Letter to the Editor; Parents fed up with feverish fandom during school

To the Editor:

We are writing with the hope that we can shed some light on what we feel is a disservice to the children of Odessa Elementary School.

Some classes had “Seahawks Parties” last week, in preparation for the Super Bowl. We have a child in school who is not a Seahawks fan and is being forced to partake in the creation of Seahawks pictures and attend class “Hawk rallies.” This child has been segregated by the other children due to not being a Seahawks fan, and the teacher has allowed this to take place.

Students also spent class time watching a taped recording of the Seahawks vs. 49ers NFC Championship Game. First of all, there’s no education there. Our child would have been better off playing hooky. And second of all, it is, by law, illegal to show that game. Every NFL broadcast specifically tells the viewers that it is illegal to record, reproduce, or give give public or private viewings of the game without the expressed written approval of the league.

We are shocked and appalled that teachers are forcing the biased fandom of a team on the other side of the state onto these children instead of sticking to the approved classroom curriculum.

We also have another child in school, who is not a Seahawks fan, who is being forced to “root for the Hawks!” during class parties. Children are like sponges, and this is the time in their lives when they need to be educated. This is not education. We do NOT send our children to public school to be forced to become fans of the Seahawks. We send them to be educated, and the teachers involved should be ashamed of themselves. What do the children learn while being forced to draw pictures of the Seahawks logo? How is this contributing to their ongoing development?

Although former Seahawks players have referred to this side of the state as analogous to “Detroit,” which is why they no longer hold training camp at Eastern Washington University, many people in this town still prefer to “root for the locals.” That’s fine. That’s their business. But our children will not be subjected to this biased fandom. Keep your pro sports love at home and out of the school. If any other team besides the Seahawks were going, these parties would not occur and regular curriculum would be followed. In our opinion, if religion is not allowed in schools, then we see no reason for professional sports fandom by teachers to be allowed either.

In an effort to avoid reprisals against our children, we have requested that our names be withheld.

Concerned parents

Odessa

[The Record has withheld the name of the letter writer(s) to prevent identification of the children involved.]