One reason sports are such a big issue is that parents have dumped their children’s whole lives on the school system. In the story I’m currently reading to my little boys (”Little Britches,” by Ralph Moody), the school runs from late morning to early afternoon, the students get themselves there on their own horses or mules, and the school year is very short. The curriculum was basic literacy and math.
Many parents (like the Ingalls, or the Moodys in our book) could have taught the same content at home, but housekeeping and baby-care duties were much more time-consuming than they are today. We’re now in a position - even without the Internet, only using a library - where almost any family could provide a decent basic education at home. My oldest daughter ran her own education from 13 to today, when she’s getting a real-world education somewhere in the South Pacific on a Coast Guard cutter.