Achieving Balance
BETWEEN ATHLETICS , SPIRITUAL LIFE , AND ACADEMICS
By John “ TC ” Megahan
Sports can be fun , create teamwork , and build integrity and character in young people . However , athletic competition has often become a priority over spiritual development for many Christian schools and colleges . Athletics have taken center stage in many school programs , as administrators use it as a preferred method to attract more students to their schools . At what cost are schools paying for this new focus and direction ? Are large and increasingly competitive athletic programs healthy for your school ’ s long-term viability and sustainability or a student ’ s spiritual growth ?
Christian schools value a strong sports program for numerous reasons . Some administrators use athletics to build school spirit or the school ’ s reputation . Some want to maintain good public relations in their community and use sports to grow future enrollment and admissions . Others want to promote the personal development of fitness and teach important principles for a healthy life .
It seems reasonable . Who can argue with better student health , pride in your school , team spirit , teamwork , and leadership development in students ? Shouldn ’ t schools provide as many activities and athletics as possible to build a good reputation , expand enrollment , and grow overall programs ? Not necessarily . An overcommitment and unbalanced approach to activities and athletic programs are hurting schools and making it increasingly difficult for them to achieve long-term sustainability .
I want to take a hard look at the issues in Christian school athletics that make it difficult to achieve primary goals : the actual costs , balance of student and staff priorities , and participant behavior and attitudes . Many years ago , I worked with a large Christian school with a sterling reputation for its spiritual values , Christian service in the community , and academic rigor . For over thirty years , people sent their children to receive a high-quality Christian education with a solid commitment to a biblical worldview . The school had affordable tuition , students who fit the school ’ s mission and values , and no debt .
Unfortunately , those values and great reputations were destroyed . A few newly appointed leaders felt that a high-profile athletic program should become the primary focus to compete with other local schools . The winning-atall-costs attitude adopted by these misguided leaders led to questionable recruiting of students ( i . e ., players ) who were not a good fit for the school ’ s mission and values . Issues soon arose in student behavior , discipline , and academic expectations . A double standard of discipline developed , and grade-fixing became the norm for the coaches . The school culture turned from focusing on academic and spiritual development to a win-at-all-costs focus on achieving state championships and titles .
Within three years , the school had lost 70 percent of its student body because of the problems created . The school was ultimately crushed by rapidly declining enrollment and an incredible debt load . They defaulted on millions of dollars of loans and lost many of their dedicated faculty and staff . For months they were the laughing stock of their community , with their transgressions played out on ESPN and on the front page of their local newspaper . Not the testimony a Christian school would ever want to have . No one will ever know the financial , moral , and spiritual damage caused by a handful of people who lost perspective and misplaced their priorities .
You would think this was just a rare occurrence , right ? Unfortunately , no . While researching solutions to another school ’ s crisis , I came across no less than twenty Christian schools that had made the same mistakes . I even came across several Christian colleges that , while mired in a downward spiral of enrollment and facing deep financial cuts and staff layoffs , were moving their athletic competition up to NCAA status ! They couldn ’ t pay their bills and had a tough time making payroll each month , but their sports teams pushed toward their misguided goal of division finals and conference championships .
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