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Online Articles About Sports Excesses

Fool’s Gold: How the Olympics and other international competitions breed conflict and bring out the worst in human nature.
An article by excellent writer Christopher Hitchens pointing out the dark side of international sports competition.
Mark Dery: Article Criticizing Jock Culture
An extensive, intellectual article by writer Mark Dery criticizing Superbowl and jock culture from a left-of center perspective.
Mark Dery: The Politice of Sports
An interesting, intellectual follow-up article by writer Mark Dery, continuing the thoughts of his previous article.
Eugene C. Bianchi: The Superbowl Culture of Male Violence
An article originally appearing in the September 18, 1974 issue of Christian Century, which analyzes the ways in which jock culture inculcates a culture of violence in male youth. This article is one of many in the excellent collection of essays entitled "Jock: Sports Culture and Male Identity" edited by Sabo and Runfola (1980).
Focus on the Core Mission
An article commenting on the excesses in college sports, and the reforms made at Vanderbilt University to get rid of those problems.
Trash Talk on Sports
An article in Time which critisizes the misplaced priorities that places sports ahead of education and learning.
Brutality In Our Schools
(Retreived from an internet archive.) An article by a former high school athlete who tells of the abuse her fellow athletes inflicted on one of her unathletic friends. Very poignant and well written.
Punks, Jocks and Justice
(Retreived from an internet archive.) An article about the killing of Brian Deneke. This is an incident in Texas where a Jock killed a memeber of the Punk community, and the courts let him off.
Dont Call Jocks Sports "Heroes"
Article criticizing the tendency to equate athletic prowess with heroics. This article mentions what true heroics are.
The Wrestler Who Cried Rape
(Retreived from an internet archive.) An article detailing a shocking incident of abuse perpetrated by a high school wrestling team on a less jockish student.
Why I Hate Sports
This is part of a larger archive of essays called "Inetresting Ideas." This article is about the excessive domination of popular culture by sports.
College Sports Success Is Not A Major Draw
An article about a poll of prospective college students which refutes the notion that sports are a major draw for colleges.
Athletics Push Academics To The Sidelines
An interview of two authors of a book about the detrimental effect that excessive college sports has on academic excellence.
Stop the Holy Showboating
A criticism of the way some athletes act as if God is more concerned about their football game than more serious things.
Don't let your kids' sports outpace the rigors of spiritual training
A religious teacher questions whether our society's obsession over sports doesnt detract from learning about spirituality
SEE ALSO MORE ARTICLES ABOUT EFFORTS TO REFORM COLLEGE SPORTS
Click Here to Go to the Special Section of this Site Devoted to That Issue.
CHECK OUT THE SPOIL SPORTS RESOURCES PAGE FOR ANTI-JOCK BOOKS, FILMS AND MORE LINKS
Click Here to Get There

Articles Dealing With School Harrasment by Jocks

This section is devoted to coverage of issues surrounding the harrasing behavior by jocks which was particularly brought to light in the wake of the 1999 Columbine High School Tragedy. The creator of this site condemns the tragic use of violence that was used by the two confused young men in Colorado. In order to prevent further tragic occurrences of this type, we must look at all the causes which led up to the violence. Not least of these is the daily violence, harrassment and abuse that outsiders must often face which leads to the hopelessness that results in desperate acts. Below are sites and articles dealing with the harrasment by jocks:

Article: "Dissecting Columbine's Cult of the Athlete" This is a good article that exposes in detail the excessively exalted status that athletes had at Columbine High School, which ofetn placed them above the rules.

Brutality In Our Schools (Retreived from an internet archive.) An article by a former high school athlete who tells of the abuse her fellow athletes inflicted on one of her unathletic friends. Very poignant and well written.

Article: "Could Columbine Happen In Galesburg?" A local webzine asks whether Columbine happen in their local community, and makes some important observations about school clique culture.

"Hug a Freak Today" Another alternative point of view about the Columbine incident.

The Wrestler Who Cried Rape (Retreived from an internet archive.) An article detailing a shocking incident of abuse perpetrated by a high school wrestling team on a less jockish student.

The Terrors of Dodgeball (Retreived from an online archive.) This is a serious criticism about the abusive nature of Dodgeball as played in school physical education classes.

National Coalition Against Violent Athletes
Support this non-profit organization to counter and oppose violent athletes.


High School Outsiders Speak Out About Harrassment

Slashdot: Voices From Hellmouth
A site started in 1999, in the aftermath of the Columbine incident, organized to tell the untold story of school outsiders and the real life harrassment they endure.
High School Underground
(Retreived from an internet archive.)A site created in the wake of the Columbine massacre to facilitate high school outsiders with speaking out about their views

Links to Sites Devoted To Exposing and Ending Bullying

Stomp Out Bullying
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Raven Days
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I Understand
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UK Anti-Bullying Site
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Scottish (UK) Anti-Bullying Site
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