Government's announcement two weeks ago that it will give $15 million over five years to the Bermuda Football Association for development has sparked predictably diverse reactions in the community.

The announcement came as no great surprise given Government's $11 million contribution to cricket after Bermuda qualified for the World Cup and the recent public statements from Premier Dr. Ewart Brown and Sports Minister Randy Horton about the importance of sport.

Still, one wonders where it will end, since the bar for sports subsidies ? and that is what they are ? has now been set remarkably high.

It is true that football and cricket are the Island's major sports, and football has easily the highest participation rates of players and spectators of any sport on the Island.

The BFA also put together a very comprehensive plan and proposal, which, while extremely ambitious, could not be faulted for its thoroughness, with one exception ? that its five-year plan did not account for inflation.

There is a body of people in Bermuda who think the Island can and should perform at the very highest level of sport and that these levels of funding are not only justified, but long overdue. The cricket World Cup will help the Island to see if it can not only qualify for world class events, but can be competitive in them as well.

It is also true that in the wake of Bermuda qualifying for the cricket World Cup, now taking place in less than a month, this newspaper said that the team and cricket development had to be adequately funded, but it was a surprise nonetheless to see just how generous Government was.

It is also true that if there is any team sport where Bermuda can excel, it is cricket, not least because of the limited number of countries that play it seriously. There is a wider concern, however. Less popular sports, from athletics to softball to sailing, are now justified in queuing up for increases in their subsidies.

They all have a case, either in terms of participation or because they produce world class competitors and champions like Clarence (Nicky) Saunders and Brian Wellman in athletics or Peter Bromby or Paula Lewin in sailing. If football can get $15 million and cricket $11 million, why shouldn't track and field or sailing get a similar amount to develop future Olympic medallists?

The question then is where does it stop? Cricket now gets an average annual subsidy of $2.75 million and football will get $3 million in the coming financial year.

The budget for sports development will therefore rise by at least $3 million to $9.3 million. How high will it go before every sport can say it is getting its due?

Not everyone is athletically inclined, and in spite of the current Government's super-fandom, there are many people who would prefer to paint, dance, debate or play chess than run around on a sports field.

Government subsidies for areas that feed the mind rather than the body have never been anything more than penurious ? but they too will now have a case to make for handouts, and cannot be blamed for trying.

More broadly and without disparaging sports in any way, it is possible to overestimate their value. Yes, sports excellence engenders national pride and can produce a feel-good factor. Sports are also good for teamwork, leadership and self-discipline.

But they do not necessarily result in better graduates or a highly skilled workforce. Nor does sports put a roof over anyone's head or stop a senior citizen from having to choose between food or medicine. Bermuda is wealthy enough that it can literally throw money at whatever it decides is a priority. The question that needs to be asked now is whether it has its priorities right.