The Philadelphia Inquirer – Angela Duckworth 
Why do parents encourage their children to play baseball, soccer, or any other sport? Why, for years, did my husband drive our younger daughter to viola lessons? We know that most kids won’t grow up to go pro or make their living playing in an orchestra. Bill Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions at Harvard, tells me that most of the very serious athletes and musicians whom he admits each year develop new passions once they come to campus. So why, as a scientist, do I believe these endeavors matter? It’s not easy to do random-assignment studies of sports, music, or any other extracurricular activity. Ethically, you can’t force kids into a pursuit, or prevent them from doing what they love, in the name of science.
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