Pro/Con Page

          Allied Sports teams create a positive environment in which parents, mentally disabled and non-disabled students, and teachers are able enjoy and learn from. While many may argue that it is not fair to single out the mentally disabled students onto one team, the students are actually able to play in the game and be cheered on by other students, unlike being on a regular high school team where they usually don't get to be out on the field.

For Allied Sports Teams

            “From a backyard summer camp for people with intellectual disabilities to a global movement, Special Olympics has been changing lives and attitudes for 45 years,” is what is written on the home page of the Special Olympics. Who would have thought the Special Olympics started from someone’s backyard, which had a goal to treat intellectual disabilities fairly? This inspirational movement is still fairly popular today and has inspired others to reach out in their community to treat all equal (“History”). For example, in my high school, we had what was called Allied Sports Teams. It was a special sports team in which intellectually disable kids are able to play and compete with other allied sports teams in the county. It was created, not to single the disabled kids to one team, but to create an atmosphere in which the students are able to enjoy running and playing, rather than being aggressive and all about winning. These teams also included athletes who played on the regular high school teams and who are able to encourage the intellectually disabled kids to actually play and have fun. Allied Sports teams truly created a positive environment for the kids and for the community.

            Many may argue that intellectually disabled kids are able to join and be a part of regular high school teams, but how often do you see an intellectually disabled student on the soccer field during play offs or any game at that matter? Having an allied sports team gives the students an opportunity to play without worrying about losing or winning and it reminds regular high school athletes that playing a sport is not just about winning and all about team work. Shelby Stang, a senior midfielder for the Long Reach Allied soccer team, is the only person on the team without a disability and the only one without a goal (Brent). She stated in an interview, with the Baltimore Sun, that “This isn’t about me; I’m out there to assist and help my teammates get the most out of it that they can. Seeing them score a goal and build confidence in themselves is a great feeling.” With students such as Shelby and Joe (in our English class),who played on the Baseball Allied Sports team for Atholton high school, a great environment is made with the stands filled with disabled and non-disabled students, cheering for one team.

            Next, these teams help the intellectually disabled kids to meet friends with and without disabilities. In Psychology class I learned about life stages and one of them was making friends your age and finding your interest. These kids may have a harder time with this stage, but in high school many non-disabled students make friends through sports teams and clubs. With Allied Sports teams being made up of non-disabled and disabled kids, disabled kids are able to make friends with different people. They are able to meet others like them from other schools when playing and they get to see their teammates at school throughout the day. Since the Allied Sports team program started in 2011, I witnessed many of the intellectually disabled students being more social and many sat with friends rather than eating by themselves or with teachers. They knew people in the hall ways and were able to say “hi” to people. They were able to be less dependable on the teachers, who were with them almost 24/7, and talk to their friends.

Recently in Michigan, football players from a middle school planned to not score any touchdowns, surprising many, including the coaches. Instead the students would end all their plays right before the touch down and hand the ball off to a disabled student, Keith, who then made the touch down. Couple students from the football team, had a chance to sit down in an interview and one very teary eyed said that not only did this change this make Keith happy, but it changed the way he thought. He realized it wasn’t all about him and now Keith is “popular” (Willard). Now think about this very sweet plan from Michigan, at every game the students play. Keith may have made a touch down this one game, but how many more games is the football team willing to give up so that Keith feels important in every game? This is the point of the Allied Sports team. The kids are able to feel important in every game they play and they are able to play every game there is.

Allied Sports teams are in no way trying to keep the “special kids” away from playing on the regular teams. It gives the kids a chance to actually be on the field rather than be a bench warmer for the whole season and meets kids at school, who they may have never talked to before. From what I have seen in the past years, lunch can be a lonely place for them, but with the new friends they make, they have people to sit or talk to during this time. It is an opportunity for the disabled kids to get a feel for high school, staying after school for games and practice, riding the bus to other schools for the games, and wearing uniforms before and for the game in school. Finally, these teams do not just help the disabled kids, but creates a positive attitude in other students and encourages parents that their child is doing great in school.