When looking at schools with a strong focus on Christian discipleship and academic preparation, some may wonder about the presence of competitive athletics. Why are sports important? What is the purpose of an athletics program in middle and high school? These are great questions and point us back to our telos – the Greek word for the ultimate goal or end purpose.
We have always placed our educational emphasis on paideia, another Greek word that best encapsulates a well-rounded education that forms a human being marked by wisdom and virtue. Participating in a variety of athletics growing up helped train me how to win humbly and lose graciously (the latter of which I am still working on, sadly testified by my wife’s refusal to play Yahtzee with me). Athletics is a wonderful training ground to grow in ways that complement a classical education steeped in academics, music, and the arts. Below are a few reasons we encourage students to participate in athletics.
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Sports teach character – So many lessons are learned on the volleyball court, the soccer pitch, or the basketball court. What is acquired in the classroom is absorbed viscerally in athletics. Perseverance, determination, self-control, and tenacity are learned in the heat of competition in ways that shape boys and girls to be future men and women.
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Sports build community – Working as part of team requires deference, collaboration, and reliance upon others. Our innate selfishness must be subsumed for the betterment of the team, pointing us to the value of others not as detrimental against but integral to our success. Particularly for boys, sports direct them away from themselves toward others as they understand the values of cooperation, encouragement, and humility.
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Sports develop the whole person – Christians oppose Gnosticism, an ancient heresy that views the spirit as good and the body bad. Athletics trains us to unite mind and body together. As one author writes, “the best reason for sports may be this: Because bodies and minds are not unconnected. You are a better student if your heart and lungs and circulation are in good working order, maybe a happier person as a bonus.” As people, we thrive when body, mind, and spirit work in unison.
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Sports prepare us for life – Sports introduce challenges that prepare us for life: better teams that train harder and perform better; the internal battle to win for selfish reasons vs. righteous reasons; opponents who cheat to get ahead and don’t play by the rules; people nasty in speech and demeanor. Students in competitive athletics learn to train their mind, soul, and spirit in ways that build resilience and grit. Under the guidance of wise coaches, these lessons transfer to all areas of life.
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Sports help us glorify God – In the heat of competition, we are tempted to treat people unjustly, look to our own strength, to win at all costs. While we desire teams to compete at the highest levels, winning is never the top goal. Athletics push us to maximize our ability with rightly ordered loves. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). Sports teach us that our gifts, our talents, our accomplishments are from Him, resulting in gratitude as we grow in grace and wisdom.
