High School Sports

In “The Case Against High School Sports,” Amanda Ripley, a journalist for The Atlantic, states that America is spending more money on high school sports rather than on academic purposes. “High School Sports Aren’t Killing Academics, “ written by Daniel Bowen, a postdoctoral scholar at Rice University, and Colin Hitt, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas, discusses the benefits that come out of sports programs to improve the classroom and the school’s social capital. Co-founder of a sports recruiting social network, Kai Sato’s article “The Case For High School Sports,” focuses on how school does not just involve scoring well on a math test but to educate us to be productive in what lies ahead. Ripley’s article discusses how

Are high school sports good for kids? Many people believe that athletic sports are good, but they ignore the fatal flaws of these activities. Youth and high school sports are harmful because athletes often get too caught up in winning and get hurt frequently, physical sports also take away from other extracurricular activities.

A 2016 study by the NCAA revealed that there are nearly eight million students who participate in high school athletics in the United States, yet only 480,000 of them will compete at NCAA schools ("Probability of Competing Beyond High School"). Of that approximate 16% who become a student-athlete, an even smaller percent will graduate and become professional athletes. For example, data from the 2015 NFL Draft demonstrates that there is less than a 2% chance of playing in the NFL. During the 2015 Draft, there were 72,788 NCAA football participants, only 16,175 of those were draft eligible for the 256 slots which equates to a 1.6% chance of being drafted to the NFL. According to the NCAA, of the 256 NCAA players selected in the 2015 NFL draft 236 were from Division I FBS institutions, 17 were from Division I FCS programs, two were from Division II programs, and only one was from a Division III program. Student-athletes from the power five conferences accounted for for 200 of the 256 draft picks (SEC=54, ACC=47, Pac-12=39, Big Ten=35, Big 12=25) ("Probability of Competing Beyond High School", 2016). With there being a small percentage of playing professional sports after college, the importance of a college degree has become a priority for many student-athletes.

High school sports have been like a tradition. Many people enjoy it due to the fact that people with interests in sports have a chance to get their hobby as a career. It also adds some miscellaneous benefits. For instance, the article “What in the Name of High School Football” states that, “For example, a multi-year study conducted in Michigan has shown that children who participate in sports have increased educational aspirations, closer ties to school and increased occupational aspirations in youth.” With all those benefits, high school sports appear with a cost. Expanding just this department ignores the further important academics, the majority of sports players boast a shortage on time, and the injury rate of sports can be extreme.

Athletics have changed over the years in Hampton Roads, Virginia, particularly in High School Football.  Football programs seemingly shied away from bettering young athletes and keeping them on the right track to focusing on building “super teams” to better benefit the coaches and the school’s reputation.  Lately we have watched a few of the area's top athletes coincidentally join forces at the same schools, regardless of what school zone they were originally assigned to, raising eyebrows all across the area. It has become such normality that more and more coaches are obtaining reprimands for recruiting violations, posing a very interesting question: Should the coaches who utilize the talent that they are given and actually work to build their team up from the ground be given more credit, or should the coaches with teams consisting of above average players continue to get all of the praise?

Studies show that if you want to be successful in the future and with your career, then you should play high school sports. They teach students lessons to be successful in their future careers and gives them a better chance to be employed. As Michael Casey, an author for the Wall State Journal, states, “...past participation in high school sports helps youngsters develop a host of crucial skills which give them a leg up as they enter the work world and achieve success for decades afterward.” When comparing percentages they all lead to sports benefiting, as Michael Casey again states, “The 43% percent of male veterans who played varsity sports had careers of

High school athletes who want to get recruited by a college need to get noticed by the right coach. Although in some cities, athletes in Class and football, basketball and baseball may have scouts come to their games, and in metropolitan areas, many sports are frequently covered in widely distributed newspapers or newscasts, every year, thousands of other outstanding athletes are overlooked for one simple reason: the coaches didn’t know they were out there student athlete.

Many people think Division One College basketball and high school basketball are the same, but do people understand the differences? In the same way they use a basketball, wear uniforms, have a student section, and have the same number of players on the court. Division One College basketball teams, such as, Villanova, Duke, or North Carolina, offer a more professional level type of basketball game for fans to watch. However, this would require fans to travel around to different states. On the other hand, high schools such as Archbishop Ryan or Father Judge, provide a more local game to make traveling less for people. Division One College basketball and high school basketball both provide a fun environment; however, they differ in capacity, rules, and arena.

Sports are a big part of school spirit, but many question if they are appropriate to provide for students. Referring to several studies, it’s quite costly for extra curricular activities. Therefore, schools should eliminate sports to enhance academic achievement, save districts money, and provide time for different pursuits.

Only one and a half percent of college football players will have the opportunity to be on an NFL roster in their life. Yet, nearly one million high school football players have aspirations of playing in the NFL. The realization that so many high school athletes have dreams of playing a college or professional sport is concerning. However, the counter argument is students should be allowed to dream big and shoot for the stars. While I firmly believe that one should be allowed to have high expectations, he should be aware that it is impossible for him to fully achieve his potential.

It wasn 't always easy living with my father, but I always knew he had my best interests at heart. When I finally entered Marymount High School, I had a burning desire to try out for the basketball team. Even though I was tall and athletic, my father wouldn’t allow me to get involved in sports. He told me a student who wanted to become a doctor didn 't have time to play games.

Yes, In my opinion I think high school athletes should be tested for performance-enhancing drugs. You are probably thinking,"Why?", well I'm going to tell ,why?. Well Lots of athletes are using drugs and they need to stop because that can make bad things happen in their body and it can also ruin their lives. According to my research "Today High school student athletes are using drugs to enhance performance in record numbers. Experimentation with human growth hormones by America’s teens more than doubled in the past year, as more young people looked to drugs to boost their athletic performance and improve their looks, according to a new, large-scale national survey.

The bang of the head, the crack of the bone, the tear of a muscle, are all things that high school athletes put themselves at risks for. Every time a high school athlete steps foot on a field, rink, or court they put themself in a risky situation. Although the risk may be there, athletes achieve many valuable lessons throughout high school sports. The valuable lessons promote self-confidence, socialization and team spirit, as well as decreases stress. While playing sports, athletes are at excessive risks of being injured. Although high school athletes have a risk of being injured, the benefits of high school sports programs outweighs the physical risk because of its benefits to teenagers mental health, benefits to teenagers physical health,

It was a Friday night sitting aside from the gym court as I watched two teams about to face each other. They were both great high schools and both in devision two in the sport of basketball. It was Hope High School (aka: Blue Wave) verses my school, Mount Pleasant High School also know as the Kilties. I alway hated Hope High School for their Blue Wave cockiness. That night in side the loud, hot, and sweaty high school gym, was the night of most intimidation. As the crowd cheered loudly for the Blue Wave Team, I looked up at the points differences on the billboard. Our coordination as a team was not bad, but it was not well enough to go against our other division two competent. The first half of the game us, the Kilties, were playing horrible. The second half of the game us, as the mighty Kilties, knew not to give up because we knew karma has its own fate even in the sport of basketball. It was going to be our second half of the game to score our points up and reach up to the conceited team know as the Blue Wave. We might of won most games but other games had been losses. During my high school year at Mount Pleasant High I played a game I will always remember as a foreign Kilties. Through the loss of this particular game it tough me that jealousy can over come a persons competitive side of them.

Do sports have a role in the lives of students? In an article posted by the Atlantic authored by Amanda Ripley on October of 2013 titled "The Case Against High-school Sports", Ripley questions the added value of sports to high schools and its students, outlining that the focus on sports has resulted in poor international test results. The article further used schools in various cities and countries, such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Finland as exemplary examples, stating that at some institutions in these cities and countries have shifted or eliminated sports in the school system and are heavily focused on being purely academic institutions, which as stated in the article yielded higher rankings in international standardized test.