Sports...AAAGGGHGGHHGH

         Okay, I know that many people enjoy the athletic endeavors promoting a health body and mind, but why do we enjoy "professional" sports so much?    I just don't understand why when we have a failing economy, poor education due to a lack of resources, and the social security issue that we are facing we spend billions of dollars watching people throw, hit, catch, and kick different types of balls.  Its like the American people have been brain washed into a sports cult.  Honestly player minimum in the NFL is $325K for 2010 and the average teacher makes $35K! 
         We as a culture seem to have said, "being able to throw a ball is more important than being able to think critically and analytically.  So lets stop teaching and put the lucrative incomes in sports."  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing sports.  I have played basketball, baseball, and ultimate Frisbee over the years.  I have no problem with people actually playing sports.  My problem is with people paying obscene amounts of money to watch others play sports.  Its not just professional sports either.  I especially have a problem with college sports. 
         Students who are barely passing in high school get preferential treatment in college applications if they are good "student athletes."  These so called "student athletes" then get free ride scholarships to college with special attention and study resources (such as preferred class scheduling) while academic scholarship recipients most often have to work a job or take out student loans to pay for their schooling. 
        I have heard the argument that colleges pay for college athletes schooling because the athletes generate so much money for the school which helps fund academic projects.  Not in my experience!  While it is true that college sports bring in money to the school, the money generated still has to pay for all of the scholarships given out, the coaches salaries ranging from $400K to $1million dollars annually, the travel expenses of away games, the upkeep of training facilities, and more often than not the remainder goes to advertisements and building campaigns to increase the size and scope of the programs. Check out http://chronicle.com/article/The-Average-Major-College/40072 to view the specifics on coaches salaries. 
        It is frustrating to watch everyone spend so much focus on professional and college sports and ignore actual opportunities to learn.  If I proposed to open a professional chess team with starting annual salaries of $500k people would think I'm an idiot, but its acceptable to them to pay professional sports players $325K to ride the pine on the sidelines!!!  My whole frustration came to a head about two weeks ago when in the middle of my Contracts I class in law school, a student in front of me spent the entire class toggling between ESPN and his spreadsheet of fantasy league standings!   I feel like I am the only one who has escaped Plato's cave...am I the only non-caveman?
-L.O.L