High School Sports Benefits

Sports have been a part of the high school culture for a long time now. Some people will argue that sports take away from the academics schools can offer, but sports also have a lot to offer to the average high schooler. There are a lot of benefits sports have to offer including academics, mindset, fitness, and time management. High school sports get a bad reputation from schools that treat them like Odessa treats their football team (Friday Night Lights).

Students that participate in after school sports have a stronger GPA than the average student. A survey conducted by the Minnesota state high school reported by NFHS found that the average GPA of a high school athlete was a 2.84, while students who aren’t participating in sports have an average of 2.68 (Chen, Grace 1). Therefore, Student athletes must know how to manage their time so they can get their school work done because practices and games take up plenty of a student's time. Athletes are obligated to adapt to their new schedule to use their time efficient and productive. From personal experience, when I am not in season, I have a lot of time to do school work, but I will still put it off and have

noticeably different quality in work. However, when i’m in season I don’t get out of practice until 8 or sometimes 8:30, and the last thing I want to do is school work. Athletes will learn how to use their time better than the average student, which is essential in the work force.
In addition, a very important skill needed for any job is leadership.

Sports are a great way to teach leadership at a young age. Senior athletes learn to be leaders which is imperative for future job opportunities. Athletes become positive mentors to each other and learn how to work with one another with respect. Sports also help you develop a successful mindset. Sports have been proven to improve focus and concentration development, Internal skills for handling pressure, and learning how to take responsibility for individual performance. There are a lot of benefits to sports, but I can see how people will argue that contact sports aren’t good for brain development. Even though contact sports are dangerous and need some work done on them it doesn’t mean all high school sports should be

punished.
Another argument people use when trying to eliminate sports is how other countries focus more on school. When you just focus on school and nothing else you tend to end up isolating yourself from other people. You can pick great academic students from any school and some of them will have little to no social skills. Sports set you up to interact with teammates and learn how to communicate, work, and respect others. Without high school sports a large body of students would be missing out on these crucial skills they may never develop.
Even if school sports were to get eliminated many students would still be able to play for club leagues. There are also many kids that come from bad backgrounds that wouldn’t be able to afford the costly price of club sports. Is it right to take away something that keeps them out of trouble and makes them feel a part of something? School sports are a way students can feel involved and push them to do better in academics.
High School sports can benefit students in so many different ways. The idea of taking away high school sports could look appealing to some people, but you have to remember academics isn’t everybody's thing. High school sports could get a student involved just enough to make them feel like they are finally a part of something. Getting rid of high school sports is a bad idea and doesn’t take into account the backlash it would cause to student athletes.