Were you picked first or last for the sports team?

[KotOD]

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I had a Sociology of Sport class that taught us it is better to have even teams than to have one team blow-out the other and drafting (normally) creates the best opportunity to make the most even teams. Basically it is better to be picked last and play in a competitive game than to be shoved on a team and get killed.

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Yeah, I can see this. And I think you're all correct about it being the best way to do it. The thing that really bummed me out was that I went to a school that used sport as a means to grade general excellence, but only those who were naturally talented. If you weren't naturally gifted then you were left behind. I only realised this when I changed schools and had a few great coaches and suddenly I was in the first teams for all the sports that I played.

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There are plenty of American schools with Math teams, business competitions, debate teams, science competitions, mock trials, trivia teams and more. There were so many other ways to excel and be recognized for mental acuity.

When it came time for chem lab partners, you certainly weren't picking a partner based on their athletic skill. When it came time to do math projects, you didn't get picked based on your ability to pass or set. [I was always picked last in math class. People avoided me and the teacher had to find me a partner.] The mock trial team wasn't based on the ability to jump. There are plenty of opportunities to excel, and if you weren't good enough in athletics, it smacks more of jealousy than anything else.

I was a very good student, except I was awful in math. I never got it, I still don't get it. I was basically a 7 subject A student and 1 subject C/D student. When it came time for math class, I didn't weep because I was crappy at math and got picked last.

[lennytheduck]

I was generally second or third (usually basketball or pick up football). I was good(ish) but there was always someone better than me.

[adsman]

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When it came time for chem lab partners, you certainly weren't picking a partner based on their athletic skill. When it came time to do math projects, you didn't get picked based on your ability to pass or set. [I was always picked last in math class. People avoided me and the teacher had to find me a partner.] The mock trial team wasn't based on the ability to jump. There are plenty of opportunities to excel, and if you weren't good enough in athletics, it smacks more of jealousy than anything else.


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Woah ..... hang on there bro. Let me just clarify a few things for you here;

1. I didn't go to an American school.
2. I was a straight A student at that school. It was an all boys school and it supposedly prided itself on its academic values. The truth was that it was a sports school and prided itself on its results and reputation on the sports field. Academic excellence didn't count for squat. The dumbest kids in the school were the teachers and administrations heroes if they were sport wonder-kids.
3. This was a junior school, so we are talking ages 8-12. This coupled with the non-American school meant that we didn't actually have math teams, business competitions, debate teams, science competitions, mock trials, trivia teams and more.
4. I didn't weep, dude. If anything my post was scripted a little tounge-in-cheek to get a discussion going. You seem to have taken offense at this. I have no idea why.

[gumpzilla]

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4. I didn't weep, dude. If anything my post was scripted a little tounge-in-cheek to get a discussion going. You seem to have taken offense at this. I have no idea why.

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Because it taps into a long running debate in American (maybe more globally, but I can only speak for the Yankees) education about how important fostering self-esteem should be. It tends to raise a lot of hackles on both sides.

[KotOD]

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When it came time for chem lab partners, you certainly weren't picking a partner based on their athletic skill. When it came time to do math projects, you didn't get picked based on your ability to pass or set. [I was always picked last in math class. People avoided me and the teacher had to find me a partner.] The mock trial team wasn't based on the ability to jump. There are plenty of opportunities to excel, and if you weren't good enough in athletics, it smacks more of jealousy than anything else.


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Woah ..... hang on there bro. Let me just clarify a few things for you here;

1. I didn't go to an American school.

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I thought you looked a little strange.

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2. I was a straight A student at that school. It was an all boys school and it supposedly prided itself on its academic values. The truth was that it was a sports school and prided itself on its results and reputation on the sports field. Academic excellence didn't count for squat. The dumbest kids in the school were the teachers and administrations heroes if they were sport wonder-kids.
3. This was a junior school, so we are talking ages 8-12. This coupled with the non-American school meant that we didn't actually have math teams, business competitions, debate teams, science competitions, mock trials, trivia teams and more.
4. I didn't weep, dude. If anything my post was scripted a little tounge-in-cheek to get a discussion going. You seem to have taken offense at this. I have no idea why.

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I didn't take offense in the least. I just find it perplexing that someone as intelligent as yourself tried to find his self-esteem in sport, or, as the case may be, had his self-esteem rattled because of lack of ability in sport.

Sure, American kids are subjected to the same stresses and priorities, but at the same time, the non-athletic types have plenty of avenues in which to excel. They won't get pep rallies for their exploits, but they will find accolades from peers, parents and teachers.

[Triumph36]

tdarko makes a good point about drafted teams - in high school the gym teachers assigned teams, they seemed to always put the football players on the same team and i was somehow the best athelete on my teams, so we'd get crushed.

if this occured in lower grades i can certainly see how awful it would be.

[Suigin406]

for basketball, i was among the first as i was tall and actually played that sport fairly well...

volleyball, baseball, kickball and prolly every other sport...somewhere pretty close to the end

[Steven_Q_Erkel]

Last, every single time. Never made captain of any teams. Keep in mind though that I was 260lbs up until the summer of grade 11 where I dropped 60-70lbs of it through blood sweat and tears.

[MediaPA]

Elementary, pretty much near the end.

One day for kickball, a special needs girl and I were the captains. I picked all the athletes, she took everyone bad. We killed them. I don't know if she had a clue or not, but it was actually cool what she did since it was like she picked from the bottom of the list intentionally. I wish I would have done the same.

High School, I was typically picked near the middle for most things other than soccer.

Boring story. As a 9th grader in coal mining town. We were playing indoor soccer due to weather. I got picked near the end. First game, 5 goals. Well come the second game, the rednecks realized that if I couldn't stand, I wouldn't score. That sucked. Next week, one of the big rednecks picks me first. I'm like great I'll have some protection/an enforcer this game. My first touch of the game, he cracks me across the shin. I just look at him in disbelief until it dawns on him that I'm on his team.

[NhlNut]

grade school age I was usually picked in the last few. I was not a complete spaz and liked to play. But I was fat and slow.

Toward middle and high school, I was sort of in the middle. I was the fat kid who had a few skills. The funny thing is that I went to a small school and everyone knew how good everyone was. We used to argue about the teams before a game could start.

In basketball pick up games in high school and college, I was a sleeper pick. I wouldn't get picked until someone who had played with me got picked. I was white, gawky, and slow looking. Turns out, I was usually one of the best 3 players on the court. I always enjoyed the looks of the other team when they realized that things weren't going as planned.
(I was at a Div. III school and could have been on the basketball and tennis teams if I had worked at staying in shape.)