You already know the safe, popular answer to that headline. Now I’m going to give you the correct one.

"Neither."

That’s right. For a competitive student-athlete to be successful, neither sports nor studies should be "more important" than the other. They have to coexist as equals.

If your child can’t pursue excellence in both academics and athletics without sacrificing either one, then he should play intramurals or pickup games. There, nothing is mandatory and his coaches and teammates aren’t counting on his help to represent their school in public.

The earlier we start teaching young athletes that message, the better off they’ll be, if they intend to continue playing sports at a competitive level through high school and even college.

Many parents and teachers are probably ready to tear me a new one, after reading that. But if you think about it, my answer is both practical and honest. Telling kids on a competitive, interscholastic sports team that "academics always comes first" gives them an instant excuse to miss a team function anytime they want.

"Can’t make practice today, coach. Got a big test tomorrow."  How does a coach respond to an excuse like that? If he goes along with it, he opens the floodgates. If he penalizes the kid, he’s a hypocritical, priority-challenged, win-at-all-costs Neanderthal.

I believe coaches should quit giving the "Academics come first" speech. And if they don’t quit, then parents should quit buying it.  Because both parties are kidding themselves and being less-than-honest with youngsters.

Instead, let’s tell kids the truth: "You don’t get to slack off on your studying, just because practice ran late. But you don’t get to skip practice to study for a test, either. What you do need to give up are your internet time, phone calls, TV, video games and hanging out at the mall. That way, you can go to practice and prepare for your test. If that’s too high a price, you are not a competitive student-athlete."

Schools have never been shy about emphasizing the "student" part of the student-athlete equation. They routinely suspend or dismiss kids from sport teams if they fail to meet certain academic and attendance standards. And rightfully so.

But let a coach bench a player who skips practice to finish a term paper, and the entire community would be calling for his head. Why? In large part, it’s because sports parents have allowed athletics to become the Rodney Dangerfield of God-given talents.

Need proof? Try this example.

Suppose the athlete were also an aspiring pianist or dancer. And suppose a recital -- or maybe even just a rehearsal for a big recital -- caused him to miss some practices or even a game.

Is that grounds for benching the player?

Many people -- too many, in my view -- would say, "No. The kid should be excused from practice for stuff like that.  It’s only a game. Sports should take a back seat to school and cultural commitments."

Baloney.

Who decided that the ability to paint a picture, play a piano, perform a pirouette -- or even to properly punctuate a paragraph -- is more important than the ability to hit a curveball, a split end or a three-point jumper with the game on the line? They’re all gifts, none more valuable than the other.

Not many kids have the commitment and discipline to pursue excellence in even one area, whether it’s academic, athletic or artistic. Fewer still are willing to try balancing two or three of them.

If your son or daughter has accepted that challenge, I suggest you ignore all outside opinions about which pursuit is more important.

Remember that his or her real goal is excellence. Respect and encourage that, and success will follow -- in the classroom and in the game.

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