Should Student Athletes Be Paid?

There comes a time when parents will have to make decisions concerning their children. “What shirt would you want to wear?,” or “Will you eat this?” These are a few of the easier questions parents have to answer. One of the tougher questions parents have to answer is “Why should you be allowed to participate in sports?” There are many different opinions and studies on the topic of student athletes. Some parents will not allow their child to participate in sports because of the time and money commitment. Other parents encourage their child to play sports, in hopes that their children will benefit from athletics. Many children flourish because of the opportunities that becoming an athlete gave them. Many children never get the chance to become

Some children do not engage in sports because of a lack of resources or money. Many sports have expensive team fees and require matching uniforms or equipment. “Some estimates suggest more than 700,000 kids miss out on school athletics because their families can’t afford the cost” (Foley). Fees to participate are a large contributor to the fact that lower income children refrain from partaking in sports. Athletes have many time consuming practices and games. The practices or late night games prevent time to be spent together as a family. The time that is put into the sport tends to take up an overwhelming amount of a child’s life. As a mother of a student athlete stated, “We...embarked on an epic struggle between sports and family life. Over the years, we saw one family activity after another bow its head to youth sports. Dinner at home, reading before bedtime, visits to grandma's house, household chores...camping trips, school vacations - all casualties of the children's sports schedule” (Twomey). Although kids participating in sports cost time and money, students can often better their emotional

A student active in sports can reap the perquisites of their training for the rest of his or her life. Sports give youth an incentive to succeed in and out of the sports facility. “[T]here are clear and robust individual and societal benefits that appear to be generated through the current system of school support for participation in competitive youth athletics” (Kniffin). Being involved in athletics gives children the opportunity to have fun and make memories while learning significant life lessons. Children unknowingly receive traits that stick with them for a lifetime, such as accountability or life long habits of achieving good health. Children also can achieve a life long friendship and a better self confidence because of the advantages that sports provide students. Participation in extracurricular activities ensures significant benefits for