Hellcheer au where they're in the same college class and keep responding to each other's discussion boards because they're both convinced the other person is a genius because they just. have the most beautiful insightful things to say and they're infatuated with the thoughts they have and connections they make in their discussion posts

They've never met in person and only know each other by name and their tiny canvas profile picture or whatever until they do meet somehow, maybe in a different class or through mutual friends OR maybe one of them works somewhere on/near campus and the other shows their student ID to get the discount and the one working like. quotes one of their discussion posts at them or something idk

Time-Traveled Clones Give Anakin a Mental Breakdown

So @purronronner​ suggested the below on discord:

mental time travel au but it’s only clones (definitely Cody and/or Rex, possibly others)

Which we obviously all took and just... ran with. Contributors include Purrs, @the-lunar-system, and @atagotiak.

Initial brainstorming was just us trying to figure out how many clones did the mental travel, from when, etc. - Ended up deciding on 'significantly post-O66' and 'some but not all' - Mostly it's the angle that the only people who have an idea of what’s coming are the ones who aren’t even seen as people by most. THey have very little leverage to work with but they’ve gotta do something.

(I personally like the idea that Boba travels because Jango has to deal with the fact that His Baby Boy is suddenly much more adult and serious and also telling him that the whole Kamino thing is going to Destroy Everything Including Mandalore, And Revenge Against The Jedi Won't Be Worth It, but that idea got scrapped because he's got too much influence via dad.)

Rex and the clones that died when Rex & Ahsoka were escaping 66. Because Rex would probably be very regretful he couldn’t save them. The others would probably be understanding of the situation and even worse some of them would be thankful that he stopped them. - Strategic mass desertion via faked KIA reports as medics smuggle people out to investigate what's trying to kill the Jedi through the clones - Also they can manage a lot by doing surgeries and reprogramming Med droids and stuff. At the very least Palpatine can’t manage such a sudden and decisive victory without subverting the clones. The political angle is probably still a complicated mess but he can’t just snap his fingers and do a genocide, y’know? - IMO at least Fives is definitely on the list of time-travelers.

The Krell Situation is, uh... handled. Quickly. - Sometimes friendly fire just happens, you know? Accidents.

Mass Distrust of Anakin Skywalker - He knows they don't like him but has no idea why. - On the one hand, they loved them some TCW Anakin. On the other hand, look where that takes him...

Anakin keeps feeling like the clones are mourning him while he's standing right there. More than the other Jedi, even! All the Jedi feel vague grief from some of the clones, usually in a way that makes no sense, but the vibe they have around Anakin is a mindfuck. - Some of them want to get away and fast, some of them want to figure out how to fix him, none of them are at all happy with this.

He does one of those somewhat concerning TCW things where Imperial March plays faintly in the background, and while in the first timeline the clones would write it off as him being a little bit angrier than most Jedi (and he never takes it out on them, y’know?), this time they’re reacting… poorly. - They're scared of him this time. - And lbr the clones... while they’re largely good, moral people, have less rigid ethical rules than the Jedi and are more used to thinking of things in terms of us-vs-them as well as the Jedi-know-best conditioning, so they probably wrote off a lot the first time around (and now blame themselves, just a little, for Vader).

They, uh, they maybe get a bit twitchy... and the specific fear a few of "Vader's Fist" feel is so similar to the fear Anakin sensed around slaves in Gardulla's that he starts having flashbacks. - Anakin at one point spirals so deep into a flashback that he mutters something about how "she" is going to eat him and nobody can figure out who the fuck he's talking about, because nobody knows about Gardulla, possibly not even Obi-Wan, since that was TODDLER Anakin and while Watto may have come up, Obi-Wan probably didn't even think Anakin would have remembered toddler-age stuff, so Gardulla was never really discussed. - All anyone knows is that Anakin is fine with Ahsoka, so it's not her, but she's the only person on board using she/her pronouns so far since none of the clones are socially transitioning yet. - (Apparently Gardulla just ate her slaves sometimes? And Anakin had to live with the knowledge that that was a possibility for him? Until he was three? Fucked up, bro.) - (I'm just really invested in AUs where Anakin's 'not going evil' path kicks off in part with a breakdown where he can't keep himself in denial about the slavery element of the clones anymore.)

"They're scared of me." "Sir--" "They're scared the way we all were at Gardulla's what did I do?"

This would be pretty soon after Return to Tatooine, and Tatooine Three: Electric Boogaloo so Anakin is like... peak slave trauma rn anyway.

Anakin has a breakdown much earlier than in canon, and in precisely the opposite direction, loudly and blatantly enough that the Temple has to ground him for a bit, and even Palpatine can't get that overturned until the medics say so. - Also one of the key points: Anakin doesn’t resent it in the same way. - It’s uh. Less. The “The Jedi are afraid of my power (and Palpatine says that’s why I can’t just do what I want)” and more “the clones are afraid of my power (arguably with good reason)”

people above you fearing (+ limiting) you: hits right in the slave trauma people under you fearing you: still slave trauma but flipped all the way around

This is just back to back: - Mom died because you couldn't save her, on Slave Planet - You slaughtered an entire tribe of Tuskens, including the children, and have been putting a lot of effort into convincing yourself you're not a monster - You got chained up and threatened with public execution via Consumed by Big Thing (and are abruptly reminded of toddlerhood, where you were at risk of being Consumed by Gardulla, a Big Thing) - Clone army, basically slaves, can't think about that too hard or you'll freak out - (Secret marriage, which is stressful but not hitting the slave trauma button.) - You had to save a baby Hutt -- You had to help a slaver Hutt -- ON SLAVE PLANET AGAIN -- WHILE THE HUTT IS THREATENING TO KILL YOU - (Someone just GAVE YOU A CHILD, which is stressful but not hitting the slave trauma button.) - Half the clones treat you like a more impuslive Obi-Wan, and half of them are... scared and wary and you don't know what to do about that - You did something kinda fucked up and now half the slaves clones are fine and the other half feel like they're waiting for you to kill them in your anger - Fuck - Fuck

Mining for Unobtanium Chapter 28

Oh ho......... Why yes, I am.  And here’s some more for you thirsty wenches. The twenty Eight installment of my fic. I know, right? I just can’t stop.

Un Beta’s, we die like chocolate in a child’s pocket.

The usual warnings, I suppose18 AND OVER, nsfw,  BDSM and all that,

Dinner was lovely. The roast turned out perfectly, precisely mid rare, and while Henry wasn't looking someone must have given Kal  trimmings. I have no idea who that could have been. Oh. I imagine you're wondering about whether or not we talked about ethical ownership over dinner. We didn't. Someone was still butt hurt  that the whole cock warming  thing didn't go the way he had read about it. When there's no friction, even as randy of a buck as he is, one's member won't stay throbbing and tumescent. And if I'm not supposed to move, well, then, that's less friction. So,it sounded good in theory, but it was not as fun as he thought, having me kind of in his way and not really getting any benefit. I could sort of sense that it wasn't entirely what he had planned, and so, good girl that I was being, I got up, apologizing profusely for OBVIOUSLY doing something incorrectly, and laying myself face down over his lap for *correction*. We're always at least three steps ahead of you. Don't kid yourselves. He place one hand between my shoulder blades and told me to count and that other hand came down on my ass like a big meaty brick. "One, Sir". He smacked my ass again. "Two, Sir" I could feel him getting hard now, so I squirmed and wiggled, because, friction. He slipped his hand between my cheeks and commented about how this was getting me wet, and smacked my ass again and then fingered my cunt. "Three, Sir, I'm sorry" and I can feel my walls gripping his fingers, and I'm thinking maybe he's not thinking about spanking me anymore. As sure as God made little green apples, he grabs a fist full of my hair, right at the base, oh GOD THAT FEELS so good, I moaned and he practically tosses me over the arm of the sofa and jams that huge dick all the way home, one stroke. I gasped. Ok, maybe I screamed. But, not in a bad way, and he had one hand at my waist the other in my hair and I was definitely going to be walking differently Every snap of his hips shoved his cock to my cervix, and threatened to split me in two. And I kept trying to push back for more. "Oh God Daddy, please..." "Please, what?" Please let me cum all over your cock, Daddy" "You're forgiven darling, cum for Daddy." And I came apart, Shuddering, tears, unglued. And he roared like some animal, and I felt him pulsing ropes of his seed into me, and he collapsed on top of me like a weighted blanket with hair.  This was heaven, surely. Consciousness returned. He got up, I moved to get something to clean up with, I brought him a drink and a damp towel, because, service. I asked permission to check on dinner and popped out for a few drags off a cigarette. I plated and served dinner and returned to tell him that his dinner was ready. There was only his place set at the table. He gave me that eyebrow thing again. "Assumptions, remember? It may not be my place to dine with you. What if you were having guests? What if you preferred I sit at your feet and eat only what you feed me from your hand? " "If I have guests?" "Sir. If you wished it, I would cook for guests. And serve." "Wearing what you're wearing now?" "That would be your choice, and I'm not wearing anything now. I could wear only what you allow, choose or what you tell me." It was a bit to process. He bade me get a plate and eat with him, and we talked about the scripts, and the music I had picked and he didn't appear to want to talk about heavier things. So we had a delightful dinner, filled with small talk. It was comfortable and I enjoyed every minute I spent in his company. He was so well versed, about so many topics. I tried to tempt him with dessert. I should have known he would refuse. I sent him off to relax and do whatever and I did the washing up, tidied up the kitchen and asked if he wanted tea or coffee. He asked me to come sit with him, and I did. Happily. We watched a movie, cuddled on the couch, heaven. I asked to get up for a moment, he nodded. I got upstairs before he did and turned down the bed. I fluffed his pillows and smoothed the duvet, and went back down to tell him that all was ready for him to retire, unless there was anything else. Did he want a bath? A massage?  He looked at me and took my hand and said " Come darling, let's go to bed" I followed him, with my hand in his, We got to the bed and I asked his permission.  "What?"   " Well, you didn't say that this is where I sleep. If you'd prefer, I could sleep at the foot of the bed, or, if I had not earned it, then I should sleep on the floor. One never assumes. Privileges are gifts." " You really ARE a good girl, aren't you? I'm never going to get to spank you again " " Not for disobeying, no. But I am yours to do with as you see fit. If you desire to spank me, or flog me, or what have you, you don't need a reason." "Well there's my plan for tomorrow then" and he pulled me into his arms and kissed me thoroughly.  We got into bed all wrapped up in each other, Kal making room for himself and safe and happy I drifted off to sleep. I awoke the next morning melting. Between the blast furnace that was Henry and the baby bear known as Kal I swear, I was going to melt. I had to figure out how to get out from between them, one of them tightened their grip and the other one made a growly noise. I pried his arm loose and inelegantly slid out of the bottom of the bed. I headed for the shower and my morning routine, and managed not to wake either bear. I tiptoe downstairs, made coffee and brought a cup for him and set it on the nightstand. I couldn't help myself. I just stood there and looked at him. Committed it to memory. Tried to burn it into my brain. I thought about waking him up with a blow job, but figured Kal needed to go out . I tossed on a hoodie and jeans and took the puppy for his morning ritual. When I got back, I took off my clothes, put them away and brought fresh coffee for His Lordship.  He was in the shower, so I stepped in to wash his back. "Good morning ! Did you sleep well?" "Mmm yes, I did but it was odd waking up in the bed by myself" "Oh, do tell? Hot and cold running starlets Sir?" He laughed."No, I was referring to Kal. And you, of course." "Oh, I melted. You both throw off a great deal of heat. " He turned and kissed me. I put my arms around his neck, and came in closer, loving the feel of his chest against mine, the hair on this chest making my nipples hard. I slid down the front of him taking him in my mouth and cupping his balls with my hand . Eagerly I began to slide my mouth up and down his member, loving the feel of him growing as I sucked. He leaned back against the tile and held my face in his hands . I looked up at him and he began to fuck my face. Breathe through your nose, if you don't breathe through your nose on the down stroke you'll gag, and that's NOT sexy. I tried to relax and take him deeper down my throat but the angle wasn't great. I settled for wrapping my other hand around what wouldn't fit and trying to coordinate my movements. He began thrusting faster, and I felt his muscles tense. Protein for breakfast. My favorite! I ducked out of the shower, dried myself and had a towel waiting to hand him, brought his coffee in from the bedroom, kissed his shoulder and asked what he wanted for breakfast and when. " My God, woman, you spoil me so. I could get used to this." After breakfast we started playing with toys. We went through a bunch of impact toys, floggers of various weights and feels, stingy, thuddy, canes, paddles, from neck to knees I was quite marked. We did a bit with different kinds of restraint, but I admit, I'm not that great of a teacher. Bondage and restraint has never been my thing. In between toys, or implements, Henry was very sweet and caring, telling me how good I did and being very affectionate. It was loads of fun, really. I don't bottom that often, he's a very apt pupil, I was so incredibly turned on. My thighs were shiny with arousal, I swear, if he'd have so much as looked at me right, I would have cum without him touching me. My cunt was throbbing and it was all I could do not to try and squeeze one off. There were a couple of bumps, I suppose. I mean, I expected them, really. Henry really liked caning. I don't know if it's cultural, or a boarding school thing, but he really liked it. He probably would have loved it more if he got to push my skirt up over my hips and yank down my knickers, but he was SO enthusiastic, that I wound up with some really nasty ugly bruises a day or two later. Remember, canes, that's deep tissue bruising, hard to see immediate results.  Luckily I'm an indestructible old beast, and the wince when I sat just made me wet. Henry felt terrible, poor dear. That wasn't the bad one. The bad one was my four foot signal whip. It had been hand made for me, always behaved like an extension of my arm. But while I call it a toy, that's a weapon. I mean, I have other weapons in my toy bag. Knives, scalpels, needles, but Henry was really drawn to this whip. We negotiated. I walked him through its use, we discussed where not to strike, we talked about how that crack is the end of the whip breaking the sound barrier, and I put a brand new cracker on it, in case he broke skin. Because, no blood transfer. We aren't fluid bonded in that way. He was doing really well, and I was really enjoying that fiery kiss of each strike. I knew I'd have some lovely marks, too.  But then Gigantor leaned into one. Doesn't really know his own strength. It's not his fault. But the whip did what the whip does, and opened up a three inch slice on my hip, and you could see meat. That was going to leave a Mark. Henry dropped the whip and rushed to me, taking me down from the frame we had fashioned. I was according to him a bit pale. He scooped me up and carried me to the bathroom and cleaned up the wound. I bit my lip and didn't scream, but I knew he was going to have difficulties moving forward. I'm on bloodthinners. And I knew it wasn't going to stop easily. He applied pressure and I told him why it wasn't working properly and where the steri strips were in my things. He's got great hands. He really does. Handles himself well in a crisis. Very solid. So I'm all put back together and now he's fussing. He's taking care of me, while I should still be taking care of him. Haven't let me get up, much less do anything, and he's really being way too hard on himself for something that frankly could have happened to anyone. "Henry. HENRY. Darling boy, STOP." And with that tone of voice ,he stopped, and the control was once again not his. " Come here, please, love" Henry came and sat next to me. "I'm sorry. I apologize for 'pulling rank' but I couldn't get you to stop fussing. Please, love. I'm fine. I promise. I won't ever lie to you. This is not that kind of a relationship. In fact, I've quite fallen for you, and that is going to hurt worse than this oops ever could. Why you've stolen my heart Cavill. And every minute that I have with you is a precious gift. Please, STOP berating yourself. Everyone, and I mean everyone had a story like this to tell. Now you have yours. It's a rite of initiation I  guess. If you meet someone down the road and they say they're one of us, ask them for their oops story. If they don't have one, they've never played." " Now if I were a horrid human, I'd pout and say you should take pity on me and feed me, and then make love to me to make it all better, but ill settle for help me up so I can go to the bathroom and freshen up?"

@fishcustardandclintbarton @indigosaurus @whyyoudothistomecavill @michellemybelles-world @henrythickcavill @angryschnauzer @littlefreya

Beliefs

The first article I read was by the Editorial Board, “More Community Service, Not Less”. This was about how a House subcommittee approved a spending bill that cuts federal financing for the Corporation for National and Community Service. I believe this action is ethically wrong. By cutting spending for services that do work for millions of people, it will undoubtedly harm those people. Not only does this harm the people who the services are done for, but it harms the spirt of public service nationally. When there isn’t support for community service, people are less likely to do it. I can see this is my own life when I was given opportunities to ring bells for the Salvation Army, volunteer at churches or with children who have special needs. When I was encouraged to volunteer and help I was much more motivated and excited to do it. However, when there isn’t the encouragement or support it is harder to find the time to do it.

The second article I read was about Tusinsia’s new protections for women. I believe these steps that they have taken to protect the women of their country against any physical, moral sexual or economic aggression is morally and ethically correct. I think it is sad that they waited this long to put these laws in place and that there are still other laws that treat women as second-class citizens but I think this is definitely a step in the right direction. I grew up in a family of 3 girls, my mom and my dad. That being said, my dad has always raised me to not be ok with taking any crap because I was a girl. He always raised me that I can do whatever a man can do and to not let a man treat me any differently. Because of this, I truly believe women are equal to men and I think this law should help for the women in Tusinsia who may not believe that, start to.

The first podcast I listened to was by Pico Iyer “The Urgency of Slowing Down” where he discussed the importance of focusing on his inner self and the art of stillness. He talks a lot about how he thinks people are happiest when they forget themselves, the time and lose themselves in music, a movie, conversation with a friend or an intimate encounter with a friend. I liked this a lot because the action of removing yourself from the fast pace of life is super important. For me, I find myself getting caught up a lot in everything that is going on in life so when I am with my boyfriend, family or a friend I haven’t seen in a while I really try to just focus on the present moment. I this is something I believe is super important for yourself and for the relationships you have.

The last podcast I listened to was by Marie Howe “The Power of Words to Save Us”. This was about how important what we say is. She is a poet and discusses the idea of making magic with words. Whether it is a counter spell for a mean girl or a lullaby for a baby language is almost all we have left of action in the modern world. She also discussed how action has become what we say and in life it is often more what we say than what we do. That being said I’ve always believed what you say is important. How you stand up for yourself, how you talk to others and even how you talk to yourself is all super important. I think what you say, ultimately says a lot about your character and who you are as a person. That being said, I always try to say things that I mean, things that are kind and things that I believe to be true.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/opinion/more-community-service-not-less.html

https://theglobalobservatory.org/2017/08/tunisia-violence-against-women-law/

https://onbeing.org/programs/pico-iyer-the-urgency-of-slowing-down-nov2018/

https://onbeing.org/programs/marie-howe-the-power-of-words-to-save-us-may2017/

Poor Schools Keep Getting Crushed in Football. Is It Time to Level the Playing Field?

During the past decade, Hoover High and Des Moines’s four other large public high schools have a cumulative record of 0-104 against rivals with more affluent student bodies from the Polk County suburbs. If you were responsible for creating football conferences, which is usually based on a combination of school size and location, would you instead create conferences based on the poverty level of a school’s student body: (1) Yes, (2) No? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision? 

An hour before kickoff at a game this month at Hoover High School, the opposing football team, Indianola High, pulled up and unloaded the large video monitor that would let its coaching staff analyze plays, moment by moment, throughout the game. The coaches at Hoover High, where most students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, would have to make do with watching the old-fashioned way. Another loss, a Hoover student told the principal, seemed imminent.

Indianola ran 84 yards for a touchdown on their first play, the running back shedding Hoover’s smaller players like a video-game villain. The game ended in a 35-7 loss for Hoover, to no one’s surprise.

During the past decade, Hoover High and Des Moines’s four other large public high schools have a cumulative record of 0-104 against rivals with more affluent student bodies from the Polk County suburbs, according to figures compiled by The Des Moines Register. They rarely do any better against similar opponents from beyond the county, like Indianola. The disparity has been the topic of news articles and impassioned conversations across the state, from Sioux City to Davenport.

With all that losing, leaders in places like Des Moines are contemplating a change in how high school athletic teams are matched up against one another: What if the poverty level of a school’s student body was used to decide which teams it played?

The concept, now in use or under consideration in numerous American states and cities, turns on its head old notions of athletics as an equalizer. The thought of intentionally lumping poor schools into lesser divisions, separate from richer schools that have fancy equipment and larger and more specialized coaching staffs, rankles some educators, who say it sends a terrible message.

“Our kids don’t want to be classified as poor kids who have to play lower-level competition,” said Mitchell Moore, a coach at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines. “I’m a big believer that socioeconomics has nothing to do with catching a football.”

But at Hoover, where losing has gotten exhausting for players and fans alike, moving down to a lower division would be a welcome relief, many parents and students say. The idea of judging teams based on wealth may sound distasteful in concept, but the reality of losing night after night, year after year, feels far worse. And schools with extra resources for special training and technology, they say, simply do better on the field — so why not acknowledge that in the matchups?

“On just about every Friday night, they outsize us, they outman us, and they outnumber us,” Sherry Poole, Hoover’s principal, said about the suburban powerhouses on the school’s schedule that routinely win state championships. “Your heart just kind of stops whenever someone gets crunched.”

Dustin Hagler, a 17-year-old senior who plays on both the offensive and defensive lines for Hoover High, and is also the senior class president, said that he saw students in the hallways who would make good football players, but that they consistently resisted his recruiting efforts.

“It’s hard when you lose,” he said. “But it’s not just losing. It’s almost like you feel beat down. Like the odds are stacked against you.”

Over the past few years, officials overseeing high school sports in states including Minnesota, Oregon and Colorado have added provisions allowing schools with high poverty levels to drop down to lower athletic divisions. Washington State will introduce the idea next year, and Iowa is considering it.

Schools are commonly assigned to athletic divisions based on their enrollment, and Hoover, with more than 1,000 students, has long been placed in the state’s top athletic division, competing with the largest of Iowa’s public and private high schools. Its traditional rivals include city schools with relatively high poverty rates, but also suburban schools that have won the past nine state championships.

Ways of gauging poverty levels vary, but state athletic officials typically rely on the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches. At Hoover, about 75 percent qualify, compared with about 10 percent, on average, in neighboring suburban schools. At Indianola High, Hoover’s opponent on that recent game night, about 21 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

The debate over whether economic status should have a place in deciding a sports team’s competition has been fierce. The issue has led to awkward conversations among school administrators, parents and teammates, raising questions about fairness and the meaning of high school sports.

Supporters say the approach, intended to give poorer schools a better chance of winning games, will help students gain confidence. They also say it could reduce the risk of concussions and other injuries against teams with more expensive and elaborate training resources and access to better nutrition.

“We don’t feel like we are coddling these students; we feel like we are trying to put them on an even playing field,” said Peter Weber, executive director of the Oregon School Activities Association, which oversees high school athletics. “We need to match kids up with competition that is safe for them so they can walk out on a field and be competitive.”

But others, including many coaches, say the change adds new barriers for impoverished students, and suggests they are too weak or too poor to compete against richer rivals. Why, they ask, should students’ athletic potential be limited by their parents’ bank accounts? And some opponents say tinkering with longstanding athletic matchups in an attempt to even the odds is a way of babying young people — a “medals for everyone” mentality that undermines lessons in resilience and grit.

“They’re out there making do with what they have, and that’s the right thing to do,” said Gabe Murray, 19, a former Hoover football player.

Tom Farrey, executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, said the sports achievement disparity between wealthy suburban public schools and their urban counterparts has degenerated into “a competitive gap that is similar to the income gap” in the nation.

“The divide has always been there,” he said, “but it has widened.”

The disparity, experts say, is meaningful beyond the world of athletics because sports participation has been found to aid in academic success and college admissions, and is a predictor for professional success.

The discussion comes at a critical juncture for youth sports, where participation rates for many activities — particularly football — are in decline because of fears about brain injury and because children’s interests more than ever fall outside engagement in traditional sports, according to studies.

For the moment, switching leagues is not yet an option in Iowa, where the Iowa High School  Athletic Association is scheduled to discuss the issue later this year. If a request by the Des Moines Public Schools and other districts is approved, Hoover and other schools could apply to drop down a division.

Historically, the imbalance in high school sports has been between public schools and private schools, which are often able to recruit students and offer scholarships.

In Iowa, which has comparatively few large private schools that excel in sports, tension has centered around disparities between public high schools that have similar enrollment sizes but very different student demographics.

Thomas Ahart, superintendent of the Des Moines Public Schools, said students in the district must often work after-school jobs to support their families, which prevents many from participating in sports.

Dr. Ahart and others have pointed to the correlation between schools that win championships and how few students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

Across all Iowa schools, the percentage of students who qualify for such meals is about 43 percent, while Dr. Ahart said Des Moines’s dominant suburban sports schools have rates around 7 percent. In Des Moines public schools, about three-quarters of students qualify for free meals.

“There’s a real issue of equity of opportunity, and the foundation of the problem is tied most directly to poverty,” he said. “Even if we do everything right, the chances of us getting a victory is slim to none.”

Mr. Farrey, from the Sports & Society Program, said he believed more effort should be made by schools to encourage students — whatever their skill level — to play sports, instead of focusing primarily on winning and competitiveness.

“Kids do sports because they are looking to do something larger than themselves,” he said. “It’s not about whether you win. Sports are fun.”

But in Des Moines, high school football has not been much fun in recent years, some players said.

Kyle Fischer, whose son, Jerad Fischer, is Hoover’s quarterback, said wealthier schools have an undeniable advantage, so moving Hoover to a lower league would simply be recognizing that truth. He said that neither parents nor schools should be ashamed of trying to give their children the opportunity to compete equitably, including wanting kids to avoid sustaining injuries while playing against bigger, stronger players.

“They need to look at fairness across the board,” said Mr. Fischer. “I don’t believe in coddling kids, but the kids are just not getting the same opportunities.”