All Glory Is Fleeting

Why is it that athletes get all the glory?  Not being too athletically inclined I've wondered about this much of my life.  Now that I have school aged children, I am once again reminded of the importance placed on winning at sports, in school.

I have a son in grade school who plays basketball in a no-cut school sponsored sports program.  He is a short guy with big elbows and knees.  A hangman-like figure on the court.  There are four boy's teams from his grade.  He is an average player on an average team.  I'm not even certain what the team's win-loss record is for the season.  The best team from his grade had their tournament win published in the local paper.

I have a son in high school.  He made the no-cut golf team.  He didn't make the basketball team and didn't try for wrestling.  The wrestling team won at the state championships.  The girls basketball team is battling for placement among the top three in its class at the state level.  Because of this, the entire school was given a free day, ostensibly so the students could go to the game to cheer on the team. 

These athletes work hard.  They get to school early and stay late working on their skills.  They learn discipline and team work, all valuable skills for the real world.  My question is why are they singled out and so handsomely rewarded?

The math team at my older son's school won a state competition.  The school didn't get a free day.  My younger son and some classmates won a geography competition.  It wasn't written about in the local paper.  These students work hard too.  It takes discipline and dedication to study long hours.  It is true that it isn't very exciting to watch someone study.  Academic competitions aren't televised.  Their participants don't land (multi) million dollar contracts to play on T.V.  Remember, however, they find cures for illnesses, write novels that keep us entertained, and invent the things that allow us to watch sports on our big screen televisions.