Delaware Refuses to play Delaware State in Football

[Gvlax]

its a capitalistic society, people have to fail so others succeed, it sucks but thats how it works. If you dont like it move to a communist country. Not that i like that people will always be poor but 200+ years after our country was founded and we still have poverty. Its never going to go away.

[LaxRef]

Poverty is largely a mental disease here in the US.

There is no reason a able-bodied person cannot succeed in this country with the multitude of public and private support. They might not eat surf and turf each night. But then again, neither do I.

So environment plays little or no part? Going to a good public school in the suburbs provides the same opportunity that going to an awful school in the inner city provides?

It's nice for us to believe that if we had been born into poverty that we would have been able to rise to the same stations in life that we now occupy. I'm just not sure that it's true.

[peterwho]

Do you really believe that money is the critical factor?

I tend to believe that it is cultural - that VALUES are the differentiator.

I live in Broward County, Florida. In Florida, our school districts are county-wide. That is, the Superintendent, school board, funding, etc. span the entire county with over a quarter of a million students K-12. If money was the key, you would think there would be little difference in achievement from school-to-school, right?

The sad fact is, that's not the case.

We have gone through decades of bussing to achieve racial balance (pronounced - quotas). We bus children from wealthy neighborhoods to magnet schools in improverished areas. We bus children from those same impoverished areas to schools in wealthy neighborhoods.

The one thing that seems to make the difference is the value system in the home. If learning is important, those children tend to do well. Where it is not, they struggle. There is anecdotal evidence to indicate that the parent(s) don't have to have lots of direct interaction with the child's homework (single parents where the child is at aftercare or with a sitter), but that what is important is that the parent(s) continually reinforce the importance of a good education.

Isn't lacrosse like golf or tennis or gymnastics or water polo? Until there is a level of awareness or popularity, it won't be embraced by the masses. Wasn't lacrosse invented by Native-Americans? Other than the Seminole Tribe of Florida, I don't hear a lot about their wealth and aristocracy.

Look at baseball. Why is it that there is a significant drop in the level of participation by African-Americans? Is baseball becoming an elitist sport?

I tend to believe (maybe naively) that this is still the land of opportunity. I don't belive that it is a zero-sum game (that someone has to fail for me to succeed). Unfortunately, we have a number of sub-cultures in our society that don't share the vision that if you work hard, seek out and take advantage of the opportunities available to you, that you can get ahead. I thought that was the American Dream.

[jessexy]

Poverty is largely a mental disease here in the US.

There is no reason a able-bodied person cannot succeed in this country with the multitude of public and private support. They might not eat surf and turf each night. But then again, neither do I.

So environment plays little or no part? Going to a good public school in the suburbs provides the same opportunity that going to an awful school in the inner city provides?

It's nice for us to believe that if we had been born into poverty that we would have been able to rise to the same stations in life that we now occupy. I'm just not sure that it's true.

Mental disease? yes the peope I serve have mental disabilities and they are both rich and poor, white and black. Lack of Education is a lotta bit different and Laxref makes a good point that public school systems aroudn the country and way different in tools, resources, and opportunities. is that a 4th-graders fault if he has never seen a computer in school while other 4th-graders have laptops in every classroom? But you'll probably blame it on his parents for not exposing him to that lifestyle cuz they didnt work hard enough or werent entrepenueral enough in the first place......Its not the same.

But I can understand your point of view cuz you've started this MCLA and grown it from the ground up to make it successful. I know I've been here for 10 years. and you've made your own opportunity. That's awesome and thats your experience. But its not the same for everyone

[Danny Hogan]

i didn't interpret sonny's use of "mental disease'' to reference an actual disability.

RE: computers in the classrooms, etc.

Florida is a good example, like PeterWho said where the educational resources are balanced county wide in addition to the schools in the poorer areas are propped up by magnet programs while bussing a portion of their area residents/students to the suburban "better offs"

[peterwho]

is that a 4th-graders fault if he has never seen a computer in school while other 4th-graders have laptops in every classroom?

How does that impact his/her education?

I have a 4th Grader. She RARELY needs to use a computer for her schoolwork (most often to print pictures for use in a collage - I cut up newspapers and magazines decades ago). The focus areas for this year are: Math Skills (pencil and paper, baby, no calculators allowed), English and Grammar, Literature, State History, Geography Fundamentals and the Science of Living Things.

I think this is another myth: Technology = Higher Achievement.

[StrykerFSU]

Bringing this thread back since the teams in question are busily battling it out in the first round of the I-AA playoffs. UD up 30-0 after a half, maybe State shouldn't be so excited to get this game on the annual schedule?

[TheBearcatHimself]

Bringing this thread back since the teams in question are busily battling it out in the first round of the I-AA playoffs. UD up 30-0 after a half, maybe State shouldn't be so excited to get this game on the annual schedule?

Stryker, thanks for bringing this back, I was actually coming on to bring it back myself but you beat me to it

This is a step forward, but it is still sad that it takes a mandated game to get these two schools to play each other. At least Delaware didn't not show up, then it would've been interesting.

But yes, Delaware St. is most likely hurting on a few levels after their 44-7 drubbing handed to them by the Blue Hens.

[StrykerFSU]

This is a step forward, but it is still sad that it takes a mandated game to get these two schools to play each other.

Agreed. I know most people don't care about it but I love I-AA football and should Del. St. maintain the recent success that their program has enjoyed, then UD should stop scheduling the likes of I-A Navy and pick them up on an annual basis.

But come on Hornets, you can't lay an egg like that after all of the griping and hype.

[Doug Shanahan]

they played this past friday and delaware st. got smacked 44-7 by delaware...