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SportGlobe
December 5-11, 2012
Email: sportglobe2005@yahoo.com
M
r Tracey lived up to his name and gave
me a proper tracing in last week’s
SportGlobe (November 28-
December 4) for daring to follow, to
its logical conclusion, his argument
expressed in the November 7-13
edition, that the importation of
sports talent by our high schools is
alright because, “it is a microcosm
of the world we live in, individuals
act in self-interest”.
I suppose, like most of us, he was
startled and didn’t like the road it
would logically force us to tread.
However, instead of doing the
manly thing and accepting he had
made a mistake, he tries another
diversionary tactic.
He lashes out in a futile attempt
to obfuscate the issue and confuse
the public. He endeavours to per-
sonally attack and ridicule the min-
ister of education and myself.
More heat, no light. It is the same old story, if
you can’t handle the message, kill the messenger.
Mr Tracey asserts that I am saying, among
other things, that “high schools in Jamaica do
not, or should not, play sports to win and that
“student athletes displace other non-sports stu-
dents in schools and, thus, deprive those other
students an opportunity to get an education”.
His article is littered with very emotive words,
“imbecilic”, “false and silly”. It seems Mr Tracey
is shadow boxing, because he is fighting with con-
cepts I never proposed.
INTELLECTUALLY DISHONEST
My friends suggest Mr Tracey is moronic, intel-
lectually dishonest and a comedian whose ranti-
ngs should not be taken seriously. I don’t think so.
I believe Mr Tracey sincerely does not understand
what I have been saying. Let me reiterate, in the
simplest terms possible.
Yes, high schools should play to win, but they
should use the students that our competitive, aca-
demic system allocates them. This is the pool from
which, except in hardship cases, schools should
choose the students who represent
them at sports, or any other activity
for which the school needs student
representation.
Schools should not use the five per
cent rule, or any other means, to beat
the system. It is not in keeping with
the spirit or philosophy of educational
sports.
They should not import/recruit/
buy/transfer sports stars, based on
their sports ability, in an attempt to
influence the outcome of sporting
events between schools.
They should not be pursuing the win-
at-all-cost approach, which importa-
tion/recruiting/buying/transferring for
athletic purposes signals.
Our high schools are specialised,
academic/ technical inst i tut ions,
which a l so have a very cruc i a l
socialising function.
High schools are not sports academies or profes-
sional sports clubs, where it would be quite appro-
priate to use sports ability as the entry require-
ment.
Schools have space for only a given number of
students so, any student (A) who is given a space
in a preferred school, displaces another student
(B) who would have been there had (A) not been
given the space.
PREFERRED SCHOOL
It follows, therefore, that if (B) did well enough
in the entrance exam (GSAT etc.) to earn a place
in the preferred school, based on our declared
competitive academic system, but the space is
given instead to (A) because he can kick a football,
although he did worse on the exam, or did not
even do the exam, then (A) would have displaced
(B) in the school.
This is a double standard and is unfair to (B),
who is displaced based on a standard for which
he was not even tested sports
ability!
Student (B) may, in fact, be a
better ’baller than (A) but (B)
focused on what the society told
him were the requirements to
earn a place in that school, his
academics.
I hope the above make things a
little clearer for Mr Tracey and
that he will not now feel the need
to lash out as wildly, being no
longer as perturbed, disturbed,
bothered and bewildered, as peo-
ple often are, by the unknown, by
the yet unfathomable.
Dr Lascelve ‘Muggy’ Graham
former St George’s College, All-
Manning, All-Schools and
Jamaica football captain.
Please, Mr Tracey,
try to understand
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Dr Lascelve ‘Muggy’ Graham