Tigerle - thanks. And since I'm married to a Brit who was also criticizes the educational system in the US, I applaud you for coming out and saying it too. Yes, Brits are into football (aka soccer) and people like David Beckham are incredibly talented and wealthy as a result from playing the sport. However, there isn't this insane asylum here where every child has to and needs to play sports.
Sports are completely and utterly overemphasized here in the US. It borders on idolatry, imo. Worse, when I was growing up, there was a presidential physical fitness test and no allowances or accommodations were made if you had low muscle tone (hypotonia), had motor planning or coordination issues, were shorter than average, or whatever - everyone had to take the test, if I remember correctly, and everyone was pegged according to the standards of this test. It was a dictatorship situation which few parents challenged or questioned.
It's really crazy. Parents think they can groom the next Tiger Woods or Andre Agassi and make a boatload of money from their kids. Not a good recipe for life, imo.
