Pros And Cons Of High School Sports Essay, Research Paper

Driving past a local high school, one can not help notice the hundreds of students participating in after school activities. From the football team practicing drills on the field to the cross country runners jogging around the school. All of these students have something in common. They have all volunteered their valuable time to participate in high school athletics. Students play sports for many different reasons. Some hope that their college education will be paid for by scholarships, while others play sports to keep in shape or to have fun. Many people believe that schools should do away with extra curricular activity such as sports. Sports play an important role in high school and they should be continued.

Some people argue that because students are spending their time playing sports, they will not study as much. This argument is false. Students, if they had no practice after school would not go home and study. They would find something else to do that would occupy their time. Most students are going to put it off until the last minute anyway. In fact, playing sports may actually help raise the GPA’s of some students. Many students are satisfied with receiving D’s because they do not have any incentive to get better grades. If an athlete were to receive all D’s then he would not be allowed to play because he would not meet the minimum GPA requirements set forth by the school. Athletes are also able to receive tutoring from their teammates. In fact if a student is having trouble then the coach may help or threaten not to allow him to play until he gets help and brings up his grades.

Not only do athletics help bring up grades, but they also help keep the students out of trouble. It is simple. If a student is at practice with plenty of adult supervision they it is very difficult for him to get into trouble. In contrast, it is very easy for an adolescent left alone in an empty house to find trouble. Athletes are also less likely to join gangs if they are on a team. Most teenagers who join gangs do it because they want to be in a group and want to have friends. Athletes also learn discipline in practice that will also keep them out of trouble when on their own in the outside world.

As well as teaching discipline, sports also teach students how to be responsible and manage their time. Since athletes get home later, they learn how to get more work done in less time. They do not necessarily work faster, just smarter. For example they may not watch TV or talk on the phone while they are doing their homework. Students will notice that if they concentrate on their homework then there is still leftover time to talk on the phone or watch TV. Their good habits that are formed are likely to remain with the students for the rest of his life. They also learn how to plan out their day and keep track of things better.

They final reason that students should be allowed to participate in sports is that it makes high school more enjoyable. A majority of students who participate in high school sports do so because they enjoy it. Students are not allowed to participate in a game or a meet if they miss school that day. The athletes also do not dread waking up and going to school because at the end of the day they have something to look forward to. Athletes also make friendships with their teammates that will last for the rest of their lives because they conquered the same hardships and had to rely on each other .