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Social Dignity

Saw this article on "Voices" of TODAY by chance.

The writer was talking about the recent plan of having school sports getting "prime-time" slot on the television and linked it to a recent report mentioned on The New Paper, why top schools like Raffles Institute, whom two of our Prime Ministers are their alumni, and St Joseph Institute cannot provide football as one of the CCA sports.


"Social Dignity" is the key word the writer mentioned, did he hit the nail or just his own opinion?

Comments

  1. It should be Raffles Institution. Let there be no mistake in my former school's name ;) By the way, when I was there about a decade ago, football and rugby were both played by the same group of players... (which was how I nearly made it into the rugby team on a technicality) but I don't know what the situation is like now.

    I would like to think there is still a football team at RI, just that it isn't doing as well as the other sports and thus isn't given much notice.

    I don't know about social dignity, but I think more respect should be accorded our players. They are humans, not machines. Don't only turn up when they're winning, and curse at them when they make mistakes.

    Tonight what I noticed on TV most often against Jordan was not the 6,188 supposed to have been there, but the 48,812 who would have roared on Singapore to patching up their goal difference.

    I would have been there if I had been able to, and those who know me know that this is no idle boast. I do hope more fans can turn up in support of Singapore, and make noise when your country needs you.

    Not the "referee butoh" variety, mind you. Good-natured, whole-hearted singing and cheering. Even if we're 0-2 down against Malaysia. The last thing our Lions need to hear is a vulgarity - I'm sure they've heard many of those down the years.

    Playing to a packed stadium should not give the home side pressure, but when the travelling supporters can gather more volume than home 'fans' who outnumber them about 80:1, it really hurts the boys on the pitch. An empty stadium would hurt less, but it hurts nonetheless.

    Guys, let's get behind our team, and not from the sofas - from the stands where they can see us.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hmm, I know for a fact that Raffles Institution removed football as a CCA when I just entered. Meaning, during my Sec 1 year. I was SO disappointed, given that it is pretty much our national sport. We didn't even have a team, and not that we had a team which didn't perform well.

    But I guess the point about social dignity is that the writer believes football not to be a very high class sport? It's perhaps true that footballers in Singapore aren't awarded the same fame and fortune as in other countries, hence it is not THAT glam to be a footballer in Singapore.

    With that, fewer parents are willing to let their children take up a career in football, hence the reputation of football as a career takes a turn for the worse again.

    This isn't something that can be cured easily. Nor do I have a ready solution.

    ReplyDelete
  3. i think the government should stop building basketball courts and should build lots of street soccer courts in the heartlands...no CCAs, thats fine.. but every student can enjoy playing soccer altogether whenever they want...therer are a lot of skillful players in the heartlands..send the scouts in...rather than seeing short people trying to dunk in the baskets...

    jus a thought

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi "Syafigo"..

    Perhaps one of the thing that deterred the govt for having more street soccer pitches or futsal courts is the tendency of having stray balls smashing the windows of the residents (one of an old school mates had his smashed for countless times)..

    which is why I think it's a good idea nowadays to have public access to school fields on Sundays.

    Although at this moment, we still have to complete with the basketball players for the playing surface even if it's rightfully theirs

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi..i agreed..good points..
    yah its nice that school fields are open for public usage now...

    i used to play under void decks, thats the place man!!

    ReplyDelete

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