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Last night, decorating the tree, my daughter and I talked about the relative attention that student activities get. She was irritated that the sports teams get attention no matter how they do -- Football Team Loses Again; Let's All Go Cheer For Them! -- while other activities, from color guard to chess to math club can get recognition only if it's truly amazing -- and even then, on page six of the student newspaper. I told her that I believe it's for two reasons; first, that schools are used to cheering for physical sports of the conventional kind -- but we work just as hard as the football team! she said. Maybe you should wear pads and do tackles, I suggested -- and second, our society has the same bent. We're not willing to recognize effort that doesn't show in sweat. I told her about when it happened in my high school, too. Not fair, she replied. I agreed.