In school, whether it be grade school, high school, or even university, sports have always gotten all the funding that the school gets. Sports get fundraisers, donations from the more wealthy parents, and state funding to help buy things like uniforms, gear for protecting the players, and snacks for the concessions. Also, when they have the games, they usually charge for attending, so they make some of that money back.
Arts, however, rarely get anything, and if they do, it’s usually cheap stuff that doesn’t last long. If they run out of supplies, there are no fundraisers or donations from anyone because wealthy parents prefer sports over the arts. That is why, for younger children, the parents have to buy art supplies at the beginning of the year to help the teachers.
When I was in middle and high school, I loved the arts. I did painting, drawing, and scratch art, and I even was a “model” for people to draw. But what I really fell in love with was ceramics. The sad thing is that we would run out of paint, pencils, or clay. I went into college and took a ceramics class too, and I loved it, but even then, they didn’t get the support they needed from parents or the state.
I know there are art schools that are funded, but that, I personally think, is a different sense; the focus is on the arts, and there are no sports teams in those schools. I also think that most parents, when they find out their child wants to go into the arts, do not support them, especially if a parent or sibling plays sports themselves. It’s the sad truth that sports get more acceptance than the arts, especially if they are male.
If art got more funding in grade schools and high schools, we would have more talent shows that showcase a hidden talent from that shy kid who sits by himself, and nobody pays attention to. Or that quarterback who has a hidden talent with painting, but he hides it so he doesn’t disappoint his parents. One day, the arts will be more appreciated, and I can’t wait.
