An essay written as part of a course at George Brown College on the topic of why a diverse education is important to scholar athletes. I’m posting this for strictly archival reasons, so you regular readers can feel free to ignore this.

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No one could argue the fact that there is more to life than athletics. For this reason, there must also be more to one’s education. Focusing only on physical pursuits limits a person’s possibilities and limits them as a person.

No matter what hopes someone holds, there is no guarantee that they will be immediately hired for a position on a major sports team. Even for the highly talented, there are only so many positions available, and some will inevitably be left out. If these same people focused only on athletics during their education, they will find themselves adrift without direction or options.

Even those that do find a career in athletics may find themselves in the same situation later in life if they neglected other areas of learning. No one can stay in peak physical form forever, and all athletes will eventually reach a point where they can no longer compete. In many sports, athletes are considered “old” by their thirties. Those who do not pursue other avenues of learning will find themselves without a course to follow once they can no longer rely on their body. Even those who have saved enough money to live on may find themselves unfulfilled in other ways.

Education fills needs beyond the practical. Those who fixate on athletics at the expense of other topics may find themselves as one-dimensional as their education. Without knowledge of a broad range of topics, others may find them uninteresting. Worse still, they may find themselves uninteresting.

One needs a complete education to be complete as a person. Those who focus on sports at the expense of all else may find their futures severely limited, and they will certainly find themselves limited as individuals. A balanced education equals a balanced life.