By Kyle Melnick ‘14 and  Whitney-Marie Halaby ‘14

Sports Benefit Students On and Off the Field

Amanda Ripley of The Atlantic magazine wants to deemphasize the role of sports in high school so less money and time are spent on them and presumably so fewer students participate in sports. She claims they are a distraction and negatively affect both student-athletes’ and non-athletes’ grades. However, too much of a good thing is never bad. Sports mean more than just amusement for many students and are vital to include in high school.

School offers motivation for athletes to earn good grades. Many athletes find motivation in school through the desire to stay eligible and to please their coaches. Sports are many students’ only passion; however, the only way to participate in sports is to keep one’s grades up. Getting rid of high school sports will not make athletes magically care about school; it will probably make them care less. In addition to this, Ridley misses the point that sports teach student-athletes qualities such as diligence, time-management and resilience that contribute to academic success. Sports teach students skills in order to succeed in both sports and academics.

Sports are not a distraction for many student-athletes; in fact, it may be their future. Sports are the path to college for many students through scholarships. An opposing argument might claim that student-athletes could just play on travel teams out of school if high school sports were taken away. However, this would raise conflicts for many athletes who do not have transportation, equipment or support to play outside of school. One benefit of high school sports is that they offer an opportunity for teenagers to play the sport they love and pursue a career out of it while the school provides transportation, equipment, coaching, practice facilities and much more for a cheap price.

Playing sports opens up career choices for athletes who are interested in pursuing a profession that is sports-related. This includes jobs as a sports journalist, sports doctor/trainer, managing or coaching a sports team, running a sporting goods store or athletic facility or designing athletic equipment. Playing sports gives an individual insight and a better understanding into all of these careers.

Not only do athletes benefit from sports, but sports also provide a sense of community and identity for students who do not play them. For many schools, such as Sherwood, sports spread school spirit among the student body. Students gain a sense of identity. They can root, cheer and tell others how “my team beat your team.” It is hard to imagine high school being high school without sports.

Schools Need To Get Their Priorities Straight

High school sports have been a significant aspect of the high school experience for more than half a century. I recall being in elementary school and driving by Sherwood on Friday nights, hearing the crowd roar as the Warriors fought for a win. At a young age I associated high school with football games. Perhaps there is a reason for this. As Amanda Ripley writes in The Atlantic magazine, “The United States routinely spends more tax dollars per high school athlete than per high school math student-unlike most countries worldwide.”

There is something wrong with the prioritizing of what’s most important in high school. This past year the Sherwood football team got new jerseys for the first time in years; because MCPS didn’t fish out money for the new jerseys, the players had to devote their own time fundraising—time that could have been spent on studying, but was instead spent on football.

The purpose of high school is to give students an education and guide them to what they want to do with their future. In my academic career I have never once heard a teacher value sports over school. They instead insist that one’s homework must come first, even before sports. If this is the case, then why do schools spend so much money on high school athletes?

It’s no secret that football is a huge part of the Sherwood community as well at most schools in Montgomery County. The amount of money it takes for the upkeep of the football team is not worth the two-plus months that the community comes together to cheer on the varsity team. In addition to the costs of jerseys, helmets and other equipment, there are high costs associated with the field itself and other faculties. Then there is more than $10,000 in stipends for the coaching staff.

Defenders of high school football and its high financial costs will argue that the sport pays for much of its costs on its own through ticket sales and the support of parents such as Sherwood’s Warrior Booster Club. But just imagine if the same level of enthusiasm and support from the parent community shifted from football to students’ efforts and successes in academics—not just in their classes but also through such clubs as It’s Academic, Future Educators of America, and the school’s many honor societies.

Students, parents, administrators and board members need to take into consideration that academics will get students somewhere athletics won’t, especially since only two percent of high school students end up playing sports at the college level. The priorities need to change in high schools.