The Complexities of Sport

Should schools offer sports?

Seems like a silly question.

Why wouldn’t they?

While there are many benefits to having a sports program on your campus, is it better than not having any sports at all?

First, the logistical nightmares that come with offering sports are just another expense for districts across the country. While it does provide jobs to coaches and athletic directors who help train athletes and coordinate games and practices, should taxpayer dollars be paying for that?

Instead, what if schools didn’t have to allocate funds for athletic programs and could funnel money to other areas of education? Students could focus on school all day, and schools could shorten the school day because they no longer have to schedule sporting events and practices.

However, students could still enjoy all of the benefits of organized sports. Independent clubs could coordinate games and practices and offer a handful of scholarships to allow all students the opportunity to play. These clubs could even partner with schools to constantly communicate with teachers and administration to keep the more troublesome students in line.

The main benefit of this separation would be more funding allocated to educational programs throughout districts and campuses.

Second, the focus of school could be school. There is often a lot of speculation around schools with massive athletic programs about whether or not students are getting a quality education or if they are just passing the students to allow them to play. Many high school students are trying to play sports in college and beyond, which is a very noble and highly competitive goal.

Which is why it is important to remember the purpose of public education—to prepare students for life by giving them skills they will use every day. Not to get them a scholarship to play college sports.

As coldhearted and mean as that may sound, it might be time to refocus.

Sports are great for many reasons, but they are not the primary purpose of school, mainly because the focus shifts from education to winning games.

Taking sports out of schools, in the long run, would benefit students and teachers.

I know this whole thing sounds anti-sports, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sports are essential in the development of students and, dare I say, necessary for their future success.

Then why should sports be taken out of school?

Because the focus has shifted too much, people always say that school comes first, but often their actions speak otherwise.

Specifically in the south, with sports like football, education is put to the side.

There are many reasons for this, but the most apparent is money.

These sports can be big money-makers for districts; therefore, they put a huge precedent on the success of their teams. So, if that means taking time out of class or slightly fudging the numbers on a student's grades to make sure they play, then they’ll do it.

It’s well known that there are corrupt people worldwide who are more interested in self-gain than doing what is best for students. Taking sports out of schools can eliminate the self-interested people who just want to win games.