Athletics of all kinds have started to consume students and the educational system. Football, soccer, track, basketball, baseball, and many other sports are being introduced to students during high school, and this leads to the goals of academic system being placed on the back burner. Funding that could be used to improve learning situations is wasted, the safe environment promoted by many schools is put at risk, and a separation between the students and responsibility is created when sports becomes the priority over academics. Although sports can provide an outlet for many students, “Mixing sports and academics can give kids the wrong idea about what’s needed to succeed” (Ripley) With education being second place to sports, high schools lose the opportunity to take advantage of their funding and resources. Schools spends thousands of dollars and resources every year on jerseys, fields, equipment, games, practices, and coaches for each sport in high school. While teachers use books that are falling apart and students sit in worn desk, the sports teams find their new uniforms and equipment to be in pristine condition. For example, Premont school spends about “$1,300 a player” on the other hand, “Math, by contrast, cost just $618 a student” (Ripley). Premont school is a perfect example of how misplaced funding is for education. Putting the sports teams’ wants over the students needs proves that many high schools find sports to be more important than a child’s education.