So there I was with a dozen or so other parents semi-silently watching our middle-school kids valiantly chase a ball up and down the basketball court when it struck me. I began to fantasize what it would be like if this same group of dutiful adults were attending an algebra class supporting their teams. Would be we be as excited and proud? Would we cheer for our kid if he or she was working out a problem on the blackboard in the same way we cheer for them on the court?

The big court clock clicked off the seconds and I next imagined forming a car pool so our kids could attend weekly practices on ethical development or the discernment of moral values. I was just about to make the driving assignments when the half-time horn blew and I was brought back to reality.

Through halftime the thought lingered. What sort of impression would we make for our children if instead of spending hours of time supporting the playing of games, we showed the same enthusiasm for, dare I say, the higher activities. It's not that I don't enjoy sports, I mused, but I was developing a growing awareness of the innumerable hours spent watching nothing more than the pursuit of play. Not inherently bad, I reminded myself, but I was becoming increasingly cognizant that there were countless other aspects to a healthy adolescence that I, and probably the rest of this parental fan club, was neglecting.

Music, art, history and more are all vital to the well-being of our youth but parental support for these noble endeavors pales in comparison to the time we spend watching games.

So what gives? Do we really believe that knowing how to shoot a jump shot or catch a pass is as important as having a sense of history or an appreciation of art?

I smiled at my fuddy-duddyness and went off again. This time I got caught up in an image of thousands and thousands of children cheering on their peers over a Latin vocabulary play-off. The stands are packed with parents beaming with pride as their kids tackle not each other but the conjugation of a few tough verbs.

A parent yells over an errant shot and I'm brought back again. Sure I'm proud of my boy as he enthusiastically races one way and then the other. I once did the same...but where is all this headed? Twenty years from now will the hours spent frantically pursuing these activities have any real or lasting value for either him or his society?

Surely one of the great tragedies of our modern culture is the near cultic hysteria centered on the adulation of sports heroes. I say tragedy because of the thousands, indeed millions, of kids who invest inordinate amounts of time and energy emulating these folk. They imagine themselves in the same situation with all the accompanying adoration and wealth. Reality, of course, is something very different. The chance of a meaningful and rewarding life is far better in fields quite different from the ones Nike likes to put their logo on. Can't an argument be made that instead of more playgrounds, we build a few more libraries? Instead of more ball parks, how about a new community theater or art museum? Please note that I am not advocating abolishing the sporting life. I'm just wondering if we could get a better perspective on it all.

Admittedly, there is some self-interest here. I will confess to a certain crankiness that comes when I think of how few times I've learned of someone missing a sporting event for religious worship or education but I can share countless episodes when parents pull their kids out of, what I certainly consider vital, spiritual development for one more time around the rink or court or field.

I hear a cheer...and then quickly realize it comes not from any fan of mine but from my compatriots sitting in the bleachers. Game's over. Time to go home. Maybe, if we're lucky, these kids will have a few minutes for their lessons before it's time to get a good night's rest in order to play for hours tomorrow.