A philosophy for interscholastic athletics cannot be considered apart from the objectives of those sponsoring and administering the programs - schools - and the intentions of those institutions when they decided to associate sports with education and began to invest resources into that association.

The current trend in education is toward smaller and more specialized and segregated schools; but throughout most of the 20th century, the first to have sports associating with schools in the United States, the trend was opposite. Public policy supported the consolidation of schools where students could be provided more comprehensive curricular and extracurricular options. Schools were viewed as melting pots for persons of diverse cultural, social, racial and religious backgrounds and of wide ranging interests in and capabilities for academic and non-academic activities.

The philosophy of school sports defined here is more consistent with the historical vision of public education than the recent fads.
In keeping with this long view of things, we begin with the statement of beliefs and actions presented in 1963 by Clifford B. Fagan, then Executive Secretary of the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations, to a national conference on values in sports, as reported in the Journal of the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation:

Beliefs
"First, we believe that the nature of a nation's sports program reflects, to a large degree, the nation's physical well-being and its physical interests. We accept the statement that competition on the fields of Eton made a great contribution to the welfare of the English people over a long, long period of time.

"Second, we believe in competition. It is beneficial for the highly skilled to compete, for the less skilled to compete, for the moderately skilled to compete. A desire to win is good, and most benefits occur when extreme effort is made; casual effort does not result in desirable benefits! We believe that there is a difference between recreational sports and competitive sports. And we believe further that competition should be regulated by standards.

"Third, we believe that we should win according to the rules and that ethical practices should not be abused or voided in order to win. A program that is properly administered, even though it is competitive, will give the educational benefits we are striving for.

"Fourth, we believe that a program with both breadth and depth is needed. There should be a great many sports opportunities for high school students and students should have a choice of the activity in which they want to participate. We believe that there is need for many teams on various levels. Not all students want to participate in programs that are highly competitive. Some students do not care about this kind of activity; some are not interested in making the sacrifices that are necessary if they are to excel.

"Fifth, we believe that sportsmanship is taught and that the objectives we hope to attain can be reached only when sportsmanship is given a consideration. We believe that current approaches to sportsmanship are often 'namby-pamby.' Even with the fear of oversimplifying this important area, we suggest that there are three standards for sportsmanship. You can have acceptable sportsmanship generally if you will play the game according to the rules, both the spirit of the rules and the actual rules. If you win, you do not gloat over it. If you lose, you do not alibi. We believe that some 'window dressing' is insincere in the sportsmanship area, that it is unnecessary. Furthermore, it contributes to a weakness or a fault of our competitive program. We think that it is artificial and we believe that sportsmanship is dependent upon sincerity.

“Finally, we believe that personal an social values can be attained in sports competition but that these objectives are not automatic and, to a great degree, they depend upon leadership. In addition to those values that are classified as personal and social, there are others which are classified as physical and spiritual. An attitude of sophistication that has developed in the country since World War II is making it more difficult for sports programs to obtain the results which we hope they will. This attitude prevents participants from making sacrifices to accomplish what should be accomplished in sports program. We believe that this attitude of sophistication has contributed to a weakening of moral fiber.

Actions

"This we do. First , we protect in interscholastic programs the individual and the program. We do this in many ways - limited seasons, eligibility rules, age rules, limited number of games, and so on.

“Second, we promote. We believe that the program is worth promoting.

"Third, we train. We believe that we teach sports skills effectively. Coaching is one of the best, more efficient programs of teaching in the school. We train officials so that these programs can be conducted according to the rules. And we believe that good and adequate officials reduce the incidence of unsportsmanlike conduct.

"Fourth, we classify, for equal competition.

"Fifth, we cooperate with other aspects of the school program.

"Finally, we work for the attainment of personal and social values, knowing that these can be attained only when maximum effort is extended and when there are sacrifices for the best possible performance. We regret that there are still many soft spots in this area. We regret that in many places loyalty is ridiculed, that some organizations even penalize people who try to do the best possible job that they can."

Role

Both at the time Mr. Fagan articulated the six beliefs and six actions above and in these times, the goals of school sports are twofold: (1) to help schools reach and educate students; and (2) to help students learn skills for life. Such skills include hard work (dedication and discipline), teamwork (sacrifice), and fair play (ethics and integrity).

It is neither a practical nor legal reality that interscholastic athletics are an integral part of the curriculum of schools or an essential part of a student's education. However, it is proper to characterize voluntary, competitive interscholastic athletics as a tool for helping schools motivate students and to succeed both in the classroom and in later life.

While it is not necessarily cause and effect, it is a statistical fact that by most studies it has been found that participants in athletics have higher grade point averages, lower drop-out rates, better daily attendance and fewer discipline problems than non-participating students.

Many schools have placed the purpose of interscholastic athletics before their constituents by many different means. Here is a part of what one Michigan school has stated in its STUDENT ATHLETIC HANDBOOK which each athlete and his/her parent must verify has been read before the student participates in athletics:

Philosophy of Athletics

"V. American society places a high priority on individual excellence. This excellence has been closely allied with a challenging, competitive environment. Competition has long been considered a measure of excellence in our culture, whether it be in the business world, in scholastic achievement, or in athletics. Educational sports, in their pursuit of excellence, should be cautious not to create a competitive atmosphere so highly charged and intense that it becomes counter-productive for those it is intended to serve. Athletics must always be available to the many, not just the few. Every attempt should be made to encourage as many students as possible to share in the benefits of athletic participation. While participation is to be encourage, it should be regarded as a privilege to compete for the school and excessive praise and awards should be discouraged.

"The program shall be so directed that the welfare will be the rule. Every effort should be made to assure broad-based student participation. Continued emphasis shall reinforce the philosophy that the educational sports programs support the educational program and are justifiable only to the extent that they are a desirable learning experience. All athletic activities in the school district shall be coordinated with the general instructional program and be in complete harmony with all aims and objectives of the total school program.

Objectives of Athletics
"VI. An athletic program should have objectives if it is to be meaningful. These objectives should be applicable for all levels. The objectives shouldn't be inconsistent with its philosophy or the educational objectives of our schools.

"Our athletic program is dedicated to the following objectives:

"1. Provide all athletes with the best teaching and coaching personnel possible.

"2. Provide all athletes with the best facilities and equipment possible.

"3. Provide the opportunity for all athletes to participate in the best interscholastics possible.

"4. Provide the opportunity for all spectators to identify with and support the interscholastic teams of our schools.

"5. Provide all athletes an opportunity to grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually through participation in the athletic program.

The Goals of Athletic Participation

"VII. The ultimate goal of all athletes is to become a more effective citizen in our democratic society. These can be realized by achieving the goals through athletic participation.

"1. YOU LEARN TEAMWORK - to work with others in a democratic society a person must develop self-discipline, respect for authority, and the spirit of hard work and sacrifice. You accomplish this by placing the team and its objectives higher than your personal desires.

"2. YOU LEARN TO BE SUCCESSFUL - our society is very competitive. You will NOT ALWAYS WIN, but you WILL SUCCEED WHEN YOU CONTINUALLY STRIVE TO DO SO.

"3. YOU LEARN TO BE A GOOD SPORT - you must learn to accept success and not let it go to your head. You must also learn to accept defeat knowing that you've done your best. You must continually strive to treat others as you would have them treat you. Through participation in athletics you must develop positive social traits. Some of these traits worth mentioning are: emotional control, honesty, cooperativeness, and dependability.

"4. YOU LEARN TO ENJOY ATHLETICS - many athletes are involved in athletics for many reasons, the least being the enjoyment derived. Hopefully, you will learn to enjoy this period in your life and appreciate your personal rewards.

"5. YOU LEARN DISIRABLE HEALTH HABITS - to be an active, contributing citizen, it is important to obtain and maintain a high degree of physical fitness through exercise and good health habits. Your participation in athletics should demonstrate to you the importance of good health habits."

Distinguishing Characteristics

Interscholastic athletic programs sponsored by schools are distinguished from non-school community athletic programs by four issues to which interscholastic athletics gives special attention. Those issues are scholarship (supporting the academic mission of schools), sportsmanship (encouraging a civil and respectful environment for competition), safety (promoting the physical wellbeing of participants), and the scope of the programs (maintaining limits on awards, travel, seasons and out-of-season activities that are consistent with the primary function of schools, which is education).

These are the issues that have defined school sports throughout the 20th century and more than ever distinguish school sports from programs by all other sponsor on all other levels. They are issues on which the administrators of school sports should not apologize for being different, for it is in the difference that school sports have their place not only in the sports world but also in society as a whole. It is in the difference that schools can justify the role of competitive athletics within schools. Without these differences, boards of education could not justify the time and money spent on these extracurricular programs.

It has been said that the interscholastic athletic program provides a "window to the school." If the school provides special attention to scholarship, sportsmanship, safety and the scope of its athletic program, then the public can be fairly well certain not only that the school's philosophy of athletics is healthy, but also that its philosophy of education is appropriate.