The Importance of Sports in High Schools
The Importance of Sports in High Schools
High School athletic teams provide fun and safe supervised activities for high school students. Studies have shown that participation in sports has a positive effect on academic performance, peer relationships, physical fitness, emotional development and identity formation. High school students who are involved in sports have positive associations with the school and are less likely to drop out of school. They are likely to complete more years in school and have higher academic achievement overall than peers who do not participate in sports. High school students who participate in sports are also more likely to disapprove of peers’ use of alcohol and recreational drugs and they show a significant reduction in suicidal thoughts.
Students involved in high school sports learn valuable life skills such as cooperation, teamwork, responsibility, resiliency and working towards goals. These are all skills that without question will help the student achieve success in college, their future career and relationships in general. Although sports participation benefits most high school students, sports are particularly beneficial to girls and disadvantaged youth.
Benefits of sports participation for girls.
High school girls who participate in sports have better emotional and psychological health. They have decreased rates of depression and feelings of isolation. Studies showed that girls involved in sports showed higher self-esteem and confidence. In addition, girls involved in sports obsessed less about their appearance. Participation in sports helps high school girls break out of gender stereotypes. Sports can have a positive impact on social peer relationships. Sports can also help girls feel powerful and confident among their male peers in a still male-dominated society.
Benefits of sports participation for disadvantaged youth.
Disadvantaged youth are at higher risk for High School dropout, alcohol and substance abuse and poor academic performance. High School sports have been shown to have positive effects in all of these areas for students. In addition, High School sports offer a safe, adult- supervised after-school environment, which disadvantaged youth may not have at home. Minority and low-income students face significant obstacles in achieving the same successes as their affluent, white counterparts. Involvement in sports helps them form positive associations with their school and peers and helps them succeed.
Arguments against high school sports.
Studies show that participation in sports has many benefits for high school students. However, despite these benefits, there are some who oppose sports as a part of a student’s high school experience. Some argue that sports distract students from focusing on academics. Being part of a sports team can mean a significant commitment of time. This can translate to many after-school hours devoted to practices. Students may come home mentally and physically drained with little energy left to devote to their academic responsibilities. In addition, the pressure to be successful in sports might create stress and anxiety in students.
Others argue that high school sports negatively impact social dynamics at schools. They believe that the popularity of athletes may leave the non-athletic students feeling unpopular and left out. In addition, opponents of sports in high school argue that sports have nothing to do with academics and should be left out of the high school experience.
Finally, there are some people who are concerned with the financial impact of sports on high school budgets. Budget cuts are an unfortunate reality for public high schools. These cuts have an impact on all areas of funding in a school, including