Definition

What Are Education Based Athletics?

Education based athletics are school sports programs intentionally connected to the educational mission of the school. The purpose is not simply to develop better athletes. The purpose is to help develop better students, teammates, leaders and young people.

Competition matters. Winning matters. Championships matter. But at the middle school level, those things should exist within a larger educational purpose.

A successful athletic program should help students learn how to prepare, communicate, accept responsibility, respond to adversity, respect authority, work with others and represent their school with pride. Those lessons can remain with a student long after the final game has been played.

Philosophy

The Student Comes First

NFMSS serves students in grades 6 through 8. These students are still developing academically, physically, socially and emotionally. That matters.

Middle school athletics should not simply copy the expectations and culture of high school, college or professional sports. The developmental needs of middle school students should influence how they are coached, how competition is structured, how safety is addressed and how success is measured.

NFMSS believes decisions involving middle school athletics should begin with one question: what is in the best interest of the student athlete?

Classroom

Academics Matter

Athletic participation and academic responsibility should work together. Student athletes should understand that representing their school carries responsibilities both in competition and in the classroom.

NFMSS encourages schools, athletic directors, coaches, parents and guardians to reinforce:

• Academic responsibility
• Regular school attendance
• Classroom participation
• Appropriate behavior
• Time management
• Personal accountability
• Respect for teachers and school personnel

Athletics can provide students with additional motivation to remain engaged with school and take responsibility for their education. The goal is not to choose between academics and athletics. The goal is to use athletics as another opportunity to support education.

Growth

Character Through Competition

Sports reveal character, but they can also help build it. Middle school students will experience victories and losses. They will make mistakes. They will face pressure. They will disagree with teammates. They may sit on the bench. They may miss an important shot or make the play that wins a game. Each experience provides an opportunity to learn.

NFMSS believes coaches and schools should intentionally use these moments to teach:

• Responsibility
• Integrity
• Respect
• Self control
• Perseverance
• Humility
• Accountability
• Teamwork
• Sportsmanship

How a student responds to winning and losing can be just as important as the result itself.

Growth

Leadership Begins in Middle School

Leadership does not begin in high school or college. It can begin much earlier. Athletics gives middle school students opportunities to learn how to communicate, encourage teammates, accept responsibility, solve problems and lead by example.

Leadership should not be reserved only for team captains or the most talented athletes. Every student can demonstrate leadership through effort, preparation, attitude, service and respect for others. NFMSS encourages coaches to develop leaders, not simply players.

Safety

Health and Wellbeing Come Before the Scoreboard

No game is more important than the health and safety of a student. NFMSS believes education based athletics must protect the whole student, including physical health, emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Athletic programs should have appropriate procedures and education addressing areas such as:

• Concussion awareness
• Heat illness and hydration
• Sudden cardiac arrest
• Emergency preparedness
• Appropriate coaching practices
• Mental health awareness
• Safe participation
• Athlete protection
• Appropriate adult and student boundaries

Students should never be encouraged to hide an injury, ignore serious symptoms or place competition above their wellbeing. Student safety comes first.

Conduct

Sportsmanship Is Part of Education

How students compete matters. NFMSS expects student athletes to demonstrate respect for teammates, opponents, coaches, officials and spectators. We expect adults to model those same behaviors.

Coaches, parents and spectators have a tremendous influence on the environment surrounding middle school athletics. Young athletes are watching. Education based athletics requires adults to demonstrate the behavior we expect students to learn. Sportsmanship is not simply a rule for game day. It is part of the educational experience.

Leadership

The Role of the Coach

Middle school coaches are educators. Whether or not they teach inside a classroom, coaches have an opportunity to influence students during an important period of their development.

NFMSS expects coaches to recognize the responsibility that comes with working with young athletes.

Coach the athlete. Teach the student. Develop the person.

Partnership

The Role of Parents and Guardians

Parents and guardians are important partners in education based athletics. Their support can help create a positive experience for students. NFMSS encourages parents and guardians to:

• Support the entire team
• Demonstrate respect for officials and coaches
• Reinforce academic responsibility
• Encourage good sportsmanship
• Allow coaches to coach
• Keep competition in perspective
• Support their child's physical and emotional wellbeing
• Celebrate effort, improvement and character as well as achievement

Middle school sports should be an experience students enjoy and learn from. Adults help determine whether that happens.

Community

School Pride and Belonging

School based athletics can create something special. Students wear the name of their school. Classmates support one another. Teachers attend games. Families gather in the stands. Communities celebrate their schools.

Athletics can strengthen a student's sense of belonging and connection to the school community. That connection is one reason NFMSS remains focused on school based middle school athletics.

Our goal is not to replace club, recreational or travel sports. Those programs serve different purposes. NFMSS exists to strengthen athletics connected directly to the educational experience and school community.

Excellence

Competition Still Matters

Education based athletics does not mean competition is unimportant. NFMSS believes students should have opportunities to compete, pursue excellence, earn recognition and compete for championships.

Competition can be an extraordinary teacher. It creates situations where preparation matters, teamwork matters, decisions have consequences and students learn how to perform under pressure.

NFMSS supports meaningful competition within an environment where education, safety, fairness, sportsmanship and student development remain the foundation. We want students to compete. We want them to pursue championships. We want them to strive for excellence. But we never want the pursuit of winning to become more important than the student.

Framework

The NFMSS Education Based Athletics Framework

NFMSS promotes seven principles for education based middle school athletics:

1. Academic Achievement

   Athletic participation should support academic responsibility and engagement.

2. Student Development

   Athletic programs should consider the physical, emotional, social and educational development of the student.

3. Character and Integrity

   Competition should be used to teach responsibility, honesty, perseverance and accountability.

4. Leadership

   Athletics should provide students with opportunities to develop confidence, communication and leadership skills.

5. Sportsmanship and Respect

   Students and adults should demonstrate respect for teammates, opponents, coaches, officials, schools and communities.

6. Health and Wellbeing

   Student health, safety and mental wellbeing must take priority over competitive outcomes.

7. School and Community Connection

   Athletics should strengthen school pride, student belonging and positive relationships among schools, families and communities.

Perspective

More Than an Athlete

Not every middle school student athlete will compete in college. Very few will become professional athletes. But every student can take something valuable from the experience.

• They can learn discipline.
• They can learn how to work with people who are different from them.
• They can learn how to lead.
• They can learn how to lose without giving up.
• They can learn how to win with humility.
• They can discover confidence they did not know they had.

They can develop habits that follow them into high school, college, careers, families and communities. That is why middle school athletics matter.

Our Promise

The NFMSS Commitment

NFMSS is committed to helping schools build athletic programs where education and competition strengthen one another. Our National Standards, health and safety requirements, coach education, eligibility policies, sportsmanship expectations and championship structure are built around this philosophy.

Rankings and recognition are part of sports. Championships are part of sports. Competition is part of sports. But students are the reason for middle school sports. That principle must remain at the center of everything we do.