During a recent meeting of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council, I asked the group to help me answer again one of the most basic questions we must keep asking ourselves about school-based sports:  why do the students participate, or what is it they seek when they go out for a sport?

The current group examined a list of seven possible answers and added four additional possibilities.  And then each member of the group was given two colored dots to place next to the answer he or she believed was most appropriate.  Each person had the option of placing both dots on the same answer or splitting their votes among two answers.

Two of the 11 possibilities were the overwhelming favorites.  The SAC members rated “for competition” first and “because of their love or passion for the sport” second.  Far behind was “to have fun.”  Further behind was “because I’m good at it.”

This group of motivated students who were selected by their schools to be candidates for the Council may not be typical of all students in MHSAA member schools; but they do deserve to be listened to and thought about as we work out MHSAA policies, procedures and programs.

If they seek competition, then we have to try to help that experience be fair.  And if they play because they love the sport, then we have to be sure we do what we can to add to their joy and not detract from it.  Exactly what that means, I’m not certain; but how it plays out should always be a question on the minds of those who design and implement educational athletics.