preview

Effects of High School Sports on the Relationships between Students

Better Essays

It goes without saying that athletics are enormously influential in the social sphere of high school. While academics are more impactful on one's future, immediate popularity is something numerous teenagers covet. Countless students try out for sports every year for multiple reasons, one of the most prevalent being the aspiration of becoming a school celebrity. While that is indeed an excellent benefit, the reason I initially joined the tennis team was to have a group to be a part of. But there was always this one thought that loomed over me. Why does it mean more to be on the baseball team than it does to be a member of the tennis team? Whereas students would gather and attend football, basketball, and baseball games to support the school's athletes, the tennis benches remained empty all spring. My teammates, too, realized that our sport was not favored. Naturally, we harbored resentment towards members of the admired teams. Though belonging is a natural human desire, malicious actions are easier to perform once a group has been formed. Mob mentality blinded our team and caused us to behave in ways that we would not dare alone. It is my opinion that the envy experienced by my team is an inescapable feature of society; I will present and examine this feature and what is says about our world, but I'm going to begin by reflecting on the spiteful activities my team conducted. It would first be helpful to give a physical description of a typical player on our tennis

Get Access