Varsity Vs. Club Sports

Before high school athletes totally rule out trying to play sports in college they need to consider the similarity and differences between high school and college sports. As young children, most high school athletes started out dreaming about being a sports star and making it into the professional. If these dreams are given up because college sports seem out of reach or too difficult, they will never know where they could have ended up. College sports can seem like a big step from high school sports but in the end they have many similarities.

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

Those who are less social, don’t have a support system, and are less involved in their community, like the residents of Greenville are involved in sports life, they are less likely to be concerned with who is responsible for preventing concussion injuries and deaths in sports teams. Likewise, those who practice different cultures, and do not value activities such as sports, are also less likely to be concerned with this matter. Lastly, social gradient – it is easier for individuals and school systems who possess a higher economic status to mandate that school administrations hire an athletic trainer. Those who struggle economically and school systems who only have enough funds to provide necessities for their students are not going to spend the extra money on an athletic trainer. Although it may be a financial burden, school administrators must make the decision to place certified athletic trainers on their fields in order to “prevent a lot of people, a lot of athletes, a lot of families from going through the same thing that [was went] through with Jaquan's situation” (CNN,

Athletic events aren’t always held at traditional arenas. Those venues may cost far more money than an amateur sports team (and some professional teams) could possibly afford.

     Also student athletes are given a monthly stipend to spend while they are on road trips, to pay for their food, laundry, and other things. On average students are given 200-250 dollars a month, that they can choose to do whatever like with. If the students wishes to keep the money and put it into a savings account this does not violate any rules. (Fleck, buzzle.com)

The students spend 40 hours, per week, just practicing. This does not include games, team meetings, or weight lifting. With all the time they spend doing stuff for their sport, students do not have much time for academics. According to the NCAA, athletes are only allowed to practice for 20 hours per week, or 4 per day, however, most sports practice way more (see fig.2) (Jacobs 2015). Mark Nagel, a professor of sports and entertainment management at the University of South Carolina, exclaims that “there’s technically an off-season, but there are these voluntary workouts that most coaches say are voluntary but then expect athletes to be at. The system is set up to where the coaches encourage athletes to train all year round, but there’s also pressure from the athletes themselves. Even when an athlete is given a situation where it’s truly voluntary, they still might be practicing. It’s the competitive nature of sports.” (New 2015) What Nagel is trying to say is that, even though the coaches claim that the off-season workouts are optional, they are not actually optional. Also, the coaches have put so much pressure on the students that even if it actually is optional, the student athletes still believe they must go. Therefore, although they are called student-athletes, they aren’t as much the student part as they are the athlete. It is almost as if the sport was a job and the schooling was the extracurricular

There is a growing problem where much of a school’s popularity and funding stems from athletic success. Even more, if a school has a student or group of students with great athletic ability, the school will likely bend some of its rules to maintain the athletes’ image and eligibility.

A fairly large percentage of today’s youth participate in at least one sport. Some of these kids will learn that their interest in athletics is low, and either quit or give very little effort. However, many of these young ballers dream of one day donning the uniform of their local high school and making their community proud. This transition is not an easy one, and is not completed without dedication and hard work. Even though the sports themselves are the same, youth athletics differs from high school athletics in rule enforcement, opponent skill level, and commitment required.

Team Seniors! Get your graphic class of 2017 senior T-shirt for the graduate. Show your parents, friends, and classmates, that you are confident and fearless with this Senior 17 graduation T-shirt. If you were born in the 90s and are graduating from high school next year, show off your pride in this T-shirt. Getting a high school diploma is a big deal, display how proud you are! Celebrate in style with this elementary, high school or college grad tee.

The imbalance between public and private school sports teams does not need to be adjusted. Private schools are offering an extra service that public schools cannot offer. That service is better teachers all the way to better coaches. There are no rules on how they can raise money for their athletic programs unlike public schools. Because of the athletic success more student athletes want to go to the private schools. Which in turn gives the student athletic a better opportunity to be recruited. No the private schools do not need to be adjusted public schools need to improve their outlook on athletics.

Sports participation is something that is looked at closely in todays society because of the amount of participants there are in sports today. Social classes and participation is heavily influenced by the way people live their lives, where they live, what country they live in , and perhaps most importantly, the socioeconomic class they may fall into. In some understatements, sports may serve as an identifier of what social class a family or individual may fall into, simply by looking at who we are dealing with and what sport this individual may play. As a student in a sport sociology class we find trends in countries worldwide when comparing certain sport involvement and social class. Throughout this essay I will have three arguments that will support my point about social class and participation in sports. My first point will be how economic resources affect the middle-class, second will be how social capital affects middle-class sports, and lastly lower-class and participation in sports.

When I was applying to college I talked to the coach of the University of Central Oklahoma cheerleading squad in hopes that I could tryout for the team. I thought that another commitment in addition to my school work would help to keep me focused for the second semester. One thing that I didn’t expect is the time and energy you need to put aside to play a sport in college. In high school, playing a sport was a much easier task. College sports are very competitive and the athletes playing for the college are the most talented in the school division. I am not saying that I am not capable of cheerleading at a college level; more that it would be a strenuous commitment for a

On the other hand there aren't many school that have coaches for all the sports, if there aren't any coaches then no team. I'm from a small city where everyone knows each other just aren't willing to go to a school about 30 or 40 minutes away from their house, which does not give us a lot of coaches for sports. Schools have

With the chance at a college scholarship becoming the main focus for some students who play sports, club sports seem to be the way to go. On the other hand Dan Gould, Michigan State professor, provides some example of why club sports may not be the best way to go. The biggest reason is the “One-sport wonder” student athletes who specialize in one sport their entire life. “Specialization leads to overuse injuries: pitch counts get too high, players use the same muscles and hurt them” (12). So when students play club sports and specialize they risk the chance of hurting themselves and losing out on scholarship opportunities. Gould continues his point by saying playing multiple sports, and gaining multiple skills help athletes to perform better. So the claim that students should play club because it’s better for developing their skills is not completely valid. Students who play high school sports are more likely to play more than one sport and potentially gain skills that an athlete playing club sports will not.

Sports have become extremely important in public schools throughout America. Children are being pushed by parents, coaches, peers, and in some cases, teachers to excel in sports. Hours upon hours a week are spent practicing for some form of competition. Years ago, all this time was spent with family, at church, or a combination of both. For example, how many times in the past few decades has a student said, ?Sorry coach, I can?t go to a game or practice because I have church?. Schools used to not schedule events on Sundays or Wednesdays