Disabilities in Sports - Billy Nowak

     When it comes to people with disabilities in sports, I think that they should be able to play on any team that they are capable of playing on. Obviously, there are people with disabilities whose disabilities are too severe to allow that person to participate but for everyone else they should have the choice if they want to play on a team designed for people with disabilities or with people without disabilities. I give so much credit to the people with disabilities who play on a team with people without disabilities. They already are at a disadvantage and still chose to play the game the love. The controversy comes when people who are fans, observers, parents, etc. who complain about how it is not fair that that person with a disability is on the team with people without disabilities. Their argument is they change a part of the game that may affect the outcome of the game. This gets my gears going. An example from class was when we talked about Bobby Martin, a high school football player with no legs. He was on the high school football team and played defensive line. He was able to get through the line and make tackles on the running back, sacks on the quarterback and all the other skills needed to play defensive line on a high school football team. Outsiders then noticed that it is not fair to the other team who they play against that he is that low to the ground and unblockable. Also, that then gives the linebackers an advantage because the offensive linemen bend down to block Bobby and allow the linebackers to see the back field better. This absolutely lights a fire inside of me. How can anyone bring down person with a disability playing a game with a whole field of people without a disability? Everyone should acknowledge the passion Bobby has in the game and drive to play with a disability. As Gossfeld (2005) stated the other team gave Bobby a Superman logo for his helmet. This shows that others teams acknowledge Bobby playing the game he loves. People off the field just have to understand the situations in a positive manner.

Gossfeld, S. (2005, October 19). Inspirational high schooler in Ohio tackles football in his own unique way. In The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 7, 2013, from http://www.boston.com/news/special/bigarticles/bobby_martin/page1.html