Oct. 29, 2009
Contact: Professor Brian Greenwood
805-756-5093 pgreenwo@calpoly.edu
Professors' Report Finds School Cuts to Youth Sports
Contribute to Obesity, Violence
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- A new report co-authored by a Cal Poly professor says that cuts to school-based sports and physical education programs are contributing to a range of problems afflicting the nation's youth, including obesity, violence and academic failure.
The report, released this week by the New York-based group Up2Us (http://www.up2us.org) estimates that school districts around the nation have cut after school sports and school physical education programs by $2 billion over recent years.
Cal Poly Natural Resources Management Professor Brian Greenwood is one of the authors of the study, presented at a conference this week in Washington, D.C.
"Youth sports is in serious decline in this country," Greenwood told the Washington Post. "We can't afford that potential negative impact. If a kid doesn't have somewhere to go, something to do to occupy their time, unfortunately what they do more often than not is they end up in trouble."
Read the Washington Post story
Read more on the study on the Up2Us Web site