Competitive sports play a large role in many high schools. In high school I played every sport; Football, Basketball, Baseball, Lacrosse, Soccer, Swimming, I even Wrestled. High school sports over the past couple of years have become increasingly difficult to keep up with due to the vast amount of preparation you’re expected to do. Most recognize that the Pro’s and the NCAA have gone too far with there’s willingness to win. That do whatever it takes to win mentality kills from the game in my opinion. High school sports on the other hand are still a classic battle of one’s rivalry against another in shaggy glory. They give us hope that something in sports is still unsullied and restores our faith in the family values. Though in some places it has become too much of a win-at-all costs game just as college and the pros. They don’t have a super bowl that Americans watch on the first Sunday in February; there are no BCS games (Bowl Championship Series) with millions of viewers annually. Just millions of dollars spent to make the school’s sports more important than the actual education part. Coaches are beginning to care less about the student athlete and more about the athletic student. Kids getting pulled out of classes early to go play a game. Then they wonder why countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan out-perform the United States in math and science according to a recent study from the New York Times magazine. In the story Innocent Afield, written by Buzz Bissinger, he explains how schools in Texas are spending millions of dollars on sports complexes. He also writes”coaches in some areas are making close to $90,000 a year without teaching a class”. A school in Texas by the name of Permian high scho... ... middle of paper ... ...ate the night before the mid-term instead of studying and he bombs the test. As a student athlete in high school this has happened to me before and now that I look back at it I wish I would’ve studied. Nevertheless, I feel that sports should greatly benefit a child's self-esteem. Competition also builds self-esteem because children grow both emotionally and physically and sports help to develop a positive view of both themselves and their athletic skills. As long as children feel that they are beneficial to the team, they are developing self-esteem because they see their personal role in the team as important to the whole cause. If a child is not athletically gifted, he can always take up a more non-competitive sport such as jogging or weight training. This will also build self-esteem because the child can see his improvement and relate to others at the same time
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.
Abstract: High school football in the state of Texas has become out of control. The sport is no longer played for the sake of the school but rather has become a Friday night ritual to these small towns in Texas. The players are no longer just high school kids inter acting in school sports but have now become heroes to these small town communities. Communities simply no longer support their local high school team but rally in pride of their hometown rivalry against another team. School administrators and coaches no longer are teachers and mentors for the kids but are the equivalent to what in professional football are team owners and "real coaches". Parents have become agents and sacrifice their jobs and homes so that their child may play for the right team. Finally the fans, the fans have lost the sense that it is just a high school sport and changed the game to a level of professional sports. I plan to prove and show that for all these reasons Texas high school football has become out of control. It is no longer the game that it was originally meant to be.
Youth sports are a staple in nearly every American’s childhood as highlighted in “Children Need to Play, Not Compete” by Jessica Statsky. Statsky makes two contentions in favor of this argument: first, that the participants of youth sports are not physically and psychologically ready, and second, that the mentality of win or lose is more harmful than helpful during the formative years of a child’s development. I agree with Statsky that children’s sports are too often over competitive, but some competition is beneficial to their development.
Stephen D. Keener, writer for the New York Times, says in his article Sports Teach Kids Valuable Lessons, “The lessons young players gain between the foul lines have guided some to become astronauts, emergency first responders, bestselling authors, military heroes, professional athletes and even president of the United States” (Keener). Keener talks about how playing on a sports team as a child can teach the kid very important characteristics, like: teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship. Any kid who wants to get a job when they’re older is going to have to know how to work well with people, which is where learning the skill of teamwork is so huge. Considering Ripley’s point about sports lowering academics, Keener argues, “These lessons directly translate into the classroom and beyond” (Keener). These are some very important lessons I think that kids can benefit from
Bissinger does a great job of revealing Permian High School’s insignificant focus on its educational priorities. Putting football first over educational priorities can lead a kid to a very dark future with minimal opportunities except for that in the football world. An English teacher Larue Moore had been at Permian high for twenty years and she was paid $32,000 a year by comparison “she noted the salary of Gary Gaines, who served as both football coach and athletic director for Permian but did not teach any classes, was $48,000.”(Bissinger 131). This quote revealing that the town’s obsession with football is not only invested spiritually and intellectually but also financially with the way they distribute their money. The money invested in the football team should be less than the money invested into the school systems but it’s not and that is damaging to the town because their education suffers as a result of lack of funding by the t...
In the article, “The Case Against High-School Sports” Ripley discusses how some schools put a bigger emphasis on sports rather than academics. Ripley explains that since sports gets more attention, nobody pays attention to the academic side and their needs. According to the author, some schools are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure a sport runs, even if there is no money in the budget. She states that too much of a focus is being put on sports is affecting academic achievement negatively in American high schools. The author gives the reader three reasons why schools should focus more on academic achievement and less on sports.
Within a community is a sense of unity, which for many is brought together by the young athletes of the community. In his article “High School Sports Have Turned Into Big Business,” Mark Koba of CNBC highlights that within the last thirty to forty years high school football has escalated into a highly revered tradition in which not only communities, but highly successful corporations have begun to dedicate millions of dollars towards (Koba n. pg.). This highlights the status of sports within the community and may explain part of the reason schools would favor sports over other programs. Because sports programs can often turn over big profits for schools, they tend to dedicate most of their excess funds towards sports, and rely on sports programs to create large profits for the school. When school administrators see how much sports unite, excite, and benefit the school, they develop a respect for sports and consider it a necessity to provide a good sports program for their students and community. Also in his article, Koba quotes an interviewee named Mark Conrad who is the associate professor of legal and ethical studies at Fordham University 's school of...
She strongly considers that the school should use their money on programs that would, in her opinion, actually benefit the rest of the school. Based on Tamar Lewin’s hypothesis in his article College Increases Spending on Sports Faster than on Academics, he proclaims, “Increasingly, institutions of higher education have lost their focus on the academic activities at the core of their mission…The spending priority accorded to competitive athletics too easily diverts the focus of our institutions from teaching and learning to scandal and excess”. Although this article bases their information off college spending, the same can be said about high schools. High schools are putting off aside other extracurricular activities and give special importance to huge, likable sports like football, basketball, soccer, and
I agree with the point that the focus of sports has shifted just to winning the game as the world has turned into a big rat race where everyone is trying to bring the others down. These types of sports should not be a part of children’s life. They have a hazardous effect on the development of a child’s body and personality. Due to the demanding nature, the children are affected mentally and physically. Their bodies are not developed to take this much of pressure. Jessica puts it rightly when she says that the inability to perform physically leads the children to develop mental health
Amanda Ripley’s idea that athletics are a distraction in “The Case Against High-School Sports” sparked within me the question of whether all people are equally distracted by athletics in an environment which is heavily focused on academics. The author states, “During football season in particular, the focus of American principals, teachers, and students shifts inexorably away from academics.” I can clearly remember a day last May in high school where I had a late football practice and two AP test the following morning. I recall waking up very tired, sluggish, and upset that I did not get a last minute chance to look over my materials. I remember feeling like I had maybe taken on too much, but I knew I would be alright because I had prepared
“Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser,” Vince Lombardi once said. This saying could be the unsung anthem of American sports for children and teenagers. Everyone loves to win. In sports there is always competition. Is there too much emphasis on “the win” for kids and teens? This issue is important because it essentially develops the way children and teenagers think and react; it will affect them later on in life. Too much emphasis on winning is a problem because there is extensive pressure from parents and coaches, and the consequences can be severe.
In the top countries, students do not play sports in high school. On the other hand, school is to educate students not to score high on an “international math test” (Sato 1). In the article The Case for High School Sports, Sato explains that in other countries if someone wants to play a sport they are taken at a young age and thrown into a habitual training facility. The students academics come second to their life of sports. This is exactly what happened to a famous soccer player, Lionel Messi. He first started playing for Barcelona when he was
Because these schools don’t have enough money to provide the resources to educate their students, it is likely they are unable to expend funds on sports activities. This results in sports programs being cut first, right behind music and art. Since many of these programs offer a way for adolescents to escape reality, it is a necessity that we fund these programs. Sports programs are a way for adolescents to experience physical skill development and critical
If children follow the example set by today's athletes, the definition would equal a sore loser. High school sports should be a fun way to physically express yourself as an athlete, but at the same time learn some of life's lessons, like sportsmanship, discipline, and respect. In today's society, winning comes before everything, but if winning requires neglect of good sportsmanship, then nothing is gained in the long run.
Also containing leadership characteristics helps athletes with their social skills. Worsnop, Richard L. points out “there is a general agreement that the nation’s high schools have performed well as the farm system for college sports programs”. In other words team sports presents valuable life lessons and experiences within a group setting. There are endless situations that could take place between the teammates or with the opponents during the game. The fans or known as the community displays a huge part in the sports world and how they distribute their insight on it. Statistics have shown that “ High school teams command legions of devoted fans locally and nationally” (Worsnop). As shown the community is devoted to all types of sports and they see athletes representation and how they react in certain situations. For example the sports that involve physical contact like football and basketball could get out of