Sports used to be a fun way for students to expend energy, keep fit and have some friendly competition — a break from academics.
But at some point in time, we started treating college scholarships as the ultimate measurement of success in high school sports. Parents, fans and even communities sometimes define an athlete’s career by one question: “Are they going to play at the next level?” The reality is, for most athletes, the true value of sports has very little to do with college scholarships.
Sports teaches disciplines that become life lessons. Athletics is pretty much a classroom for life, teaching several life lessons: resilience, teamwork, leadership, trust, goal setting, self-esteem, concentration, commitment and time management. Athletes learn how to handle fear and failure, overcome adversity, develop patience and carry themselves with respect and integrity. Most importantly, sports teach young people how to be part of something bigger than themselves.
