It’s rare that championships are won by talent alone. As sports fans prepare to dive into the college basketball tournament phenomenon known as March Madness, we’re going to hear a lot of punditry surrounding the value of “chemistry,” “locker-room culture,” and “team-first spirit.” Rightly so. But these things don’t just become necessary or valuable at the professional or college level. In reality, they’re part of the essential effort of building a positive culture that begins with K-12 education.

The mission of education is to train the heart, the mind, and the body. Physical education is an essential part of this and, like the other aspects, should have mission-oriented aims. Instead of blindly offering athletic outlets because it seems expected, schools should consider why they’re offering a sport and how it fits with their overall mission.

Sports aren't automatically great things in and of themselves. Having the right accompanying philosophy is critical. Schools are certainly justified in wanting athletics to be excellent and competitive. The ultimate objective, however, isn’t to win state championships. Banners and trophies are byproducts of the right type of success. The right sort of sports philosophy ties back to the education of the student. Students should be reaching their potential as they learn to handle adversity as well as success.

First, an athletic program should encourage good sportsmanship. By their very nature, sports are competitive — even fiercely so. Yet, it’s crucial to build a program in which young men and women aim to treat others well.

Since sports programs are such public-facing things, it’s essential to model the school’s ethos to the community. Our athletes, coaches, and fans are on display in our community, our region, and even across our state. Observers from outside the school should notice something different. How the coach interacts with the athletes, how the parents support the children, and how the athletes treat each other are a testimony, for good or bad, of the school’s culture.

A proper attitude on the field or the court starts with the coaching staff. When you look at a program that’s been successful over many seasons, a lot can be traced back to coaches who have the right philosophy.

A healthy school athletics program culture should be team-focused and centered on improvement, not perfection. Coaches need to set the tone on this. Their attitudes, for good or for ill, are what will eventually be picked up by senior leadership and captains.

Another important element is high participation. When children want to show up and contribute, it becomes contagious. This is hard to encourage in today’s culture. There are a lot of distractions that can entrap children at home. It's also risky to be an athlete. You might fail outright. Because of this reality, athletes must support both their direct teammates as well as their fellow students on other teams.

The importance of participation extends to the viewers on the sidelines. When children come to the games of their classmates and genuinely care for their success, it builds a sense of camaraderie and pride among the students and the broader community. Done right, school sporting events connect students across all grades and include parents and siblings, as well as local residents.

If the athletic events are fun, the students then carry that energy into the classroom the next day and likewise carry that to the playing field. This spirit can be tainted, however, as the sports program grows and the stakes get higher. It’s important to keep the overarching mission of the school in focus and never to let athletics take over a student's day. Schools must set limits on the length of practice times so student-athletes have time to succeed in their academics. They can go have a great victory on a Tuesday night or a gut-wrenching defeat, but guess what? They go home and study their Latin — win or loss.

Finally, it’s essential to have parental support in such an athletic mission. All good parents want to rescue their children from hard situations and can get very invested in their child’s athletic success. Oftentimes, however, defeat can act as a great catalyst for future character growth. So, parents must help their children properly manage their time, help them work through a defeat, and trust the coaches as they would the classroom teacher.

At the end of the day, an athletic program shouldn’t just be concerned with pennants and win-loss records. The real task of athletic directors, coaches, and school leaders is to play a positive role in the formation of thoughtful, well-rounded human beings. Educators that can deliver on that goal will realize one of the sweetest victories of all.

Mike Roberts is the headmaster of Hillsdale Academy in Hillsdale, Michigan.