Arts are important - as are sports.

But I think we tend to have a healthier relationship with sports, such that tons of people participate in them with great enthusiasm outside the context of a college classroom, and without the intention of making a career out of it.

We need a similar approach to the arts.

The problem with the arts as college majors is that we are selling to people the idea that they should be able to make a living doing whatever their favorite activity happens to be, without regard to the job market. And that often causes a lot of waste and stress down the road when trying to actually make a living.

So instead, we should celebrate art, and encourage people to practice art on their own, and join art clubs, like we do with sports all the time - instead of stubbornly trying to keep it as a major at every college.

The question isn't whether arts are valuable or not. The question is: to what extent should they be encouraged as college majors?

My own conclusion is that we should focus more on participation in the arts for the joy of making art (as we do with sports), rather than artificially propping them up as a viable career path.