That’s Debatable: To Improve Education, Kick Sports Out of High School

Can you imagine high school without sports? Football launches the rhythm of the school year, binding the students in spirit, rallying the community and giving life to myriad other extra-curriculars that shape a young American’s teenage years.  But, in some countries, where students do better in school than they do here, there’s not even a word for ‘ school mascot.’ That’s because there’s no sports in school.  As Amanda Ripley noted in her book The Smartest Kids in the World, the best schools in the world are just that, schools, not all-encompassing entertainment centers.

 

Ripley followed up her book with a cover piece in The Atlantic that noted how many resources are committed to sports, and how often sports gets in the way of  a school’s primary mission: educating our children. From coaches who are bad math teachers to bazillion dollar stadiums, it’s worth asking whether sports continue to play a net-positive role in our schools.