For some, high school football equals a life worth living. Superfans live and breathe football. Frankly, writing an article even slightly suggesting fans calm down could be considered suicide. Loving football is wonderful. But would it be possible to step back and let some other sports into the spotlight?

Being in the South, football becomes ingrained into lives all across the region.  It is essential in family life and community life. However—and I know this will come as a shock—other sports exist as well, sports that are often brushed away or forgotten because football takes center stage.

As a high school student, nothing can top a Friday night game. Personally I spend more time talking to my friends than watching the game, but the ritual still stands. Everyone knows the quarterback. Everybody knows the score at the end of the night. In fact, this year’s pep rally exclusively focused on the football team, leaving out the other fall sports usually joining them. Not even the band joined them on the field, which angered me. Everyone already celebrates football; let other teams share a shred of recognition, not just an announcement over a speaker.

This brings up an important question: are we as a society focusing too much on football? In America, some schools opt out of updating actual learning materials and equipment, instead choosing to give the football new uniforms or a new turf. A sport taking more importance than better schooling leads to the assumption that the quality for a few receives more importance than the quality for all. The inability to involve everyone leads to an atmosphere where only a select few deserve acknowledgment.

Remember, I am only talking about high school football here. What happens in the so-called “real world” is a separate story for another time. High school, and schooling in general, helps children feel important and validates whatever they achieve. Schools should encourage students to explore their likes and dislikes. Being told that baseball, basketball, or soccer does not equal football’s status can deter students from experiencing something they could really enjoy.

Let me reiterate: sports are wonderful. They provide the opportunity for less than fortunate students to receive scholarships and they create typically well-rounded students. Sports as a whole does not create an issue. Football dominating over all others, minimizing publicity of other sports in high school, does.