the school factor

“If there was a less promising academic record, Mr. Simpson hadn’t seen it – not in the three decades of working with public school students. Mr. Simpson guessed, rightly, that the Briarcrest Christian School hadn’t seen anything like Michael Oher, either. And yet here he was, courtesy of the football coach.” (Lewis, 53)

I always had an idea of how insane football was in America. I knew that schools would do whatever they could to recruit the best athletes in order to put their name on state titles. I was under the impression that students would be accepted into schools with the appropriate grade point average and would need to maintain that grade in order to play sports, but in reality, the schools push the limits so much further than I ever imagined. When Michaels’ “guardian”, Big Tony, applied for Michael Oher, a kid from the poor projects of West Memphis to attend Briarcrest Christian School, a private school “in white, rich East Memphis” Michael had a grade point average of 0.6, but he was as Lewis points out “no ordinary 15 year old, he was six foot five, three hundred and fifty pounds, and had quick feet and great agility, he was an exceptional athlete.” The sole reason Michael was accepted into Briarcrest Christian School was because he could play sports. He had the football coach fighting for him and apparently that was all he needed. Although with that grade point average Michael could not play any sports the first semester, it didn’t close any doors for the second. With a grade point average of 0.6 Michael couldn’t read or write, he was going into the 9th grade and was illiterate. Not only was he illiterate but he was one of very few African Americans attending Briarcrest when he started his sophomore year. A person could either look at this as being horrible and torture for Michael, sticking him in a classroom situation that he had clearly never understood, or that it could be the best thing that could happen to him. With a student like Michael you could entice them with the possibility of playing sports. In order to play sports you needed to have acceptable and passable grade levels. I have realized that football is not just a game to these kids, it’s a way to escape, and maybe the connection between the classroom and the football field is a savior for students living like Michael Oher. It gives them a chance to go from living on the streets not knowing if you would eat another meal to being the second highest paid player on an NHL team.