High School Sports Mission Statement

The mission of the Josh Elder High School athletic program is to provide students with an opportunity to succeed at the sport of their choice that is an integral part of their education. We want students to have a safe fun environment where they don't feel judged but work hard to be the very best that they can be. Students will learn life lessons and values from admirable coaches and teachers that can be looked upon as role models. Win or lose students will exhibit honor, sportsmanship, and a winning attitude.

http://www.castrovalleyhigh.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=90100&type=d
http://www.shoreregional.org/Page/315

Dustin Johnson's Infamous Three Putt

It was a Sunday afternoon at the 2015 US Open and Dustin Johnson is going into the 18th hole at Chambers bay sitting at 4 under. Jordan Spieth was in the group ahead of Johnson and just birdied the 18th to grab the lead at 5 under. DJ split the fairway giving himself a 247 yard approach on the par 5 18th hole. This was only a mere 5 iron for the heavy hitter. With the wind to his back he flushed his 5 iron finding the green. Dustin now had a 12 foot eagle putt to win the US Open. After what felt like an eternity of studying every break that his ball could take DJ stepped up, Swung, and pushed the putt almost 4 feet past the hole. Now for an average golfer 4 footers can be nerve racking especially with golfs most coveted trophy on the line. But they're almost automatic for most. PGA tour players make putts within 5 feet 96% of the time. To force a monday playoff and a chance for the US Open trophy Dustin Johnson burned the left edge and tapped in for par and tied 2nd place in the US Open. Sounds bad doesn't it? Well for most it is but DJ walked off the 18th green with a smile on his face. He kissed his wife who is freaking Paulina Gretzky. Kissed their 1 year old son and embraced the rest of his family. So even though DJ didn't come out on top Sunday his wife's still hotter than you'rs and a $1,000,800 paycheck for second place numbs the pain too.

How Should High School Sports Be Financed??

High school sports remain a controversy in many different areas. But one of the most important arguments is how they're funded. Schools should fund their own programs only if they have the budget to afford it. In Katy Texas situation they used a massive 750 million dollar bond to build one of the biggest high school football stadiums in history seating 12,000 people and costing a record 58  million dollars. Now this is high school funding to the extreme but some schools are approaching the funding situation differently. Teams like the Cinnaminson Hockey team and the Haddon Township crew program are paid for by the athletes costing nearly a 1,000 dollars to just register. That doesn't include equipment. I don't agree with either of these funding plans but here's one I agree with. Cherry Hill West is charging a 100 dollar activity fee for all sports. This is benefiting the school and teams by having plenty of funding for equipment and anything else the sport and athletes would need. The students will be able to come up with 100 dollars and if not i'm sure the school can make an exception.

Benefits and Negatives to High School Sports

Whats interesting about high school sports is that there is as many opposing arguments as there are supporting arguments. The benefits cancel out the negatives and leave it neutrally controversial. So what are the supporting arguments? Sports involve students in activities, build self-esteem, enhance fitness, Generate spirit and unity, promote support, develop and rewards valued skills. Students do need to be involved in school to keep them out of trouble and promote good grades. Also, Self-esteem is an extremely important aspect to a young persons life. Fitness is also a growing problem as many of our country's young people are overweight.

With many pro arguments there comes many negative arguments towards high school sports. It is said that they distract students from academics, create dependence, increase injuries, waste resources, create pressure and distort status system. While these arguments are valid they are still very debatable. What do you think?

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the-case-against-high-school-sports/309447/

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/high-school-sports-arent-killing-academics/280155/

The Impact Sports Have On Students

For as long as anyone can remember Sports have been an important part of every high school in the United States. There's many different sports a student can participate in. So if a student is not interested in football they can play baseball or golf or even track and field. I'm sure a students interest can be sparked somewhere. High school sports have been accredited to teach players lifetime lessons that they remember for the rest of their life. Ask a college student what they had for lunch three days ago and they wont remember but ask them what sport they played in highschool and you'll hear stories of the great memories they had playing the sport they love. There is also a theory that athletes who played varsity sports earn higher salaries later in life. Sports are more than just a game they teach young people lessons that they hold on to for a lifetime.







http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/21/taking-sports-out-of-school-2/high-school-athletes-gain-lifetime-benefits

Matt Jones Beats Spieth and Scott

On the final day of the Australian Open Matt Jones held on to win the prestigious title. Jones was 9 under while Spieth and Scott finished at 7 under. This win qualified Jones for The Open Chamionship. Scott started 9 shots back but carded a 65 to move within two of the lead. Spieth missed an eagle putt at the 18th to tie the lead. This year is an important year for golfers who want to play in the olympics. A win here for Matt Jones will certainly impress team USA's captain.

Fantasy Gambling Sites on Sports News

Should major sports news companies work with Draft Kings and Fan Duel. The Answer is no. Sites like Fan Duel and Draft Kings are a temporary fad in professional sports and shouldn't be given the respect some people think they deserve. Most states are trying to ban online fantasy gambling which isn't promising. I think the sports world should focus more on the actual sport and their favorite team rather than wanting a specific player to do well so the gambler financially benefits. 

Kid Danny

Danny Almonte was a star little league baseball player. He had a 78 mph fastball which from an MLB mound would of been a whopping 103 MPH pitch. Danny led his little league team all the way to Little League World Series in 2001 with throwing a no hitter in the Mid-Atlantic Regionals against State College, Pennsylvania. His actual age was questioned but his birth certificate had been lost when he moved to the United States. After the New York teams 3rd place finish the allegations came out that Danny was actually 14 and not 12. The teams titles were stripped and Dannys baseball career was forever tainted.

Gambling On Youth Football

Youth Football is one of the biggest youth sport programs in the the United State. An Outside The Lines investigative video showed a culture of gambling on pop warner football in a league in Florida. Its hard to believe that people would gamble thousands of dollars on 7-10 year olds. But its a growing problem in Florida. Youth sports is supposed to be about having fun and setting a good example for the young kids playing the sport. Not betting on them!! These kids are looking up to degenerate gamblers which is obviously not a good example! Something needs to change for the sake of the children and their families who are just trying to enjoy the game of football.

Protests at Missouri and The Olympics

Is Greg Hardy a criminal or just a cowboy?

Almost a year and a half ago Greg Hardy was involved in a domestic violence incident. After a night of partying with friends and girlfriend Nicole Holder the group went back to Hardys apartment to crash. Holder says that later that night the two were in a room together when an argument between them started. She says Hardy threw her into a bathtub then started choking her and afterwards pulled her out of the bathroom by her hair. Hardys story is a little different. He says that Holder went ballistic. She was freaking out and attacking Hardy with shoes and anything else she could get her hands on. Police were called by both parties and Hardy was arrested on the immediate evidence of the bruising on Holder. The case was later dropped and Holder received a settlement to stop speaking of the incident.
The NFL cannot suspend Greg Hardy unless he is proven guilty that he did actually assault Nicole Holder. Although based on the pictures of the bruises and overall story a normal person is inclined to believe that Hardy did assault his girlfriend. This is one case that will get away from the NFL and let another controversial player on the field.

Is October Really Helping Breast Cancer?

The answer to this question is debatable but if you look at the facts the evidence is concerning. So is "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" really helping breast cancer? The answer is not really. Only about one percent of all the earnings made off of pink football gear goes to breast cancer foundations. So who's really making the money here? Companies like Nike, Under Armour, and Adidas are seeing an increase in sales because they're selling limited edition pink gear that markets itself by "being for a good cause". Many can say that breast cancer awareness month is ethically wrong in the sports world.
  

Comments4Kids

Comments4Kids is a great website and tool to give students the feedback they need on their work. Constructive criticism is necessary for the betterment of young students. This website makes it available for anybody to comment on somebodys work. Which is a very good thing for a few reasons. You're immediate peers may not have the best insight but a teacher or student from another school may be in the position to give you the best advice you could receive through this website.

Breast Cancer Awareness

The month of October is more than Halloween and falling leaves. October is also known as Breast Cancer Awareness month, which is an annual campaign to raise awareness about the disease. Many women know about breast cancer and what it is but they don't have a plan to detect it in its earliest stages. The earlier you're diagnosed the better chance you have of not only surviving but beating the cancer earlier and easier. Breast Cancer awareness month is saving lives and that's what truly matters.

USC fires head coach Steve Sarkisian

USC fired Steve Sarkisian this past monday after he reportedly showed up drunk to a team meeting.“After careful consideration of what is in the best interest of the university and our student-athletes, I have made the decision to terminate Steve Sarkisian, effective immediately,” USC athletic director Pat Haden said in a statement. This is not the only time Sarkisian has been seen intoxicated. In august USC's former coach found himself in hot water after he appeared intoxicated at a pep rally for the football. He apologized for the statements he made and the school forgave him. But in light of recent events Sarkisian is obviously dealing with his own demons. “It breaks my heart to see how this has gone,” Carroll told 710 ESPN Seattle on Monday morning. Pete Carrol hired Sarkisian as an offensive assistant at USC in 2001.

Draft Kings Scandal

The unregulated world of fantasy sports metaphorically soiled its pants this past week after it came to light that a Draft Kings employee won $350,000 playing daily fantasy football on a rival site Fan Duel. Was it Insider Trading or gambling? That's a question that leaves plenty of room for debate but I think that we can all agree that something has to change in the fantasy sports world.

Regulation in fantasy sports could possibly kill the revenue and potential worth of the leading companies like Fan Duel and Draft Kings. Just last week ESPN who is owned by Disney backed out of a $250 million dollar investment in exchange for 20% of the company Draft Kings. Who wants to be associated with something that could potentially plummet at anytime. Fantasy Sports is becoming more and more unstable every day.

Does cheating happen regularly on the PGA Tour?

The game of golf does not have referees constantly looking over the shoulder of players. It works more so on a honor system. What comes with this "honor system" is many ways to get slight advantages on your opponents. So how exactly are PGA Tour players slightly cheating while they are being watched by thousands of eyes whether it be on TV or the home crowd of fans at the course. First, Some players notoriously mark their ball illegally. They'll turn a 23 inch putt into a 20 inch putt which doesn't sound like a big deal but it's huge psychologically. Another way players are getting an illegal advantage is when a player is in the rough he might tamp the grass behind the ball down with a 3 wood and then hit an iron out. This is illegal but most of the time it's unnoticeable and it happens all the time.
Professional golfers are not only playing for hundreds of thousands of dollars and sometimes even millions but they're playing for their livelihood as well. So is getting an unfair advantage ethically wrong. Of course it is! By taking advantage of the lack of official supervision these players may potentially be taking thousands of dollars from players who are actually playing fairly.

The Biggest Scandal The PGA Tour Has Ever Seen

In 2010 professional golf saw the collapse of one it's most prominent figures. Tiger Woods was ousted in the biggest sex scandal professional sports had seen in decades. It all started one fateful Thanksgiving night when Woods an insomniac took an ambien and fell asleep. His wife already suspicious took his phone and texted his mistress posing as Tiger. The cat was out of the bag. Woods had been caught red handed. Elin was furious she attacked woods chasing him out of the house with a golf club. Woods hopped into his 2009 Escalade and pulled out of his driveway at 30 mph. Crushing hedges, careening into a curb then a fire hydrant before smashing into a tree. It was all downhill from here. More than 15 women came forward saying that they had an affair with Tiger. He lost endorsements with Gatorade, Gillette, Nike, and Accenture. Tiger has not won a major golf tournament since and only makes 56 million a year which is half of what he made pre-scandal.  

The average age of people who regularly play golf is 39. With less than 22 percent of the golfer population age being between 18-29 and an even smaller percentage of golfers under the age of 18. Junior golf is endangered. With many high schools not even having a golf team this sport seems to be growing smaller every year. So what can we do to change that? We need programs that get young people into the sport at a reasonable cost. Golf is an extremely fun game the main problem is that it is not regularly available to everyone.

In recent years fantasy sports have grown extremely popular. At first it sounds harmless right? But what you don't know is that its a growing concern in the United States. Online gambling is still gambling even though it's not taking place at an actual casino. The main issue is how the government is going to regulate sites like FanDuel and Draft Kings. But is fantasy sports really that much of an issue?
Here's what I know. "Playing daily fantasy for money is legal by federal law in the United States, and also legal in Canada. Fantasy sports are, according to federal law, a game of skill, therefore they are not gambling." (https://www.dailyfantasycafe.com/academy/undergraduate/is-daily-fantasy-sports-legal) So technically fantasy sports are legal. But I'm sure online fantasy sports have the same addicting qualities that a game of poker or a slot machine have.  

Welcome to Eagles with Elder. A blog that will never "lay up" it's stories and will give you an in depth look at everything that is going on in the golf world. From the Fed-Ex cup playoffs to what Jordan Spieth had for lunch. With so much going on in the sport we all love; The people need a source like Eagles with Elder to just keep up with the latest thing. Will Tiger ever be good again? Will the Aussie Jason Day achieve the elite status of world #1 and go on to win the eleven million dollar check that comes with winning the Fed-Ex cup? How about the "young guns" of the PGA Tour like Jordan Spieth and Rory Mcilroy? Are they changing the game we all know and love? Is it good for golf? Find out here on Eagles with Elder!