preview

Do Sports Build Character Or Damage It?

Good Essays

Sports have always been a hot topic in the academic world. They are seen as a great extracurricular activity that creates a sense of community between players. On the other hand, sports are viewed as a distraction from school. Everyone can agree that sports have become the focal point at many schools leading teachers to feel academics have become secondary. The seemingly endless debate is addressed by Dr. Mark Edmundson in an article of his that was published in The Chronicle of Higher Education. In "Do Sports Build Character or Damage It?" published by The Chronicle of Higher Education, Mark Edmundson uses literary references and his personal experience playing football to examine how sports contribute to building character and how sports can damage it. First, he states how sports are in fact a complicated issue for coaches as well as educators. Secondly, Edmundson uses his personal experience playing football to show the effect sports can have on one 's character: it had "conquered [his] grinding self-consciousness" (par. 7) but it also made him more aggressive. Finally, Edmundson compares football to the teachings of Plato, as well as to Hector from The Iliad, who can turn-off his aggression when not in war, which is in contrast to Achilles, who is blinded by his own rage. In conclusion, Edmundson examines sports’ "intensely hierarchical" (par. 45) structure as well as its negative effects on behavior, but also the character enhancing aspects. Edmundson says that

Get Access