us.
With love from your former FACS teacher, Jane.
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