Why We Harass Nerds and Freaks: A Formal Theory of Student Culture and Norms

y a 2-to-l margin (60% to 28%), American parents say "if forced to choose, they would prefer their sons or daughters to make C grades and be active in extracurricul ar activities rather than make A grades and not be active."' Why? Certainly, they are not expecting their child to make it into the NFL. Probably, they believe extracurricular activ- ities teach teamwork, time management, self-discipline, and other skills important later in life and on the job. Those who participate in sports during high school spend more time doing homework and less time watching TV, are less likely to drop out of high school, are more likely to attend college, and earn more as an adult. There is controversy, however, about whether the associ- ation between sports and earnings reflects a causal relation- ship or a selection effect. While sports has causal effects on schooling, effects on earnings probably result from selec- tion.^ Regardless, getting As rather than Cs has much larger effects on high school and college completion rates and labor market success than participating in extracurricul ar activities. Nearly 99% of students with A averages (and comparably higher test scores) in eighth grade complete high school, while only 80% of C students graduate.' For seniors in 1982 who planned on getting a BA degree or higher, chances of actually achieving that goal during the next decade were four times greater for A than C students.'* Grubb found that, holding years of schooling constant, an A rather than a C average in high school raised male earnings at age 31 by $5,549 (20%) and female earnings by $2,906 (17.7%).' If parents knew these facts, one would think they would choose A grades over participation in extracurricular activi- ties. Many may not know how important academic achieve- ment is to future success. However, we suggest parents responding to the Gallup survey interpreted "makes A grades and not be active" as a code for nerd or dork, while athletics is the ticket to social status. Coleman' was the first sociologist to examine adolescent status systems. In the 10 Illinois high schools he studied in 1958, athletic achievement was the single most important criterion for high status. Tannenbaum,' who conducted a similar study at a predominantly Jewish high school in New York City, asked students to react to written descriptions of eight fictitious students. The ratings from most positive to most negative were as follows: 1. Athlete - Brilliant - Non-studious 2. Athlete - Average - Non-studious 3. Athlete - Average - Studious 4. Athlete - Brilliant - Studious 5. Non-athlete - Brilliant - Non-studious 6. Non-athlete - Average - Non-studious