17 reasons why football is better than high school

This 1998 article by Herb Childress captures some very important ideas about education that get right to the heart of what we value at TBS. While I don't agree with every point he makes, the main thrust is right on: when done correctly, the underlying educational structure of a football team (or any other team sport) is far more responsive to child development and the intellectual, emotional, and social realities of adolescence than the typical school.

1. In football, teenagers are considered important contributors rather than passive recipients. 
2. In football, teenagers are encouraged to excel.
3. In football, teenagers are honored.
4. In football, a player can let the team down.
5. In football, repetition is honorable.
6. In football, the unexpected happens all the time.
7. In football, practices generally run a lot longer than 50 minutes. 
8. In football, the homework is of a different type from what's done at practice. 
9. In football, emotions and human contact are expected parts of the work.
10. In football, players get to choose their own roles.
11. In football, the better players teach the less-skilled players.
12. In football, there is a lot of individual instruction and encouragement from adults. 
13. In football, the adults who participate are genuinely interested.
14. In football, volunteers from the community are sought after.
15. In football, ability isn't age-linked.
16. Football is more than the sum of its parts. 
17. In football, a public performance is expected.