The Kansas City Royals made history by winning the 111th World Series, taking the crown from the New York Mets with a final score of 7-2. The excitement continued to grow as schools all over Kansas were canceled due to the Royals’ homecoming parade. Not everyone was as excited. They say the idolization of sports as a whole eclipses the education system.

AP Government teacher Kristoffer Barikmo says “I think it sets a tone that certain things in this culture are more valuable than others. If anything, the impromptu cancellation of school confirms this theory.”

Many students believe the cancellation was the right thing to do, giving time to attend the parade and complete homework otherwise impeded by Sunday’s game. “I get it, but at the same time, we shouldn’t put the world on hold because we won a trophy,” Barikmo said.

Some students fire back, saying the parade and general excitement over the game fosters a strong sense of community.

“There’s more enthusiasm for a Royals parade than there is for our homecoming parade and our own STUCO organizes that,” Barikmo said.

In a poll of his 7th hour class, before the cancellation, more than 80 percent of students said they would go to the parade; however, after the break, that number dwindled by half.

No doubt the excitement was well-earned, but it came at a cost. The entire city, including overworked parents, homeless people and countless others working paycheck-to-paycheck had to shut down and make way for our sports team. Is that victory really worth that defeat?