I guess my experience at such a small rural community was an outlier. Football was huge, our team was great, but we also had a good band program and quite a few

I guess my experience at such a small rural community was an outlier. Football was huge, our team was great, but we also had a good band program and quite a few of the band members were also football players--they'd march the half-time show in their football uniforms. People didn't get beaten, the rare fights stemmed from personal conflicts rather than "NERRRRRRDS!". Nobody was really subjected to harassment that I ever saw. Our school was something like 75% Hispanic and 25% white. The white kids were maybe 50% Mormon, which may have had some effect on behavior. You know who cared more about cliques than anyone else? The try-hard "rebels" who obsessed over "jocks" and "preps". I socialized with everyone, and I think that was closer to the norm. I ate lunch at the band room with the band kids (many of whom were in cross country with me), I shot the shit in class with the stoner kids (who were also band kids and athletes), I went to game night with the Mormon kids (who were in band and sports). I think this whole "nerd" obsession with "nerds" vs. "jocks", the image of getting stuffed in lockers or beat up, I think it's seated in a past that's been gone for a while. I'm sorry you thought you had to pick one group.