Should it be mandatory for athletes to participate in physical education (phys-ed)? This topic is a huge debate, however I strongly believe that student-athletes should not have to take gym class. There are many reasons why they should not. To start off, athletes participating in gym class puts them at risk for obtaining an injury (Jarocha). This can result in injuries that are detrimental to an athlete’s season or possibly their career (“Sport”). It is very important to protect athletes from the scenarios that could put an end to their athletic pursuits. Secondly, athletes have a challenge when they are balancing their academic responsibilities with their athletic commitments (Murtagh). Decision making can be difficult when deciding on the …show more content…
This opportunity will give athletes advanced time to complete these tasks while in school. The extra study time will decrease the ineligibility and increase the student-athlete grades (McKouen). This is very important for both the school and the team, as school data given to the state would show higher grades for students and would prevent coaches from the worry of losing a player from their team. Although gym class is required to give the expected amount of physical activity, athletes go above these expectations with just their sporting events (“Health”). Running a mile or doing the fitness test can take energy away from an athlete who has an event after school. Sporting events usually take up to many hours a week (Alfveby). The forty minute gym class is not going to break or hurt the physical activity of an athlete, since “physical activity is any body movement that requires more energy than resting” (“Sports”). Therefore, athletes would achieve this requirement without phys-ed on their school schedule. Lastly, as there is a huge decline of high school athletes, giving the option of participating in a sport or gym class will influence students to participate in a sport …show more content…
From the data provided, athletes spend much of their time exercising outside of school. Whether it is weight lifting, practice, cardio, or a game, their time of activity will always exceed the activity provided through gym class. “High school athletes participating in varsity sports have much higher levels of physical activity and are four times more likely to do vigorous activity” (“Sports”). Athletes can be expected to do workouts and activities outside of school. “With the continuous workouts, games, and practices students need more time concluding the fact that student athletes should not have to take physical education” (Murtha). This statement is highly supported by others because of the data collected from the studies on athletes' physical activity at sports. In all, gym class should not be required for athletes due to the risk of injury, lack of academic study time, overworked exercise, and low athletic numbers. These risks can lead to ending seasons, ineligibility, stress, and canceled seasons. Student athletes should be looked out for by making physical education optional. The injuries reported continue to increase year on
College athletes are undoubtedly some of the hardest working people in the world. Not only are they living the life of an average student, they also have a strenuous schedule with their specific sport. One of the most discussed topics in the world of college athletics is whether or not student-athletes should be paid money for playing sports. The people who disagree with the idea have some good arguments to make. Primarily that the athletes get to go to school for free for playing sports. Another argument is that if student-athletes were to get paid then it would ruin the amateurism of college sports. People who are against paying the athletes do not want to see the young people become focused on money. “Paying student-athletes would dramatically shift their focus away from where it should be - gaining knowledge and skills for life after college” (Lewis and Williams). This is very understandable because one of the biggest reasons college sports are so popular is because the athletes play for school pride and for bragging rights. They play because they enjoy the game, not because it is their job. Most people that disagree with the idea of paying the athletes fail to realize what really goes on behind the scenes. At most Universities around the country the bulk of the income the school receives is brought in through the athletic programs. In fact the football and basketball teams usually bring in enough money to completely pay for the rest of the athletic programs all together. To get a better understanding of how much has changed in the world of college sports a little history must be learned.
Students who participate in sports remain physically active. Student athletes have practice and must keep “in shape” to compete against other high school teams. Researchers have said the younger population has grown obese. Students who remain in high school sports have a lower risk of becoming obese. Obesity is growing rapidly in the nation and having kids participate in sports will help the nation’s obesity rate decrease. The reason students stay healthy is because the practice may involve running, weight training, and flexibility to help stay in “shape”. Students involved in sports are also encouraged to eat better to ensure the best body to perform at top level. Athletes have a desire to win and be the best. This forces an athlete to live a healthier
Today there are over 450,000 college athletes and the National College Athletics Association (NCAA) faces a difficult decision on whether or not college athletes should be paid. Many people believe that they should and many believe they should not. There are several benefits that college’s athletes receive for being a student athlete. Why should they receive even more benefits than their scholarship and numerous perks?
The debate on whether college athletes should be paid to play is a sensitive controversy, with strong support on both sides. College athletics have been around for a long time and always been worth a good amount of money. This billion dollar industry continues to grow in popularity and net worth, while they continue to see more and more money come in. The student-athletes who they are making the money off of see absolutely none of this income. It is time that the student-athletes start to see some of this income he or she may by helping bring the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are many people who do not think this is in the best interest of the student-athletes or Universities, but that being said there are also many people who are in favor of the change.
There is currently a major issue in today’s college athletics. Universities and the NCAA make billions of dollars while some student-athletes go hungry. There is a huge debate over whether or not student-athletes should be paid as employees of their respective colleges. Personally, I don’t believe players should receive full-time salaries, but Universities and the NCAA should be required to increase the value of the scholarships that they award to student-athletes. By requiring that colleges provide athletes with an additional $2,000 per semester as part of their scholarship you can greatly increase the well-being (welfare) of the students.
Are college sports an extracurricular activity or a job? The argument to pay college athletes has increased in the last few years. Some say athletes have a full time job and deserve to be paid since they are over-scheduled with many school-related activities. College athletes should not be paid because it is a privilege to play a sport for a college.
The scholarships given to college athletes are not sufficient enough to sustain them throughout the year, which is why I believe they should get paid and receive benefits. Student athletes, especially football and basketball players, play a major role in generating revenue for schools, businesses, coaches and the players do not see a penny. College athletes often do not have money in their pockets for extra food, clothes, housing and extracurricular activities. They also can potentially get dropped from their teams due to injury, leaving them incapable of paying for college. College athletes should be treated like every other employee because they work hard, and make everyone but themselves a lot of money.
In today’s society, one of the big controversies with sports is, should student athletes be be paid a salary? Some people believe that they should be paid and others would completely disagree. Even though they technically are being paid, they really are not. The only type of way the athletes would be paid is through financial aid or if they have a job. Only their education is being paid by the school. Although some people believe that they should be paid, it would not be a good idea at all. So college athletes should not be paid at all because they are basically being paid to study and play a sport.
Should college athletes be paid just because people make money off of them? The answer is yes, the amount of work college athletes put into their sport when their sport is in season is more than the average worker in america. The NCAA makes more money of their college athletes than the NBA and the NHL combined. The athletes get none of this profit that they so dearly deserve. At least the professional athletes are making money off of them being broadcasted on national television weekly and sometimes dailey.
Over time the landscape of college sports in the United States have changed drastically. Since it was created in 1906, the format of the “IAAUS” has been drastically altered five times. Not to mention the seemingly constant realignment of teams, placing teams like Memphis in the “Big East” even though they are not located in the east. (Smith, Ronald) The people who are most affected by the atrocities preformed by the NCAA are the players. Every higher up in the NCAA, from the coaches to the president of the NCAA get paid boatloads of money. These people coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, everyone involved are getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars and at the big time schools millions. Everyone gets paid except for the players, and the players are the ones who deserve it the most. They put hours upon hours into their programs and Universities on top of the school work they are required to due. They risk getting hurt or even severely, and buried under years of high medical bills. Meanwhile, the NCAA higher ups are living large off their “non-profit organization.” The NCAA recently made a huge deal with CBS and CBS sports. The deal is worth 11.2 billion dollars. The University of Alabama, alone, reported $143.4 million in athletic revenue during 2012-13. That is more money than any of the NHL franchises and 25 of the 30 NBA franchises. (Branch, Taylor) Alabama football players dedicate their lives to football and in turn the NCAA. They are the most valuable pieces to the billions of dollars the NCAA rakes in every year. In most businesses, the most important employees get paid the most. In the case of the NCAA, their most important employees are not even on the pay role.
Student athletes live very busy lives. A typical school day runs from 8:00-2:30, add in a two- hour practice or game, score a part time job, dive into some family time, a grand slam of homework and catch a little bit of sleep. Students are more stressed due to the many activities they are a part of. This issue affects a lot of people not only in this school district, but most other high schools throughout the country. All student athletes exercise more than other children who are not involved in an extracurricular sport. In school athletics, the players are called “student athletes” meaning that school activities come first. There are strict rules for student athletes, not only on the field but in the classroom as well. In physical education
Opposition of mandatory Physical Education in high schools believe that if a student has not developed a desire for voluntary physical exercise by the time he or she reaches high school , he or she may not ever (Eberhardt). It is true that individuals should not be forced into something they don’t want to participate in, but if these students don’t get any exercise outside of school, where will they receive an appropriate amount of fitness? Paul Eberhardt, athletic director, intramural director and head coach of the McNair Marlins basketball team in Richmond, B.C., believes “that students don’t care about participating in P.E. anymore and we have to educate students on the benefits of Physical Education”. In the 1994-1995 school year there were 1,133 students enrolled at McNair High School but there were only four P.E. classes available, which meant approximately 120 students attended in these classes. The remaining 1013 grade eleven and twelve students had no Physical Education at all. This is an astonishing figure. “Many students participate in sports and recreation activities outside of school, but most of them get hardly any exercise at all.
Opponents of physical education in schools state that gym is not the best way to utilize students’ time. Students’ should be given the choice to participate in gym class or not because many students aren’t as athletic and don’t enjoy it enough to want to do it in school. Despite this downfall, PE is important in students’ life and even though some don’t enjoy it as much, they need it in order to be successful in life. If not, diseases and health risks could come up and it wouldn’t be robust. Ultimately, physical education provides superior benefits.
Sports programs have been an integral part of all schools. They support the academics of the school and therefore foster success in life. These programs are educational and help produce productive citizenship. They help students experience and build skills that may help them in their future, like interpersonal and time management skills. Education may kindle the light of knowledge, but sports help to maintain the proper physique. Sports are also an important means of entertainment and a use for energy after long hours of study. Sports increase a student’s performance not only in the classroom but also in their life.
Physical education time is being cut in schools to give more time for students to focus on core courses such as Science, Math and Reading. Some districts have eliminated the course or do not even provide it. These courses, although very important, should not take away from a student’s well-being. Physical education provides a foundation for a student’s future lifestyle and good health habits. Physical education should be treated like every other foundational course because it is a necessary part of a student’s lifestyle that they will benefit from every day.