When we think about college, the first thing that comes up to mind is education. In most cases it is, but sports has also taken a huge step to be up there with education. In the essay “School Should Be About Learning, Not Sports” by Amanda Ripley, she focuses on the fact that sports have in ways become the main focus in school rather than education itself. Many schools use sports as a way to promote and display school spirit. This kind of action has led many students to reprioritizes on what is important for them. Even if sports is a huge part of school life, the main purpose of school should be about gaining knowledge and getting an education. It shouldn’t be all about winning a sports game. The huge emphasis on sports has made education seen as less significant. Ripley stated in her essay on Rooms for Debate that many students would think that it is okay to not be good at math or English because there are other options like sports for them in the future. “By mixing sports and academics, we tempt kids into believing that it’s O.K. if they don’t like math or writing — that there is another path to glory.” (Ripley). In reality not everyone who is in sports during school becomes an athlete and make a living out of it.
However, there are also other ways to show it as well. School spirit does not only have to be shown through sports. It can also be shown through the clubs and organization that are at that school. Like Ripley stated, “If we want to build school spirit and teach kids about grit, hold a pep rally for the debate team.” (Ripley). One example to show school pride through the debate team would be supporting the debate team at competitions by showing up and cheering for them. It is similar to going to a football game and cheering for a team, but more on an educational level. The debate team could then act as a way to spread the school’s name by winning competitions and getting
Amanda Ripley argues in The Atlantic in her article “The Case Against High School Sports”, that the United States place too much attention on sports rather than academics. Ripley argues that sports programs at schools should be reduced, maybe even cut out completely. She states that there are a lot of countries that outperform America on international tests, and it is because they put more of their emphasis on academics, where the United States puts more of an emphasis on athletics. Ripley says that high school sports negatively affects academics. (1). I disagree with Ripley on this topic; I think that sports are important for young kids because it teaches them very valuable life lessons and it keeps them out of trouble.
I agree with Ripley’s idea that schools across our country focus on athletics over academics; but, I do not see this as a negative effect. Those students that achieve academically and athletically will often times receive scholarships. These scholarships are used to pursue a higher education. For me, my athletic scholarship combined with my academic scholarship allowed me to attend the university I wanted to. Finances prohibit many students so the more scholarships awarded the better. Also, international students are often times recruited to play a sport. This opportunity gives them a chance to receive a concrete American education. With so many scholarships and eligibility in jeopardy, athletes must remain on their best behavior. This positive influence on behavior is a great effect from participation in athletics. Due to these factors, I do not agree with Ripley’s argument that the cost of athletics to schools outweigh the
High school sports are approached with clashing opinions. Some of these opinions are positive, and supportive of athletics. “Athleticism, among many activities, offers teens a physical outlet to exert their troubles, anger, emotions, and other feelings” (Chen 1). This can be observed in nearly all of the football players in Friday Night Lights. This can also be noticed in the world today. “Athletics help high school students understand their own abilities and talents” (Chen 1). This piece of evidence is very accurate when describing high school athletes. Sports can make a high school student humble. As can be seen by the preceding information, high school athletics can have a positive impact on a student’s life.
"College Athletic Programs Undermine Academics." Student Life. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 July 2011.
The early beliefs for the reason of sports, was that learning should encompass both body and mind. This then was translated into the belief that sports build character, which then led to sports being positive in all circumstances. While this is not completely true sports develop people in many ways still, some people saying that “sports make me what I am today.” While it is impossible to prove exactly the way each individual takes in sports, it is seen that overall it has some positive effect. Sports are a tool of developing and instead of it being a choice between sports and academics, the real answer is both and that they work together to constantly develop quality generations of
Education and athletics, two of the most prized activities within our society. It's therefore no surprise that the two so closely link in one of our society’s favorite pastimes: college sports. Some believe that these two things benefit each other and some don’t. In the Forbes article titled “Rethinking the Benefits of College Athletics,” the author Jonathan Robe, a research fellow at the Center for College Affordability, explains, “In my short life, I’ve long been perplexed with the way many higher ed administrators–particularly college presidents–tend to laud college sports for the benefits they add to institutions of higher learning.“ He argues that college athletics do not benefit colleges and in some ways can even harm them. A majority of the supports are strong and, despite a few ineffective supports and language, Robe's argument is effective for its intended audience.
Attention Getter: Mia Hamm. Peyton Manning. Steve Nash. Here are just a few great athletes that most of us have heard of. But what is it that makes us look up to them? What is it that makes them great? The truth is that sports are only a small part of what makes a person worthy of looking up to.
College is a time for young people to develop and grow not only in their education, but social aspects as well. One of the biggest social scenes found around college campuses are athletic events, but where would these college sports be without their dedicated athletes? Student athletes get a lot of praise for their achievements on the field, but tend to disregard the work they accomplish in the classroom. Living in a college environment as a student athlete has a great deal of advantages as well as disadvantages that affect education and anti-intellectualism. Around the country, college athletic programs are pushing their athletes more and more every day.
The concept of college athletics has been around for more than approximately 150 years (Siegel). From the very beginning, college athletics were destined to become a full-fledged, vital part in higher education. Their importance and significance from the start until now is undeniable. College athletics play a valuable role and are beneficial to institutions in ways such as promoting positive character development among athletes, establishing unity from a surplus of people, and supporting college experiences and traditions. These are just a few of their contributions to higher education. Although there are various controversies surrounding these points, they are just some of the reasons that athletics will remain embedded in university life for decades to come.
Growing up in America sport is a vital part of everyday life. From childhood to adulthood some aspect of sport pertains to virtually everyone. As a child one is looking to find a hobby so they play sports. As a parent fathers look forward to coaching their child’s little league team. And as tens and young adults sports are an opportunity to become a “somebody” and do something amazing. The general perception in high school and college is that athletes have it all. If you’re good at sports then you don’t have to worry about schoolwork or popularity and essentially you have but not a care in the world; you are invincible. Although it is great to see some succeed and become professional athletes many others do not have the same fate. The fate of these athletes, which happens to be the majority, is what drives my opinion on college sport.
College athletes are not forced into playing the sport that they have devoted their time to during their years in secondary education. They continue to play into the college level for their love of the game. And for this, many college athletes are offered full scholarships. Today’s tuition for many schools are so expensive that without the scholarships that some of the students receive, they would not be able to attend college at all. For these students, college sports offer a great avenue to obtain an education that otherwise would not have been available for them. This allows them opportunity to study something that they can use to build a better life for themselves and their families.
Colleges demand a well-rounded resume that students are trying to fulfill so they can get accepted to the college or university they desire most. “We know schools and families are embedded in society and are responding to its changing requirements and demands, with respect to the competitiveness to the college admissions process, the kinds of skills needed to succeed in the workforce, and even uncertainties in the global economy” (NYU Study Examines), in a study, students from a big university admit to finding that students are becoming more stressed out because of college pressures while still in high school. Colleges are trying to find the students that can succeed in both academics and extracurricular activities. Once students get into college, student athletes can buy a book written by Carl I. Fertman appropriately titled Student Athlete Success – Meeting the Challenges of College Life, to help organize their priorities with their busy schedule. This is a work book that allows the college athletes relate to other college athletes that feel the same way they do. College has its own set of challenges that high school students usually do not face, so this book would help the students cope with these new challenges. In the first section, there is a heading that is labeled “What Student-Athletes Say” with a list of common quotes from student athletes themselves. For example “Sometimes I feel like student athletes have extra pressure and greater expectations placed on them than other students. Everyone knows who we are and people are looking at us to catch us doing something wrong”. (2), which shows how students that do participate in sports feel as though they have added pressure because they are so well known in most cases. Although they do commit to being more known than a regular student when they join a sports team, it is often not fair to the
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.
A very controversial issue in college athletics today is whether student athlete's academic goals or athletic events should be placed in higher importance. In our society today, many people people tend to think of highly renowned college athletes as athletes that dedicate all their time to the sport that they play. What many people tend to forget is that these college athletes have as large a responsibility in the classroom as they do playing football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, track and field, or whatever sport it is that they play. These student athletes are required to practice for many hours each week in addition to having to complete hours of homework and research papers that they may have. Some people may think that being a collegiate athlete would be a fun and easy task but however, they are wrong. Regular college students receive enough homework and papers to do. Imagine having to complete all of the homework that all non- student athletes have to complete in addition to the time consuming dedication to a sports team. This is the stressful and challenging life of a collegiate student athlete.