The Christian EducatorA publication of North Valley Baptist Schools

Sports or Education?

Is it a good idea for your school to have a sports program? Schools were designed for the purpose of teaching students reading, writing, and arithmetic – the basics of any education. In high school we teach our students the more advanced subjects such as geometry, physics, and advanced English. Where do sports fit in? Is there really any need of sports in our schools or does it just take the focus off education? While education is the primary focus of our schools, we must ask ourselves, “Why is education the focus?” The answer is simple. It is important to give our students the essentials they will need in life. We believe that the information we teach our students will better prepare them to live Godly, moral lives.

With that same philosophy, sports teach many invaluable character traits that our students need for life. Sports teach students the principles of hard work, endurance, and commitment. Sports help students to push themselves beyond their known physical capacity and to reach new heights. Sports help them work with other players to achieve a common goal. It helps students determine their weaknesses and work to improve on them. All of these characteristics will greatly benefit their lives.

Having said this, will a sports program hurt your school? Most likely, the opposite is true. Having a sports program at your school will bring about a sense of school spirit and unity. The principles learned in sports can also be applied to the student’s studies. Will students replace their regard for education and replace it with sports? Although this might, at first, be true, I believe that our students must learn the importance of living a well-balanced life. Luke 2:52 shows us that Jesus increased mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially. We are to live in the likeness of Jesus Christ, which means we should help students to increase in those same areas. Sports are a great way to give students the opportunity to increase!

About the Author: Chris Fanara has been teaching at North Valley since 2007. He teaches history in the middle school and high school, coaches our varsity soccer team, and is the faculty advisor of our Honor Society. Chris and his wife, Tabitha, were married in 2005 and have two handsome boys, Riley and Hudson.