“Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later: Ten Years Later and Have We Seen Any Change?” was the title of an article I wrote 10 years ago. It appeared in a monograph issue of the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education that presented multiple perspectives on the 1996 Surgeon General’s report (USDHHS, 1996). It was my attempt to optimistically capture the history and future of the Physical Educator’s role. Now, 10 years later I once again find myself in that same reflective space, except I am even more guarded in my optimism. Yes, change does take time but my patience grows thin.

In the 1970’s, there was a FRAM oil filter commercial in which a mechanic holds an inexpensive oil filter and then points to an expensive engine repair job. The tag line was “Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later.” This tag line reflects attitudes toward physical education and physical activity. Our profession offers ways to stay healthy, but society seems content to pay for expensive repairs (Cone, 2004).

Today, I still believe that we are like the oil filter, yet we are confronted with a structure and reward system that make it increasingly more difficult to become the solution. Principals and superintendents are rewarded for grades, STEM, and standardized test scores, not for health promotion. Instead, it’s the medical profession, the engine repairers that get the respect. Surveys have shown that the general public believes that physical education should be part of the curriculum. But when decision makers see programs that don’t offer quality physical education experiences, it leaves them wondering whether we truly are a contributing partner. And this leads me to contemplate, “Are physical educators on the road to extinction?”