Jasper's Gym

The popularity of High School Basketball in Indiana is insane! While I believe that we should all be passionate about something, there's a line that can be crossed. Take for example the case of the new Jasper (Indiana) High School Gym. Jasper is a small city in southwestern Indiana with a city population of around 15,000 people. Their High School has 1,050 students. A couple of years ago, their Gymnasium was struck by lightening and the roof caved in. They had real good insurance. Yeah, real good insurance and a desire to rebuild - big time. Their new gymnasium seats 4,800 people. Keep in mind that the school has 1,050 kids. Take note of their scoreboard. This is all very nice. Price tag: $12 Million. That's right! $12 Million for a gymnasium! Have we lost our minds? We pay our teachers peanuts and we build basketball cathedrals for kids who are starving for a quality education. What I'm saying is that the misdirection of funds, here, is criminal in that the money would have been much better spent on EDUCATION. Quality teachers...you know, stuff like that.