In response to “Sports Needed In School,” your letter indicates sports are needed to motivate children. The only motivation I needed in school was getting a quality education to prepare me for college so I could get a good job. The best thing for self-esteem is doing well in school and in life. Self-esteem is not learned on sports fields, however winning at all costs is learned in sports. You claim kids do better in school because of sports. But, you never point to any study to prove this. As far as obesity, I also would like to reiterate that this is what physical education is for. If kids want sports, let the kids earn money to fund it. Parents can make up any financial difference. What’s that? You can’t afford this? Welcome to our world, many of us tax payers can no longer afford these sports budgets. Our school districts are in the business of educating children. We can’t continue laying teachers off, cutting parts of the school curriculum while continuing to fund sports budgets.