The Reality of Student-Athletes

* Re “Lessons on Field Should Apply to Classrooms,” Orange County Voices, Aug. 31:

Oh, how many times when I, stepping in front of a group of students to discuss coming academic challenges, wanted to use the sports metaphor.

Yet, again and again, I’ve rethought that whim and wisely let it go. Instilling children with the motivation to tough it out for education, as they would for sports, makes sense and nonsense. In almost every paragraph Byrne reveals a lack of reality about how student-athletes aspire and succeed in sports and the goals of education.

Byrne: “Hopeful students who would be stars follow the rules and rise to meet good coaches’ standards.”

Reality: Few students start by aiming at being stars; their goal is to make the team. Before that they know little of the coach’s standards. Further, there are different teams and different standards. Consider both the status and the difficulties in just getting on a men’s basketball team in a high school of between 1,500 and 2,000 students.

Byrne: “Only a few fortunate people are born with natural athletic ability. Conversely, with occasional exceptions, all children are born with natural ability to learn. . . .”

Reality: She made both sides of that up. It’s a wonderful unsupported sentiment. There is mental toughness and ability to concentrate and intuition about the nature of things that allows one child to learn effortlessly, while the remaining high school class is miles behind.

MICHAEL D. FRIED

Irvine