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Do we like to tell ourselves the purpose of school is academics or athletics?

If athletics, school must start as early as possible, so "away" outdoor games can be held outside in sunlight and "away" teams can get home at a reasonable hour.

If academics, school should start as late as possible, so students (and instructors!) can do class prep immediately before class and/or sleep in.

Its interesting that the only acceptable model of alternative education is essentially "pick your major in high school" such that there are art high schools or music high schools or aviation high schools, etc. And of course religious schools that have been around for centuries. However there are no business model schools based on priority, like a school with no athletics program that focuses on academics.

The real purpose of school is lowering unemployment by increasing babysitting years, along with raising the bar as a filter to reduce the number of "successful" kids needing jobs. Certainly we have far too much academics for our economy and culture to hold them.



How could athletics be the purpose of school?


I think that's his point - the purpose of an early start is to allow athletics to thrive, the purpose of a late start is to allow academics to thrive.

The US have high schools with stadiums bigger than those in most towns in Europe, it's clear where your priorities lie.


From my school (an affluent top tier high school), the athletics department did have a larger say than academics.

I think it had more to do with how loud and how much energy athletics had towards getting their way (and the parents reeeally cared about football. This was hardcore SEC territory), vs how much spare time the teachers had. I don't think it was explicitly pro athletics vs academics, but it certainly was systemically.


Social context? During a war, there might be more focus on producing fit troops. Or a even a primary focus on providing resources to the military.


I really dont want to be a fodder for the military? Would it not make more sense to concentrate on problems that are now as opposed to possibles? The current place of athletics in the school system really fucks things up.




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