I did a poll on social media and out of 29 people, 24 said that schools pay more attention to sports than the arts. 

In the United States, parents with children that play sports spend an average of $671 per year on sports equipment and other material needed for their sport. Some people argue that student-athletes care more about their academic performance because they need to pass their classes in order to participate. While this may be true, people in the arts are “four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement.” Sadly, despite the value of both sports and arts programs, high school art departments often worry about getting less funding or even being cut from schools. Sports programs don’t typically face this constant fear of being cut. 

In sports, when you lose a game or make a huge mistake in the game, you get the blame and lose a lot of confidence in yourself for disappointing your teammates. In the arts, when you make a mistake you get critiqued and use that critique to make a better painting, song, photo, design, etc. Athletes must live with the results of their season and wait for the next year to continue improving their skills. Artists can constantly improve as long as they have access to the materials they need.

Also, art students learn creative thinking skills that will help them see real life situations more creatively. For example, if your boss gives you a project to work on and says he wants you to think out of the box, art students will be able to do it no problem. This is important when you consider that 72% of business leaders name creativity as “the number one skill they are seeking when hiring.”

Athletics are an important part of most high schools. People from the school and community buy tickets and snacks and go to the games. However, the arts are an equally important part of high school. People go to art exhibits, theater performances, and performances by band, choir, and orchestra students; the pep band keeps school spirit high at those football games. Schools seem to underestimate how significant these experiences are for their students.

Sports outshine the arts, and they shouldn’t. Schools should pay equal attention and put forward equal effort and funding to both arts and sports programs. Students deserve to be recognized for their talent and for their contribution to the school environment, whether it be in sports or the arts.