Don’t get me wrong, I love football. I played (attempted) football in high school. I only use football as an example of my story.

I was not a very good student in the classroom. I never learned how to write or think critically in school. But I did play starting guard on a high school football team for a few games before they realized I was too small to play. My passion for playing blinded the coach’s instincts about talent.

Now, much later in life, I am still trying to learn how to write. (Critical thinking may be out of the question at this point.) Throughout my professional career, I struggled with trying to catch up with what I didn’t learn in school because I was distracted by less important things, like sports. I believe sports are a critical component of our schools and society. But what’s that old saying, “All things in moderation.” Too much emphasis on anything can make a person less well-rounded. (Some in the ’60s would say that would make them a “Square.”)

Interestingly, according to research by The Colorado School of Public Health’s Program for Injury Prevention, Education & Research, an estimated 1.24 million young men are playing high school football. Following years of dedicated practice and dedication, only 93,765 go on to play college football. That means after all the blood, sweat, tears, and injuries, only 7.6 % ever make a college roster. That’s not to mention the missed opportunities in school while pursuing the possibility of a college scholarship to play sports. “Researchers estimate that 455,449 high school football injuries occurred in the 2018-2019 school year. Head and face concussions are the most common type of high school football injury.” www.injuryclaimcoach.com/high–school–football-injury-statistics.html

Further, of that 93,765 who play college ball, only 1,696 (.00181) made it to a pro football team roster. That seems to be such an inverse relationship to time, money, and effort. That’s a very low return on investment. School districts have spent billions on stadiums, practice facilities, injuries, and equipment for 1,696 students, while 1,238,304 students lacked well-paid teachers, books, modern technology, and tutors that could have made school more interesting to the marginal student. In an unscientific study by the staff of The Teen Scene, it was guesstimated that less than .0000100 have ever been injured from writing–a sporting talent that everyone who practices will almost always make a starting team in their pro career.

Writing skills take work, dedication, passion, commitment, competition, attitude, repetition, and more. The beauty of writing is that once that talent is developed, it will never leave you and will serve you for life. We need more emphasis on writing, at least an emphasis commensurate with our various sports programs. Consider all the current state-wide emphasis on reading. (Very important for sure.) But with that emphasis, there is no attention to possibly writing a book report on what you have read.

At Teen Scene, Inc., we are trying to put more focus on the sport of writing and its importance for students to make a starting team in the professional game of life. Good writers create good students who become better-qualified professional employees. More qualified employees bring more high-paying jobs to a community. Think about it–if you were to invest your money and look for a positive return on investment–where would you put your money?