Interscholastic Sports

Are they beneficial?

By: Brandon Akins

 

On September 27,2012 the topic of discussion in class was about High School Sports, we spoke about the arguments for and against, costs to participate, were they valuable, and the culture of H.S. sports. in recent years as like youth sports an on-going debate has began to brew about are High School Sports beneficial and are they worth the time and money. Now when it comes to the arguments for and against High School sports I would say I am more on the for side. This is because when you really compare them I think the arguments for out way the arguments against. Also I there are fallacies within' the arguments against because almost every claim against can be strongly contested. Here are some common claim's for and against interscholastic sports:

 

High School sports

 

For:	Against
·         Involves students in school activities and increases interest in academic activities.	·         Distracts students from academic activities and distorts values in school culture.
·         they build self-esteem, responsibility, achievement orientation, and teamwork skills	·         They perpetuate dependence, conformity,       and a power and performance Orientation that is no longer useful.
·         They foster fitness and stimulate interest in physical activities among students	·         They turn most students into passive spectators and cause too many serious injuries to athletes.
·         They generate spirit and unity and maintain the school as a viable organization.	·         They create a superficial, transitory spirit that is unrelated to educational goals.
·         They promote parental, alumni, and community support for school programs.	·         They deprive educational programs of resources, facilities, staff, and community support.
·         They give students opportunities to develop and display skills in activities valued in society and to be recognized for their competence.	·         They create pressure on athletes and support a hierarchical status system in which athletes are unfairly privileged over other students.

 



As you can see in the chart number one for both contradict each other one side says that sports help interest or focus on academics and the other side says it is a distraction. On page 473 of the text Coakley defends the for side when it comes to participation in sports and its affects of the nature of school. He states that studies in the United States consistently show that high school athletes as a group generally have higher grade point averages, more positive attitudes toward school, lower rates of absenteeism, more interest in attending college, more years of college completed, greater career success, and better health than students who don't play school-sponsored sports. I can also concur with this because of my experience being a high school student-athlete. These studies show those results because the athletes know if they don't stay on top of school work, go to school, and take their academic endeavors serious they can not participate in their sport anymore. So they put sport in the perspective that it is an incentive and/or reward for doing what they need to do when it comes to school. Teresa McEntire explains in here article "10 Benefits of Playing Sports" talks about how statistics show that kids who are involved in sports while in high school are more likely to experience academic success and graduate from high school. Then she goes on to state that sports can help develop teamwork and leadership skills. Young people quickly learn that they have to work together as a team if they want to achieve the common goal which is winning. She also touches on how research has found that young people that play sports, especially girls, are more likely to have a positive body image and higher self-esteem. They also are less likely to be overweight and face obesity issues. One aspect of High School sports that is often over looked is the social interaction part of it. A lot of friendships that are present in today's society are derived from sports. Even if they don't participate friends go to games together and show school spirit which is a bonding experience in itself. If schools didn't have High School sports it would take away from the culture of high school and the liveliness that it provides to school's auroras. Things like pep rallies for big games, homecoming week and game, fundraisers for sports teams, winning titles, gaining prestiege from successful sports programs are a HUGE part of the high school culture. Though there are strong points on both sides, which one do you side with?