You Say You Can Beat Me. The player who pumped his fist in triumph knew that he might have injured his opponent, and thereby gained an advantage for his team. This boy may not yet be cribbing term papers, but he's on the road to ethical lapses no less profound. I suspect many parents are as dismayed as I am by this trend in high-school sports. I don't think so.
Sports have a unique role to play in our young people's lives.
Few of us have marched them off to combat, as so many other generations have. But if our children are to navigate life's thornier challenges, they must develop a capacity for endurance under fire. Sports can help with this, for sports call forth qualities deep within young people that are far beyond the reach of the classroom. In our community, there are still people who view sports' role in this light. John Buri, varsity boys' basketball coach at Trinity School in Bloomington, is one.