I don't live in Wildwood, so I have no valid opinion on Wildwood High's sports budget. However, I have seen lots of anti-sports spending spouts from other communities, including my own. School sports foster a healthy sense of competition, give students a chance to excel beyond the classroom, give the whole student body a sense of pride and unity and provide life lessons that can't be found in academics. Naturally, academics need to be the priority, but Roman Poet Juvenal stated "mens sana in corpore sano" (a healthy mind in a healthy body). Physical exercise is important to mental health.