What I Think About Athletics at My School

I am a big sports fan! Football, basketball, and tennis are my favorite. As a former high school athlete, I think that athletics are an integral part of the educational experience. Although I can never know for sure, I am rather confident that I would not have accomplished many of the achievements that I have made so far had I not participated in basketball as a junior high school student. Because I was so shy, my junior high school coach had to literally drag me onto the court the first time she called me into a game. I went from having to be dragged onto the court in seventh grade to being a captain of the team my junior and senior years. My growth as a basketball player was not limited to the basketball court either; it spilled over into other areas of life as well. Many high school athletes receive similar benefits from athletics—leadership, self-confidence, discipline, etc.—which is the reason I cringe at the thought of schools without athletic programs. While some people may see athletic programs as unimportant auxiliaries, I see them as necessities.

Many students only perform in school because they know that they have to in order to remain eligible and have an opportunity to play a sport in college. Although I would rather students value education independent of athletics, I have come to the point where I can appreciate a student’s motivation to do well in school no matter where that motivation may come from. The truth of the matter is that athletics pays the way for many young people to receive a college education. That can’t happen if the student doesn’t have the opportunity to develop his or her skills through a high school athletic program.

At my school, the administrators and teachers value a vibrant athletic program. Basketball is king at my school. Everyone wants to be on the team, and the team members are like stars in the local community. The team’s fans are very loyal and are willing to travel near and far.

Unfortunately, from my observation, many of the students do not show the same commitment to other sports as they do to basketball. Very few students will even come out for sports other than basketball. I won’t even use the term “try out,” because many of the teams will suit up everyone that shows up given the small number of students that elect to participate. It is actually quite disturbing given the considerable amount of talent present in our student body. All too often, students who have signed up to be on a team will miss practice because they “had to work” or just because. The commitment isn’t there, and the performance is sub-par as a result. I know that the coaches of those sports are disappointed given the considerable amount of time and energy that they put in. For these sports, the coaches face the same puzzling question on the playing field as they face in the classroom—how to motivate children to do their best under every circumstance and in every situation.