The schools need to help us establish some system where students like those on the mock trial team or the robotics team or the Destination Imagination team can readily get the recognition they deserve. The lot of sportswriting is relatively easy because over the years coaches have become used to calling in the results of games or contacting writers about potential stories. No one is better at that than Bill Dod, the athletic director at Souhegan High School in Amherst who has now taken on the task of alerting the media to other school activities. That's going to be a big help to us and to students who aren't athletes. Other schools need to think about this, too, because students in mock trial teams, debating clubs and other non-sport activities need to feel appreciated.
Sports are an important part of our culture and often help young people become productive citizens.
Sometimes it even helps them get rich. And students shouldn't leave it to teachers. Students can pick up a phone and call a newspaper, students can take some responsibility for telling us what we ought to think is important.