The role of sports in high school has been a controversial topic for many years. Some say students need to focus more on their academics and forget about sports, while others say school should be fun and sports make it so. A horde of studies have shown that the benefits of participating in a sport far outweigh any potential risk. One of the major concerns of students spending time participating in sports is that they take away from important class time, and they can also provide the student with unnecessary stress. Often, student athletes are attempting to balance sports, difficult classes, social lives, family time, jobs outside of school, and several other obligations.
Removing sports from the equation would free up students’ lives and make for a potentially less stressful environment. However, unless it is a sport forced on the student by well-meaning parents or other adults, studies show the benefits of sports on student athletes are greatly beneficial to the overall well-being of the student. Students who played sports exhibited either improved academic scores, or they maintained their current level of academic grading.
Overall, studies show that students who play sports do not allow their commitment to their team to affect their commitment to their education. As mentioned, grades often improve for the student athlete.
Another benefit to playing high school sports is that athletes also tend to have increased self-confidence which can be beneficial both on and off the field. Being on a sports team is not easy and requires high amounts of dedication and preparation in the off season to prepare for the physical and mental challenges they will face during their sports season. A benefit to building and maintaining physical fitness, students often feel more mentally fit and more confident about themselves. This can then lead to an overall boost in one’s personality.
Being a part of a sports team also allows for character building for the future years to come. As a student athlete, there are many activities and responsibilities to handle, and staying focused and on top of these responsibilities requires time management skills. Communication skills are also something developed and strengthened. To be successful on the field, athletes must have the communication skills needed to communicate with their teammates, coaches, and even players on the opposing team in order to succeed. This skill helps them even after school and allows them to effectively communicate with coworkers and seniors.
According to an anonymous survey in the Elkin High School for athletes only ( conducted by Arwyn Shoemaker), they were to list their grade level, gender, and sport they played. The survey consisted of 10 questions referring to academic standing, a decrease or increase in confidence levels, friendships made, drug and alcohol choices, and miscellaneous skills learned. Out of the 400 students in Elkin High School, 148 responded to the survey. Almost all student athletes surveyed, freshmen through senior, answered that their academics have either improved or remained the same and did not suffer due to the time commitment of sports. Confidence levels were reported to increase in students across each grade level. Of the 148 students surveyed, 100 percent said they formed new friendships and were grateful to sports for the opportunity to meet new people. An immense number of students that were surveyed also said they have improved their time management and are learning to accept criticism that allows them to be better athletes and people.Though sports do decrease the amount of time a student has each day to give to homework, research projects, or the dreaded mathematics test, but research and perseverance show that participating in sports have benefits that reach farther than a faster swim time or a better touch with the ball. Students are learning valuable lessons about how to be successful in their lives and, ultimately, how to become team players in a world outside the four walls of high school.
Shalv Srivastava
Class XI
Shiv Nadar School, Gurugram
