In many high schools, the student body is divided into those who are part of a sports program, and those who aren’t.
Students who aren’t part of a school’s athletic system are still in need of exercise. But there are very few avenues for physical fitness apart from sports teams.
Many high schools have reduced the number of required semesters of physical education or gym class.
If organizations outside the school could coordinate with schools, there might be an opportunity to encourage bicycling, hiking, canoeing, etc., for high school students.
This need is all the more pressing inasmuch as a significant demographic segment of teenagers spends much, or even most, of its time interacting with some electronic device. Sedentary lifestyles are leading to obesity and diabetes among an increasing number of teenagers.
Athletic programs seem to persist through good times and bad, because there is a consistent desire for them. Physical fitness programs may require more intentional encouragement from adults.
Resources directed away from high school athletic departments would not endanger sports programs, because such programs always find a way to continue.
Such resources could be directed toward physical fitness initiatives, which often tend to be less expensive, because they do not require stadiums, arenas, or much specialized equipment or coaching staff.
Communities might be well-advised to spend less effort on high school sports and high school athletics, and more effort on high school physical fitness.
