As a counter-anecdote, my high school quiz bowl team participated in a local TV game show thing and ended up winning (in our first year!). We had to recruit a c

As a counter-anecdote, my high school quiz bowl team participated in a local TV game show thing and ended up winning (in our first year!). We had to recruit a cheering section for all five rounds, and we all got excused absences. Toward the end when it looked like we had a chance of winning, we were sort of minor celebrities around school, and I got an inkling of what it might have felt like to be on a successful football team or similar. I even got compliments from people who would be grouped into the "dumb jock" social class, who I'd barely ever exchanged words with. I also participated in a bunch of math and science competitions, and got basically no recognition for those (though I did get excused absences to attend). I think the difference was the cheering section: We got to invite a bunch of friends and acquaintances to get an afternoon off from school and come make noise on a TV set. What high school student wouldn't want that? Then they went back and told their friends that it was pretty fun, and so each round we had a whole bunch more people who wanted to come. So there was a way for people who weren't on the four-person team to participate in some way and feel like they were connected to our success. Was this a better use of school time and funds than athletics? That's unclear. I think glorifying an academic contest in the same way as an athletic one sends a better message to other students, that if you're looking for that kind of recognition, there are multiple paths that are possible. [Edit: this was a public high school]