Across the United States of America, approximately 55% of students participate in extracurricular sports activities. (Koebler, Jason. "High School Sports Participation Increases for 22nd Straight Year." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 02 Sept. 2011. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.) Academic performance, popularity, and physical fitness are all directly affected by involvement in athletics. Overall, and contrary to popular belief, those students who participate in athletic activities often have higher physical, mental and emotional abilities than their non-participating peers. Stereotypically student athletes are portrayed as popular but unintelligent and unmotivated to excel in academics, seeking only the glory that comes from excelling on the football, baseball or other sports field. This portrayal has led to the term “dumb jock,” which is how student athletes are often portrayed in Hollywood and by media. For example, Danny Zuko in the movie “Grease” was cute, adored by girls and idolized by boys, but stupid, highlighted by the scene where the school coach unsuccessfully tries to teach Danny how to play various sports. Similarly, the television show “Friday Night Lights” portrayed high school football players as the envy of all whose glory days ended as soon as high school was over. It is also not uncommon to hear rumors of colleges, where successful sports programs translate into money, overlooking cheating by star athletes or going so far as undertaking efforts to assist a star athlete in achieving a particular grade level just so the athlete may remain eligible to participate in sports. However, students all over the country often defy the stereotypical depiction of the “dumb jock” or athlete who has to have behind-the-scene hel... ... middle of paper ... ...mparison of Athletes and NonAthletes at Highly Selective Colleges." Research in Higher Education 45.16 (2004): 557-602. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. Boyd, Charles E., and Steven M. Ross. "The Influence of Participation in Junior High Athletics on Students' Attitudes and Grades." Physical Educator (1990) Web. 7 Oct. 2013. Miller, Kathleen E., Merrill J. Melnick, Grace M. Barnes, Michael P. Farrell, and Don Sabo. "Untangling the Links among Athletic Involvement, Gender, Race, and Adolescent Academic Outcomes." Social Sport (2005): 178-93. Web. Pallerino, Michael J. "SAVING OUR KIDS." Sporting Goods Business (2004): Web. 7 Oct. 2013. Schafer, Walter E., and J. Michael Armer. "Athletes Are Not Inferior Students." Society6.1 (2004): 21-26. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. Stegall, Ryan. "A Study in The Grade Point Averages of Athletes vs. Non- athletes." (2012): 1-19. Web. 7 Oct. 2013.
Athletics in American schools have always been controversial for many reasons. Some of these reasons include health concerns, safety precautions, and academic significance. Daniel H. Bowen and Colin Hitt wrote an article titled, “High-School Sports Aren’t Killing Academics” to present the factors of positive correlation between success in athletics and academics. I believe that athletics in high schools not only benefit students socially, but also academically.
High school athletics leave a major impact on everybody that is involved with them. It also can even leave a mark on people who aren’t associated with them. There are many conflicting opinions on whether high school sports are a positive or negative influence on a student’s life. Athletics in high school can have an effect on the community as a whole. In H.G. Bisssinger’s highly regarded Friday Night Lights, high school football is accurately portrayed as the most important thing in Texas; it receives much more attention than academics. Football players are often treated like celebrities; yielding confidence, and at the same time creating pressure.
Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day, Robert Funk, and Linda S. Coleman.
"College Athletic Programs Undermine Academics." Student Life. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 July 2011.
College sports are a major revenue producing industry. Athletic programs and their student-athletes can achieve national recognition and generate millions of dollars in revenue for their university. Colleges use this revenue to invest in players, pay for their education, and provide state of the art training facilities, which are used to improve their athletic performance. As revenue driven colleges begin to prioritize athletics, the emphasis on the quality and standards of an undergraduate education are diminishing. Compromising their academic acceptance requirements, universities have now found that the educational ability of their newly accepted student athletes are inadequate, to say the least (Gurney). The same universities must then spend millions of dollars to provide these athletes with “learning specialists”, who in turn helps them to meet academic requirements and maintain their eligibility (...
Parents and teachers have preached that getting an education is important since students first entered Kindergarten. Although there is proof that athletes have endured success from both pathways, academics and athletics, it’s the financially safe and most logical choice for a student athlete to solidify his or her future after athletics. Becoming a professional athlete is a high-risk high reward situation but receiving a college education lowers that risk. A college education could potentially increase the knowledge further to enhance their athletic abilities intellectually also (Clary Dec. 13, 2009). Most of the time if the athlete is good enough to go pro it’s likely that they have athletic full–ride scholarships from major college programs. With college expenses the way they are today one might argue that this is a better deal especially if the chance of going pro remains after the athlete graduates from college. After retiring from...
Participation in sports has proven to increase self-discipline and self-esteem, and can teach athletes to learn from their mistakes and move on (Issitt). Athletes playing team sports also develop the ability to work well with others and use teamwork in their everyday lives. Teammates form relationships that are strengthened over a common passion and goal. These relationships can last long after high school is over (Chen). These social skills translate into better communication used with an athlete’s family, peers, and in the community. Likewise, “A 2006 study in Maryland found that student athletes are 15 percent more likely than non athletes to be involved in their communities and to take the time for civic engagements, including participating in voting and volunteer activities” (Issitt). The same study also concluded that athletes are far more likely to be comfortable with public speaking than non-athletes. This study provides concrete evidence that high school sports can help to gain mental and social skills that will be used later in life
Many students in college are not strictly going to class; they are also walking onto a turf or court. Those students are also known as athletes. Athletes who are passionate about the sport they play usually get noticed by a higher education institution. Those higher education institutions usually give that athlete money to play for the college or university. Being given money is beneficial, but that money is being given for athletic ability not academics. So, which one would a college student work harder for? Athletics even though is helpful for paying for school, has a negative influence on academics.
Anderson, Daniel R., Aletha C. Huston, Deborah L. Linebarger, Kelly L. Schmitt, and John C.
Herbet D. Simans, Derek Van Rheenen, and Martin V. Covington focuses their argument on academic motivation of student athletes and what drives them to want to succeed in the classroom as well as on the court or field. Although Flynn also focuses on academic motivation of student athletes, he also discusses how colleges tend to spend more money on sports related necessities for the students instead of towards their education. Flynn’s argument displays how colleges are basically a business...
Gerald Mahoney, Ann Kaiser, Luigi Girolametto, James MacDonald, Cordelia Robinson, Philip Safford, and Donna Spiker
Ellis, B.J., Bates, J.E., Dodge, K.A., Fergusson, D.M, Horwood, L.J., Pettit, G.S., & Woodard, L.
In high school I was the most predictable student in the entire student body. When teachers would take roll, they could always count on one thing: me not being there. My grades were horrible. My accumulative grade point average was below 1.0. I had no interest in school and kept junkie friends. These so-called friends would often skip school and would pressure me to do drugs. I was already puffing away on cigarettes by the time my junior year rolled around, and my future looked pretty bleak. During my senior year, I decided it was time for a drastic change. I took a brave step and tried out for the Camas High School Cheerleading Team. I made the team and became a student athlete. I was destined to graduate. Through my experience, I believe that involvement in athletics improves academics by providing students with better physical and mental health, thus insuring the athletic student a successful future.
It has been known a proven fact that participation in high school sports encourages better moods, self-esteem, and a higher level of academic achievement. This has been proven through various studies, one of them being a study done in New York. In 2006, the Carnegie Corporation of New York discovered that students benefited from participating in high school sports. An improvement in grades, confidence, and personal health and welfare were appreciably noted in ...
Do extra-curricular activities have a positive or negative effect on a student’s academic performance? If they do, then why do schools take activities away from students at the first sign of academic troubles? If they are scientifically proven to be positive, then why are they not curricular rather than extra curricular? There are numerous influences that impact the academic performance of a student other than after school activities. However, this study will focus on the effect of extra curricular activities on academic performances. In many cases, participation in extra curricular activities positively influences attendance and connection to school. This study will investigate the impact of extra curricular activities that require a daily commitment over an extended period of time, greater than a month. Athletics is the dominant after school activity that requires a daily commitment; therefore, this study will involve student athletes as well as students who are involved in other extra curricular activities. Another reason why student athletes will be a large part of this study is that there may be a correlation between the skills necessary to succeed in athletics and academics (American Sports Institute, 1991).