What Is the Real Purpose of High School Sports?

By Peter Carlisle
August 29, 2022

On a sunny May afternoon two years ago, I sat behind the backstop at my son’s high school baseball field. It was Senior Day—the final home game of the season, when each senior is introduced to cheers and applause, meets their parents on the third-base line, and poses for photos. For a few of these players, it was also the first time they had taken the field all season.

Per tradition, they started the game in the field. But after the first half-inning, the coach pulled them from the lineup and returned them to the bench—without giving them a chance to bat.

I had watched these players for years. I had coached some of them. They weren’t significantly less talented than others who had played regularly. Still, I don’t question the coach’s baseball knowledge—he had once played the game himself and was clearly qualified to judge subtle differences in ability. His job, as he saw it, was to field the most competitive team possible. And since this was a late-season game, perhaps he didn’t want to take any chances. But many earlier games had been blowouts. These seniors could have—and should have—had at least some chance to play.

So how, exactly, had the stakes gotten so high? What message were we sending by making participation in high school sports dependent on being just good enough to help win, while pushing aside those only almost good enough—even when there was room for both?

At the varsity level, no player is entitled to equal playing time. Many coaches announce that up front, and if the school administration backs them—or stays silent—most families accept it as policy. But should they?

And is it, really?

The choice not to play these athletes, even with ample opportunities throughout the season, reflects a troubling philosophy: that winning is so valuable it justifies denying team members the opportunity for meaningful participation. Not equal playing time. Not even generous playing time. Just a chance to get on the field—once. That’s apparently too much to ask.

But that logic crumbles when held up to the actual purpose of high school sports, as defined by those charged with overseeing them.

What the Rulebooks Say

All 50 states belong to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which governs school sports nationwide. The NFHS doesn’t just write rules—it articulates a mission. That mission is not about titles, rankings, or college scholarships. It’s about education.

Here’s what the NFHS says student participation in sports should do:

• Enrich the educational experience
• Promote respect, sportsmanship, and integrity
• Prepare students for life beyond school
• Develop leadership, health, and self-discipline
• Foster inclusion and enjoyment
• Prioritize the welfare and growth of students over winning

Participation in school sports, according to the NFHS, should be fun, healthy, inclusive, and educational. It should serve those playing now—not only those chasing future glory.

The NFHS Statement of Philosophy says it clearly:

The overriding commitment of the NFHS membership is the health, welfare and ethical growth of students who participate… High school activities permit the pursuit of excellence, but they are also for enjoyment, recreation, the promotion of healthy lifestyles, and the fulfillment of youth interests.

Here in Maine, the Maine Principals’ Association (MPA), which administers high school sports, echoes these values. Its Code of Ethics calls on everyone involved to:

• Recognize that sports are part of a student’s total education
• Emphasize sportsmanship and lifetime impact
• Avoid endangering current or future welfare of participants
• Encourage students to try multiple activities, not specialize early
• Judge success based on the attitudes of players and spectators—not wins and losses

The MPA Coaches Handbook goes even further:

“Learning is more important than winning.”

“Encouraging your athletes to participate in other sports and school activities will help them receive a complete educational experience.”

“The overwhelming number of student-athletes will stop participating in organized sport after graduation… They will leave school armed with the ‘lessons of life’ provided by their high school coaches.”

Finally, the Coaches Code of Ethics, adopted by both the NFHS and MPA, offers this:

“The coach shall never place the value of winning above the value of instilling the highest ideals of character.”

The Gap Between Words and Reality

These aren’t vague slogans. They’re binding standards, adopted by governing bodies, printed in handbooks, and implemented—at least in theory—by schools. They make clear that the purpose of high school sports is not to produce championships. It’s to produce better human beings.

But in many programs, particularly at the varsity level, we’ve lost the plot. Coaches are evaluated based on win-loss records. Athletes are ranked and sidelined. Seniors can practice all season, remain in good standing, attend every team event—and never get into a game. They graduate with varsity letters, but no varsity memories.

If a student makes the team and remains committed, there should be a way—some way—for them to participate. That doesn’t mean they play every game or get in during close contests. It means we stop treating playing time as a prize only for the elite, and start treating it as part of the educational experience they signed up for.

To be clear: this isn’t about coddling kids or handing out trophies. It’s about holding ourselves to the standard we claim to follow. If we believe high school sports build character, that character has to be forged in participation—not just in watching from the bench.

Who Is Accountable?

Public high schools don’t fund sports through private investment. These are publicly financed programs—paid for by taxpayers—just like classrooms, libraries, and labs. Sports aren’t a bonus. They’re part of the curriculum. So, we should ask: Are students getting what they were promised? Are communities getting what they’re paying for?

Because if high school sports are meant to teach life lessons, then we need to ask what lesson is being taught when some seniors never get off the bench. When a player’s value is reduced to whether they can help win. When coaches are celebrated for titles, but not for how they treat every athlete in their care.

The mission is clear. The values are written down. Unless it’s all just lip service, it’s time we held schools—and coaches—accountable for delivering on them.