What Is Academic Performance?

The impact of preserving sports in high schools has been surrounded by much controversy as people suspect that it is the reason behind the poor academic achievement of students. Opponents to high school sports feel that allowing athletics to be a part of schools sidetracks the focus of the student body, which goes completely against the main purpose of schools. Indeed, this assertion is completely true and based upon plentiful evidence. High school sports undoubtedly come at the expense of student academic achievement since they divert the attention of students away from academics and they come with far too many financial costs, both of which incur negative impacts on the academics within a school. The bottomline is that sports are harming the education of students, so a school must make the decision between composing quality sports teams or providing high level academics; both of these choices simply cannot occur simultaneously.

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.

Sports in conjunction with academics are capable of creating a balance that makes for a well rounded citizen and healthy, happy employee. Issues in the mix often come from the balance itself. Many students find themselves overcommitted to sport while others find they are not able to compete. I will examine issues in interscholastic and collegiate sport.

In all athletic programs, the parents and/or guardian serve as the central support system for children. Therefore, it is imperative that there is communication amongst the parent, child, and organization to ensure that there is a tailored pathway to achieving set goals. Within the athletic program, it is the responsibility of the organization to ensure that attainable yet

Are schools the right place for sports? This is a question that educators and experts everywhere are asking themselves, as more and more schools are faced with budget cuts and low academic scores. No one is debating the health benefits of exercise one receives from sports, but does the exercise benefit outweigh the expense, risk, and impact on academic grades? Amanda Ripley, the author of The Smartest Kids in the World, thinks club organizations, not schools, should provide sports programming (“Should schools eliminate sports” 1). Earl Smith, author of “Race, Sport and the American Dream,” along with Ripley believes sports are given priority in some schools, drawing attention away from education (“Should schools eliminate sports” 1). During an interview with the New York Times, Smith stated “high schools should not have competitive sports teams. And especially not in the under-resourced intercity high schools where academic programs are often sacrificed to finance sports teams” (“Making Sports an After-School Activity” 1). He went on to say “even the student bodies in many high schools have developed cultures that glorify sports at the expense of the scholar.”

As a student, I have intimate knowledge of the subject as I engage with education frequently. I experience how athletics affect students’ lives and what the alternative to athletic participation results

Titled “The Academic Rights of Students,” this essay of mine voiced my support for publicly funding athletics equally as a high school would fund various other extracurricular activities. I reasoned my argument using an appeal to ethos. I revealed my position as captain of the varsity lacrosse team while serving as an active member of numerous academic clubs. Though not all will agree with my stand on this issue, I presented a compelling argument that voiced the concerns of a high school student. As a result, I won first place in the Junior Achievement Essay Contest.

Jan Kievlen, Positive Climates for Learning Specialists at the York Region District School Board stated that, ""When parents remember why they are enrolling their child into a sport, it helps them to keep the focus on the development of the character rather than just ‘winning’. It also is important to keep the sport ‘fun’” (tvoparents.tvo.org, 2011). One may believe children play sports just to have fun in their free time, but it also has a positive impact on them. ““Children’s participation in organized extracurricular activities has been associated with positive short-and-long-terms outcomes”” (Guèvremont, 2011). Therefore, extra-curricular activities should be mandatory in a student’s life because it helps them gain new skills, exercise and is a stress reliever.

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.

The purpose for a middle school athletic competition provides many advantages which are learning sportsmanship, teamwork, communication skills, problem solving skills, self-control, weight control, builds self-esteem and looks good on the students academic record. In addition, many studies have shown that engaging students in extracurricular activities reduces student dropout rates, teen pregnancies, and juvenile arrests. (The Foundation for Global Sports Development, 2013)

With society’s ever increasing price tag of education, public schools have gone to great lengths to cut costs from the unessential activities during and after school hours. First it was music programs and art classes; however, with the desperate need for teachers, athletic programs have felt the grunt of this expedition. Now, more than ever, youths in our communities are battling serious problems. Not only are sports and organized athletic programs vital to physical development, but also mental growth and offer children structure and goals. Unfortunately, many schools have to cut back or even eliminate sports/athletic programs due to lack of funding.

As the students on the football field are working on passes and touchdowns, they are wearing tattered old jerseys. With their worndown helmets, the coach is complaining about the bad conditions the players are going through. Yet, the school would not recognize the remarks and decides to keep on going. The article, “Yes! It’s Time to Scale Back,” by Amanda Ripley, shares the idea that schools should not have sports teams. On the contrary, “No! Sports Are More Important Than Ever,” by Tim O'Shei explains that school sports should continue and even recommended to attend to. Even though school sports can be beneficial to students; genuinely, schools sports needs to take a step back for the better.

Oh great. Another bad day at school. Good thing we have basketball practice, today, to ease my mind. This is how some people think about sports. However, some do not think the same. Therefore, middle schools are deciding on whether to keep sports the same way they have been or scale back some on sports. Principals and superintendents should not scale students back on sports because it helps them prosper in many ways.

According to Up2Us, a New York-based nonprofit that promotes youth sports, from 2010-2011 more than $3.5 billion in athletic funding was cut. This has been the case across America impacting athletics from youth sports all the way up to high school and college level athletics. To have more money for school funding, schools are using athletics as a scapegoat to have enough money to fund school based activities (“Baker”). Lack of funding, due to the recession’s budget cuts, for high school athletics is ultimately hindering sports teams potential, but with more efficient fundraising, better implementation of Title IV, and more athletic facility fundraising groups, a solution could be reached.

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