It’s telling that throughout the entire article, neither the author nor the quoted individuals make a single mention of the personal and societal importance of mental health.

Exercise/sports have so many positive benefits in the context of education. The benefits toward discipline and physical health are obvious, but they also promote greater mental sharpness and spiritual well-being.

Anecdotally, most of my mathematics professors were big on exercise in one form or another. I had a older professor who could easily sprint up the six flights of stairs to his office, and I had another professor who was into running marathons. I even heard that at one point, all the logicians at Cornell became very into weightlifting.

Anyways, my point is that any well-rounded education should involve sports (though, maybe not necessarily American football; I can agree with the other user on that front).