Who Deserves Letters? Letter ‘Market’ Is Flooded
Who deserves a school letter? Only the jocks? What about all those other students who work hard to excel in their chosen activity? Jacob Wolbach and Chawna Crawford duked it out in their high school paper last month and the debate is still raging at Lewis and Clark. We asked them to continue the argument for Our Generation readers.
So what do you think? Call the Our Generation hotline on Cityline before the end of the day Thursday to voice your opinion. Dial 458-8800 in Spokane or 765-8811 in Coeur d’Alene and enter category 9894 with a touch-tone phone. You’ll have 60 seconds to voice your opinion. Teens only, please.
What has happened to the athletic letter?
In the old days, when a student lettered, it meant something. It was a symbol of honor and dignity. But today, the letter is given out like candy on Halloween. As everybody will learn in their senior economics class, when a market is flooded with a product, that product’s value deteriorates.
The letter “market” has been flooded. The letter is earned in athletics and other activities, but many times it is simply given away in music, business, clubs, academics and - even once in a while - in football, basketball, wrestling and other sports.
The question then becomes, who deserves a varsity letter? In days gone past, students could only receive one if they achieved athletic excellence. Now it seems to be given out for most everything.
When I walk through the halls, I see people with letters who have not paid the same price as me. Thus, the letter has become devalued and excellence is no longer rewarded.
In some activities, it does not matter how talented a participant is. Take the Lewis and Clark band and orchestra letter for example.
To earn that letter, it does not matter if the member is first chair clarinet or 20th chair, as long as that participant takes part in enough activities to earn the number of points needed to get the music letter.
The LC music department is rewarding participation, not excellence.
The LC letter is cheapened each time it is given away to someone who has not made a real commitment to excellence. It doesn’t matter whether that person is an athlete or not. They did not make any sacrifice of any kind.
The letter must remain difficult to attain so it’s still held in high esteem, and so that those who have earned them can still wear them with pride.
Granted the marching band and other groups work hard at what they do and they deserve recognition just like athletes do. They need to have something to show off to the world that says, “I’m in the band, guys, and I am good at playing my flute!”
But this recognition should be different so no one confuses it with those who have achieved excellence in athletics. So, let them come up with their own type of award such as a letter scarf or even a letter footstool. They could decorate their stool in school colors and it would also be useful as they would have something to sit on at games and other school functions instead of the floor. They can to do whatever they want as long as the athletic letter remains sacred.
The athletic letter has been borrowed by other groups for long enough. It is now time for them to get their own type of award.
The devaluing of the letter is a direct result of the letter becoming a way to promote self-esteem in students. But if self-esteem has become the sole reason for earning a letter, then why have one?
My letter was earned because of the sacrifices I have made in wrestling, not given to me to make me happy inside. I had to make both physical and mental commitments to my team to earn my letter.
Another point to consider is that non-sport activities are rewarded with letters for work that takes place partly in the classroom. Sports, such as football, volleyball, wrestling and even golf, are strictly out-of-the-classroom activities. Athletes don’t get to take a wrestling or football class.
Aren’t the grades and other similar awards that non-athletes receive enough? Do they really need the letter to make themselves feel like they accomplished something?
When I am older and become part of the adult work force, if I choose a job that does not pay a lot, no one is going to come along and just give me a BMW because someone else has one. I will have chosen that profession and all of the advantages and disadvantages that the career brings to me.
The same choice should be presented to those who choose to do non-athletic activities. If they choose to do these activities, they are also choosing not to earn an athletic letter, but a different activity letter.
The time has come for the administration to ban the use of the sacred athletic letter by non-athletic activities.
When those people wear their jackets with letters on them, it belittles all of the things I have had to do to earn mine. I am proud of what I have done in athletics. I am proud of the beatings I have had to endure to get where I am today.
If letters are going to be passed out the way they are today, LC will not stand for Lewis and Clark any more. It will stand for “Letters Cheap.”
MEMO: For opposing view, see Chawna Crawford’s article under same headline.