In this country, people tend to value athletics above everything else. People seem to only care about sports — football, basketball, baseball — you name it. Schools all over will do anything to give more funding to the athletics department and not care at all about visual and performing arts.

This needs to stop.

I'm not saying sports are an issue. I'm not saying people need to stop loving them so much. But there needs to be a balance.

It's a problem for me when a student who barely touched a pencil in high school gets a full-ride to a university on an athletic scholarship when there are so many talented, smart, and creative individuals out there who get practically no money to that same university they are much more deserving to attend.

It's a problem for me it is a significantly bigger deal to the average person when quarterback Joe finally scores a touchdown all season after not scoring once than listening to an autistic child write and perform beautiful music.

It's a problem for me when no one cares about the arts.

It doesn't make sense to me when someone says, "I just don't like theatre." I understand Broadway shows are expensive and are not accessible to all, but there are TONS of school and community productions that are cheap you can go see. Pretty much everyone I know watches TV and/or movies. Theatre is basically that, but live and on stage. Every show is different, so you're bound to like SOMETHING.

All I would like is for people to keep an open mind. Yes, the Super Bowl is extremely exciting, but so are all the INCREDIBLE forms of art there are that go unnoticed and unappreciated every single day.

Try seeing a theatrical production. Go to an opera. Visit an art museum. Please just give these talented people some credit when it's due.

They deserve the same recognition your favorite athletes get.

And hey, you never know. You might discover something new you actually really like that you never would have thought of before.