Not that sports are for everyone. There are far more useful things in society than the playing of games. But studying literature is not necessarily one of them.

The simple fact remains, that athletics, as much as any intellectual endeavor, can and does have a remarkable effect on those who choose to involve themselves.

Those who participate build bonds that last a lifetime while learning trust, loyalty and teamwork--all attributes that would serve anyone in life. And values often missing at Harvard.

And in a time where the distance between parents and children is often troubling, one can witness a bond form between father and son, mother and daughter, or even mother and son around athletics--whether as spectators or participants.

Additionally, there are few social arenas that break through the barriers of class, race and education than the world of sports. In fact, professional sports leagues forced integration before the government of the United States did.

Anyone who has ventured to Fenway Park to catch a Red Sox game would have spent three hours shoulder-to-shoulder with lawyers and janitors, blacks and whites, cheering and applauding together.

An experience like that is as unique as you'll find in your time at Harvard, where it often seems that academia--amidst a fairly homogenous population--is one's only road.

The point is not that all should follow sports, for as with anything else, what's right for one is not necessarily right for another.

But as we move beyond Harvard's walls we should look outside of our own focused universe to the other things the world has to offer. What you find may be more meaningful and educational than any class at Harvard has ever been.