In high school and also in college,
Classes teach all varieties of knowledge.
  Shakespeare, science, and math,
  Melville, Marx, Poe and Plath,
These are all studies that we acknowledge.

Thus it's fine to shoot for a degree
In biology or history,
  Yet it seems nowadays
  Trophies mean more than A's;
Academics have lost to P.E..

Just look at your local high school,
And you'll see that sports first is the rule.
  There's not half as much glory in
  Being valedictorian
As team captains who win every duel.

High school athletes receive much acclaim,
Constant write-ups just add to their fame.
  And alumni send checks
  With a clear subcontext
That it's because of sports; what a shame.

Teachers put up with lots of impudence
From sports players who are their students.
  Scared that alums will stop payin',
  They give athletes free reign
And schools suffer from this lack of prudence.

It seems academics are neglected
Just so sports players can be protected.
  Some think it is pathetic
  What we do for athletics
And that effort should be redirected

Just look at today's college admissions;
Athletes have to meet lesser conditions.
  If they cannot acquire with ease
  The minimum GPA and SAT's,
The requirement is lowered until sufficient.

Coaches hand-pick the folks they like best
Putting athletes in front of the rest.
  Academic departments
  Don't get such allotments;
Their favorites still must pass tests.

Still, a good many people retort
That credit's due to those who play a sport.
  If your god-given call
  Is to play with a ball
Then it's something college should support.

Though playing a sport is indeed fine,
To academics, it should be second in line.
  And the social consequence
  Of sports dominance can be immense
As new theories say about Columbine.

The athletes there ran the whole place,
Breaking rules they did at breakneck pace.
  The mafia of trenchcoats
  Was quite careful to note
That guns were a response to this disgrace.

But though unruly jocks are not fair,
To school gunmen they do not compare.
  A reason for hate
  Cannot exonerate
The killing of a classmate anywhere.