If you are like many people, you enjoy sports in your leisure time. Many of us watch sports on TV, go to games and meets, and play tennis or golf in the time left after school or work. We may even chat about sports on the Internet. Many observers note that sports reinforce norms and values important to society, like competition and teamwork. Sports metaphors, such as "There is no I in TEAM,"

Question

teach us that success is achieved by putting the group above individual glory. Slogans like "Winners never quit and quitters never win" reinforce values of competition and working hard to get ahead. Nevertheless, organized sports have been criticized for several things. One is that they encourage potentially harmful male aggression. Another is that they direct minority students, particularly African American males, toward athletics-instead of academics-as a road to success. However, only a very small minority of high school athletes are able to support themselves through athletics. In fact, according to one estimate, only one of 12,000 high school athletes will earn money as a professional athlete; among those who make it, the average professional career lasts only three years. Nevertheless, the importance of sports in teaching and reinforcing norms and values, along with the role of sports in symbolizing and integrating communities, are important reasons why nearly every nation has encouraged athletics. The primary purpose of this passage is to

a. argue against supporting athletic teams in high schools.
b. discuss the advantages and disadvantages of promoting athletics.
c. persuade the reader that sports programs in schools need more money.
d. entertain the reader with anecdotes about sports figures.

Answer 1

B