How has the presence of high school football shaped Appalachian students in Virginia and other areas in the United States?
Football is one of, if not the most popular sport of America, and it starts with high school student athletes. As they play the sport, they have a lot of fun but at the same time learn and grow from playing the sport. They are not the only thing that is growing, however. Communities surrounding competitive and popular high school football teams benefit as well. The Appalachian communities reap the benefits of the presence of high school football which keeps students from going down more troublesome paths, boosts academic performance, and provides student athletes guidance.
In an essay by Jeff List at Kansas University, he states “…racial and class relations are less relevant in their lives because football enacts classless and meritocracy. Because black and white players work where only talent matters, race and class are no longer determinants of success and opportunity” (List iii). This quote from List shows exactly what football can do for students. In the real world, Appalachia definitely included, unequal opportunity is prevalent as ever. According to the Virginia Public Access Project website, areas in Western Virginia are where wealth is the most unevenly distributed. It is a reality that these students grow up without equal opportunity. This mindset that they can acquire from playing high school football can make a real difference in the community. If they work to their strengths and put privilege behind them, they will succeed and so will the area as a whole.
Another example of the direct impact high school football has on students comes from an excerpt from an eBook by Earl Smith in interview with a boy named Marques who attends Parlington High. Marques claims: “‘If I didn’t play [football], I’d probably be…smoking, drinking, you know, walking the streets’” (Smith 118). High school football leads students such as Marques down the right path in life. It is an activity that can keep students from getting into trouble with the law in their community, and instead offers them the opportunity for an education. Education is the cornerstone of a great community, so high school football clearly helps in such a way.
Further evidence to show how high school football benefits Appalachian communities exists in the following rankings of Virginia High Schools. Three of the top twenty-five ranked high school football teams in the state of Virginia are also in the top twenty academically ranked Virginia high schools. Woodson High School is ranked #7 in academics (CITATION), #20 in football (CITATION), with a 98% graduation rate and 44% minority enrollment. Colonial Forge High school is ranked #18 in academics, #5 in football, with a 94% graduation rate and a 48% minority enrollment. Lastly Broad Run High School is ranked #15 academically, #14 in football, with an impressive 98% graduation rate, and also shares a 48% minority enrollment. These numbers are very impressive, and there is clearly a correlational and very arguably a causation. Given the minority rates of all these high schools, it is clear that students from these schools come from all different types of backgrounds and privileges. Going back to the essay by Jeff List and how football eliminates the unfair playing ground that unequal opportunity often creates, this can be seen to translate into the classroom as well. This is another example of a mindset acquired from the sport of football that high school students can carry over into their lives to better their community.
The clear picture this evidence shows is that these students and their schools in general benefit from the presence of a great high school football program. The players and students are not the only ones who benefit however, as the domino effect comes in and the communities that these schools reside in are essentially reaping the benefits as well. Young men choose football and an education over getting into trouble, and students who come from an unfair social playing field in Appalachia can learn to overcome this from playing the sport of football. All schools should focus a lot of time and energy into their respective football programs. The students clearly benefit, and the communities do as well.
Famous Football Players who played in high schools in Appalachia
Appalachia has helped the growth of many successful NFL players as seen below:
Ryan Switzer, Wide Receiver — George Washington High School, Charleston WV
- UNC at Chapel Hill College
- Drafted 133rdoverall (4thround) in 2017
- A career 35 receptions, 264 years, 1 touchdown
Dan Marino, Quarterback — Central Catholic High School, Pittsburgh PA
- University of Pittsburgh
- Drafted 27thoverall (1stround) in1983
- An extremely impressive career 61,361 passing yards, 420 touchdown passes
- #5 most passing yards of all time, #6 most passing touchdowns of all time
-Inducted into the hall of fame in 2005
Dont’a Hightower, Middle Linebacker — Lewisburg High School, TN
- University of Alabama
- Drafted 25thoverall (1stround)
- 2X Super Bowl Champion with the New England Patriots
-A career 424 tackles, and 19 career sacks
Joe Montana, Quarterback — Ringgold High School, Monongahela PA
- University of Notre Dame
- Drafted 82ndoverall (3rdround)
- 4X Super Bowl Champion with the San Francisco 49ers
- A whopping career 41,551 passing yards, and 273 passing touchdowns
- #19 most passing yards, #17 most passing touchdowns
- Inducted into the hall of fame in 2000
Works Cited
Education, Virginia Department of, et al. “These Are the Best High Schools in Virginia.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 2018, www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/virginia/rankings.
“Income Inequality, 2016.” Vpap.org, Virginia Public Access Project, 2016, www.vpap.org/visuals/visual/income-inequality-2016/.
“NFL History — Leaders.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 2018, www.espn.com/nfl/history/leaders/_/stat/tdpasses.
“Pro Football Statistics and History.” Pro-Football-Reference.com, Sports Reference LLC., 2018, www.pro-football-reference.com/.
Scott, Phil, and Eduardo Mortimer. “Meaning Making in High School Science Classrooms: A Framework for Analyzing Meaning Making Interactions.” Research and the Quality of Science Education, 2005, pp. 395–406., doi:10.1007/1–4020–3673–6_31.
Smith, Earl. Sociology of Sport and Social Theory. Human Kinetics, 2010.
“VA High School Football Rankings.” MaxPreps.com, CBS Interactive, 5 Dec. 2018, www.maxpreps.com/rankings/football/1/state/virginia.htm.
