Whatever happened to 6-man football in SD; a note on the government shutdown: Your letters
Your letters to the editor for Nov. 26, 2023:
Can six-man football make a comeback in South Dakota?
In a June 7, 2018, article in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader titled “Six-man football is coming back to South Dakota,” it was announced that the SDHSAA Board of Directors had elected to add the six-man football classification to the state’s sports menu beginning in 2019. The six-man classification was to replace Class 9B and would be open to any schools with a male-only average daily membership of 40 and lower.As a man who is a big fan of the sport, and author of the book, “Six: A Football Coach’s Journey to a National Record,” published by the SD State Historical Society Press in 2011, I have been waiting impatiently for the sport to reappear. My book discussed the record-setting Claremont Honker football teams of the 1940’s and 1950’s who still hold four national records and are a part of seven more as shown in the National Federation of High School Sports Record Book (NFHS.org).South Dakota has a rich history of success competing in six-man football. Between 1947 and 1952, the Honkers were the toast of the sport on a national basis. At the peak of its popularity, six-man football teams numbered over 5,000 throughout rural America. The sport was designed for small towns in America. It was faster, more entertaining, safer, and required less cost to field a team. A community with 10-20 players could safely field a six-man football team. In South Dakota, the number of six-man teams was double that of those playing eleven-man in the year 1952.Why would a South Dakota community want six-man football?• Six-man football can create economic opportunity for the community. Spectators spend money and teams draw spectators. In the glory days of Claremont football, the town of 225 residents would have up to 2000 spectators at the games.• Entertainment value – the game is fun to watch. It is a high scoring affair with exciting plays and exceptional action. The average scores are substantially higher than its eleven-man brother and the rules promote the action. In fact, a game between Claremont and Frederick, SD, in 1951, ended with a score of 96 to 48. Still a national record for six-man football on a combined basis.• Civic pride – who doesn’t want to have bragging rights for their successful team? Where does a town that consolidated its school district get the opportunity to revive a sports persona exclusive to the town? Could there be a Bristol versus Andover rivalry in the future?• Less travel for practice. Today, so many kids need to travel an hour or more round trip to practice at their consolidated school. For farm kids this is tough and has likely impacted on the number of kids who elect to play sports. Six-man football may help that issue.• It doesn’t require the player to be a certain size to compete. Even those who are smaller can compete effectively and be a star.How does the six-man game vary from eleven-man?Based on the initial rules developed by Stephen Epler. First, there are less players on the field. To compensate for this, the field size is reduced from 100 x 50 yards to 80 x 40 yards. Still a wide-open game with a focus on scoring. Other changes were as follows:• Teams kick off from the 30-yard line to start the game.• Play starts on the 15-yard line, if there is a touchback.• A team must advance 15 yards for a first down.• The offense has two ends and a center, a QB, halfback and full back.• In the old-world, teams did not require a full set of pads, just helmets. Schools added the pads later, but rules did not require them.• Players could substitute freely – didn’t have to be a center replacing a center.• Any player on the field could score, not just limited to certain players. Plays were designed for each player on the field to carry the ball.Scoring was different.• A touchdown counted six points as in the eleven-man game.• If a team wanted to try to score the point after touchdown from scrimmage, it would only count as one point.• If they kicked instead, it this would count as two points.• Field goals were done as drop kicks and counted four points instead of three points.• Variations in the rules could be developed and published by the state’s sports authority so these rules may be different. Contact the SDHSAA for more details.Good first stepsSDHSAA took the first step in making the resurgence of six-man football possible back in 2018, but the concept of “build it and they will come” has not worked yet. It has been five years since, and no viable program has yet evolved. The reasons for this are varied but for many possible supporters, it is difficult to imagine how to implement a “new” sport in communities that have consolidated schools and at some level had lost their identity as a sports town. Unless there are resources available to help a school board envision the path to participating in six-man football, it is hard to develop support. This makes the implementation more difficult than if the sport was routinely played in the state. There are many who could move this effort forward, but they need a roadmap and someone to show them the way. Not sure SDHSAA is pulling its weight here.I reached out to the SDHSAA to volunteer to help develop some momentum but was met with the following statement: “Schools themselves are currently creating momentum in their areas of the state with talk of forming a 6-man football league. We will work with school districts that express interest in moving forward with 6-man football and help them with funding, coaching and equipment questions. If the SDHSAA has further questions about 6-man football, we will be in contact.”My interpretation of this response is that it is up to the school districts to reach out to their association for answers. I would encourage them to do so, but if there are other questions, there are resources outside of the association that can help you. There is an active six-man football league in Texas and there are many videos showing how exciting the game can be. I believe there are six-man football programs in at least 8 states. If you want data, you can get it.Six-man football is a worthy sport that should be actively played in South Dakota. Perhaps the SDHSAA is making progress implementing the program and I would applaud that result. However, it has been some time since they announced the program and still no teams have taken the field. The proof is in the pudding. I encourage school board members to inquire about the sport and hold your activities association accountable for getting this implemented. Invest some time and you will reap the rewards.
− Marc Rasmussen, Fort Pierre
In response to the 'End the Evil of Hamas' letter
I am writing to express my deep concern about an article that was published in the opinion section of your newspaper on November 2, 2023, titled "End the Evil of Hamas." The article contains incendiary and untrue allegations about Hamas, including claims that the group beheads babies and roasts them in ovens.
I am appalled that such a hateful and inflammatory piece was allowed to be published in your newspaper. These lies are not only offensive to Muslims but also dangerous, as they could incite violence against people of the Muslim faith.
Unfortunately, we have seen all too often how words can turn into actions. In Chicago, a man who was radicalized by anti-Muslim propaganda murdered a 6-year-old Muslim boy. This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the real-world consequences of hate speech.
I urge you to reconsider your decision to publish this article. It has no place in a responsible news organization. Instead, I encourage you to use your platform to promote understanding and tolerance between different groups of people.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
−Mohammed Al-Ostaz, Sioux Falls
More: End the evil of Hamas, clean hydrogen will boost SD's economy: Your letters
A community conversation on climate and sustainability
Earth has been under human assault for decades. My concern for the planet began nearly 50 years ago, stemming from an assignment for a college ethics class. I wrote a paper based on Frances Moore Lappe’s "Diet for a Small Planet," a book that influenced major aspects of my life, from career path, to child-bearing decisions and nearly life-long dietary choices.With climate scientists clamoring dire warnings about global warming, I’m appalled that our city leaders have responded with their version of “don’t say gay” – namely to erase the terms “climate” and “global warming” from the Sioux Falls Sustainability Plan; to render the plan toothless; to duck and run for cover rather than face impending climate challenges wisely and proactively.Fortunately, no law in SD forbids public conversations or individual and collective actions to address the climate crisis and sustainability. You have an opportunity to share your concerns and explore solutions with other Sioux Falls area thinkers, movers and shakers. All readers are invited to “A Community Conversation on Climate and Sustainability,” a gathering at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church on Saturday, December 2, 9:30 to noon. Four climate experts will present information and lead community discussions. Visit the SoDAK350 Facebook and Instagram pages, or go to sodak350.org/cccs, for event details and registration.Let’s generate a grass roots movement to implement solutions to save our hot mess planet Earth, beginning here at home in Sioux Falls.
−Julia Natvig, Sioux Falls
A note on the government shutdown
An immediate government shutdown has been averted. A short-term stopgap measure has been passed and signed by the president. However, fully funded government operations will be on hold after February 2024 until two more funding bills get passed in January and February. Passage of those two bills will be blocked by House Republicans unless they contain provisions for reducing the nation’s debt. Do these House pirates not realize that it was Republican presidents and legislators who, over the past fifty years, cut-and-cut-and-cut taxes for the wealthy until not enough revenue got collected for paying down the debt in an orderly way?
Government debt began increasing in 1982 with President Reagan’s rate reductions for wealthy families and corporations. Those reductions were supposedly going to trickle down to the middle class (I never understood how this mechanism was supposed to work). Reagan also initiated two outright tax-cuts for the wealthy. President George Bush followed suit in 2003 and 2008. I refer the reader to studies that were conducted in 2015 and 2019 that assessed the results of these tax cuts.
A 2015 study performed by the London School of Economics found that 50 years of tax cuts have only helped the rich. As a follow-up, the researchers later conjectured that President Trump’s tax cut in 2017 would likely produce the same results. They found, as expected, that incomes of the rich grew faster when tax rates were lowered. But they found no evidence of any benefits trickling-down-to-the-middle-class. Rather, they found that tax cuts simply exacerbated inequality. University of California at Berkeley did a follow-up in 1919, finding that Trump tax-cuts lifted the fortunes of ultra-rich so that the 400 richest American families paid lower taxes in 2018 than did most members of the American middle class.
A later study by King’s College London, stated in summary that “our recent research shows that the case for low taxes on the rich is weak. Tax cuts for the rich since the 1980s have worsened income inequality without boosting economic performance. This research conclusion might be welcome news for supporters of higher taxes on the rich in the wake of the pandemic.” Or, this submitter might add, for supporters of higher taxes in the wake of recalcitrant Freedom Caucus pirates in the U.S. House of Representatives.
− Dave Wegner, Sioux Falls
More: We need a cease fire in Isreal; American-made ethanol is better any day: Your letters
A second Holocaust
The agony of the Palestinians did not commence on Oct. 7, 2023, rather 75 years ago, Europe and North America were faced with the task of finding a new home for the Jewish community following the devastating loss of six million lives in concentration camps across Europe. It is important to note that this atrocity was committed by the Nazis, not by Muslims or Arabs in Palestine. Now, we bear witness to 56 years of occupation, 16 years of besiegement in Gaza, and an apartheid-like state that exists – one of the harshest and most unjust systems on Earth. While many of us have educated ourselves about the Holocaust, many of us only heard about the Holocaust, but we are now witnessing a similar tragedy, a second Holocaust unfolding before our very eyes. Over 4,500 innocent children have tragically lost their lives, and numerous families have been annihilated.
Israel, despite its support from the Western world, is a questionable investment. Its sustainability is in doubt, it contradicts the principles outlined in the Torah. This is precisely why many steadfast Jews denounce its actions, and many Jews all over the world do not recognize Israel as a state. The root causes of the conflict can be traced back to Zionist Jews and Zionist Christians, rather than being attributed to the resistance movements. Just imagine what you would do if someone forcibly expelled you from your home, subjected your loved ones to rape and murder.
Speaking against Zionists is not anti-Semitic at all it is a duty to people of conscience to reject genocide regardless.
It is worth noting that Jews have resided, and continue to live, among Muslims, and Arabs in various regions such as North Africa, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Egypt for thousands of years, peacefully coexisting without any interference. History must be accurately portrayed, as the misinterpretation of events could potentially lead to the decline of America and Western civilization, reminiscent of the rapid downfall experienced by past empires.
−Mohamed Al Sharif, Sioux Falls
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Whatever happened to 6-man football in SD; a note on the government shutdown: Your letters
