The ethics of high school sports

Two items about the ethical lessons our children are learning - or aren't - as high school athletes.

Item One:

The online writing service EssayBay, which sells term papers and essays to high school and college students (which they then turn in as their own work), went public this year with a profile of its customers. According to the company, 45 percent are high school athletes who order term papers so they can make the grades they need to hook college scholarships. Worse, 70 per cent of the students did so with the approval of coaches. (No reference to parents, but it's doubtful they're in the dark).

Item Two:

The Josephson Institute in Los Angeles did an extensive survey on ethics in high school sports, interviewing 5,275 students. Among its findings: 65 per cent of kids on prep teams cheated at least once in academic work in the past year compared to 60 per cent for non-athletes. The most prolific cheaters - 72 per cent of football players and 71 per cent of cheerleaders!

Go team!