Athletics For A Majority Of The Student Population

The benefits of sports participation have been studied during the last few years. Sports participation has also long been thought to provide a social environment that fosters basic values such as fair play, competiveness, and achievement (Pate, Trost, Levin & Dowda, 2000). Furthermore, Pate et al. (2000) conclude that in the most populous demographic subgroups of United States high school students, sports participation is associated with multiple positive health behaviors. This trend was most striking for white females and white males, among whom sports participation was significantly associated with numerous positive healthy behaviors and almost no negative health behaviors. African American and Hispanic students had fewer associations with positive health behaviors, and even some association with negative behaviors were observed. Sports has been a important key to high schools students get involved on a social environment that can cause very positive healthy behaviors among the youth. Pate et al. (2000) continue to observe that school and community sports programs have the potential to help youth establish lifelong healthy physical activity patterns.

“Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose-it teaches you about life.”(Billie Jean King) Most students from first grade to twelfth grade say that sports are a big part of their life and make them who they were meant to be in a positive way. Some people might argue that students in sports or extracurricular activities have lower grades than the other students, but it's the opposite way around. Sports improve your performance in school because they strengthen your concentration ability and leadership traits.

First of all, students do not have much knowledge about the different fitness components; they do not understand the relation between the fitness components and health. If students acquire the background knowledge about fitness, it could improve the class engagement and motivation, and increase the independent drive to exercise. Second barrier to students’ achievement is the lack of motivation to be active, and even more difficult, to specific fitness activities, such as sit-ups and push-ups. In today’s society, students spend more time sitting in front a screen and less time moving. Parent and school today have more responsibility making sure the children get enough physical activity. According to the New York Times (2016), “early school physical education (PE) programs can make a significant difference, and the earlier these routines are learned the more likely they will be carried forth into a healthy adulthood”. Another barrier that prevents students’ success is the loss of instructional time due to discipline problems. The classes are too big, with many diverse students with individual problems, which are difficult to address when these issues are from very different backgrounds. Finally, there is not enough support from home affecting not only physical education, but

Target groups include women, young people, over 50’s, disabled people and black or ethnic minority groups. These groups of people are the groups that generally have been the most barriers to participation. They are focused on increasing opportunities in sport as they are likely to benefit the most.

To many educational institutions, it is controversial whether or not sports are beneficial to scholastic success. Offering athletic programs is said to supply students with an enhanced learning experience, as well as adding amusement to a rather dull school year. Therefore, sports should be provided in all schools to reduce stress, improve academic performance, and develop teamwork skills and equal opportunity in school.

One particular barrier that has been found to have an indirect effect on physical activity is self-efficacy and self-motivation. Self-efficacy allows humans to overcome barriers such as feeling tired to exercise; because of social norms, it is harder for females to have high self-efficacy and in turn, harder to overcome barriers to motivation (Louw, Van Biljon, & Mugandani, 2012).

Sports teach important life lessons such as teamwork, discipline, leadership and time-management that benefit males and females alike. Women who participate in sports are more likely to have a higher self esteem, positive body image, better physical and mental health and greater educational success. Youth who participate in athletics learn positive social behaviors, have better academic performance and have lower participation rates in destructive decisions such as drugs, alcohol and pregnancy. The number of positive

How can sports help a student’s performance in school?  To be able to play sports in school, students need to maintain their grades, thus motivating learners to do well in school (Harris). In addition, a sport allows a person to come out of their comfort zone to meet new people and build up their self-image. Athletes also experience positive health benefits. Especially at a young age, playing sports can help to reduce diabetes, heart diseases, and other sickness that could be very harmful to students (Morris). Sports is something all students should participate in because of its positive effects. Therefore, schools should require students to join at least one sport. Participating in sports will help students build their academic success, develop character and improve their

Sports are embedded in many American schools in a way they are not anywhere else. One element of our educational system consistently surprises them, “Sports are a huge deal in American schools,” says Earl Smith of the New York Times. The positives have always outweighed the negatives in the case against high school sports. As Sato Kai state, “The benefits of sports as part of the education process are abundant and sometimes beyond quantifications,” According to many academic specialists, sports offer formative and life long lessons such as: discipline, responsibility, self confidence, and accountability. These skills can furthermore excel your later life and give you a greater chance of being employed in a high level job. Participation in high school sports helps your later development as an adult and teaches you life long skills that can't be taught elsewhere.

They are held to a higher academic standard, resulting in higher grades (Logos). In most cases, if a student does not meet the grade requirement, they are not allowed to participate. This motivates students do not care as much about academics to work harder and get better grades. Schools that have strong athletic programs also have higher test scores. Participating in sports can help students find a place where they fit in It has been proven that student athletes have higher self-esteem, which leads to higher academic achievement. Sports are a great way to burn off steam and relieve stress after a long day of school. Not to mention, involvement in sports is a great way to make long lasting friendships and it makes school more enjoyable. Athletes are more involved in school activities and in the community. This helps bring the community together. Sports enrich and contribute to education.

Sports programs have been an integral part of all schools. They support the academics of the school and therefore foster success in life. These programs are educational and help produce productive citizenship. They help students experience and build skills that may help them in their future, like interpersonal and time management skills. Education may kindle the light of knowledge, but sports help to maintain the proper physique. Sports are also an important means of entertainment and a use for energy after long hours of study. Sports increase a student’s performance not only in the classroom but also in their life.

The second article was tested with a whole middle school which tests all of the students. The problem was exact to the first article, that students in school were not receiving their full physical activity experience. Determining whether the sports can help will aid athletes in not having to think the sport is bringing their grade down. The method was a simple survey, asking the student how much physical activity they have in a normal day and was compared to what their grades were at the time of the study. The results in the study showed that the student’s athletic activity had little effect on the grades of the students, which disproves stereotypes. Limitations in the study are that ninety eight surveys were administered but only fifty eight were given back to the researchers. Further research may be that elementary, middle, and high school students can all be tested to see if the age of the student determines their success or failure with participating in physical activity.

For my essay given by my professor Hernan Humana, I decided to interview my friends Zain Amjad and Shayan Wasim who are currently studying in Life Science.I questioned these 2 men about their experience in physical activities and sports during their childhood and early adolescence. We also had a brief discussion on the factors which promote and inhibit involvement in physical activities and sports.

According to the WebMD, “One third of children in the U. S. is overweight or obese, and this number is continuing to rise” (Obesity in Children 1). This is alarming because these children may grow up with a higher risk of diseases, such as diabetes and heart problems. With such a concern and threat to our society in this country, many schools today offer physical education as part of the school curriculum. However, most schools only require students to take Physical Education once or twice throughout their middle school or high school years, and this is not a mandatory subject to take every semester and school year. Some students may have the perception that physical education is simply an extra class for them to have fun or take a break between classes. Based on research, it has been proven that physical exercise plays a significant role to the success of a student because it provides many benefits in the areas of physical, social and mental health development. With many benefits, Physical Education should be offered as a mandatory subject throughout the seven years of middle school and high school years, so that daily physical activities will become a part of the routine of students’ life and thus carry into their adulthood.

Matric students are given the “privilege” of not being compelled into participating in physical activity. A large number of matric students chose not to participate in physical activity within school once given this “privilege”.