Randy Gibson

English 1102
4/16/2014

Effect of High School Sports on Youth
A high school athlete is a unique being, very different from an average high school
student. Many things separate these two groups of people. High school athletes have to work
harder and expend more energy on a daily basis than an average student. How does this affect the
student and their future? This is a question that has been around since the beginning of high
school sports. Furthermore how do these sports and the people met and experiences had affect
the development and future of an athlete? Stories of troubled high school youth that find their
way through sports and thus go to college and become successful people are numerous, but what
happens behind this, and is this really true?
Why do students choose to play high school sports to begin with? There are many
theories as to what motivates the student athlete to participate in their sport. Some theories range
from simply the love of the game, down to a deep need for a family. Every theory basically
boils down to one thing, acceptance. Everyone in life wants to be accepted by their peers. The
ages of thirteen to eighteen are some of the most vulnerable in a persons life, everything is
changing and sports provide a sense of consistency and refuge. The feeling of family in sports is
also a real driving factor towards acceptance and the motivation to play the game.
High school sports are a huge time dedication, several hours a day, for several months a
year. Time spent together and similar experiences bring people together and long practices in the
heat and cold can really create a sense of comradery, which in turn starts a family feeling
between a team. The teamwork aspect really helps as well, because when people have common
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English 1102
4/16/2014

Goals together they associate themselves together with common good and want to help each
other strive to be the best that they can be. Throughout these hundreds of hours, all of the
struggles and time spent together the acceptance and feeling of family grow very strong. (Smith,
The Relationship Between High School Sports Participation and Youth Violence.")
Knowing that the ages of thirteen through eighteen are some of the most vulnerable and
key in developing and molding a young person, it is no surprise that the things that youth are
exposed to then are very important. Positive influences from adults other than parents are of
tremendous value. A teen can sometimes identify with their coach better than parents and this
coach is given a unique chance to help shape the character of the youth. Also studies show that
teens thrive off of structure and organization around them practices and after school activities
such as games, team meals, and even just hanging out as a team really help provide structure and
organization to their lives. (Maddox, "How Do Sports Affect High School Athletes in a Positive
Way?)
Acceptance is very important to youth in these ages, but also just as important is praise
and adoration. By the time that a child has reached this age they have become accustomed to
praise and adoration from close family and friends. This does not mean that it is not necessary
for family and friends to provide this. It does however mean that it starts to have more meaning
and validity from peers and people. As a child develops and the need for acceptance also
develops and peer acceptance tends to start to mean more from a self-esteem stand point.
So now that a general knowledge of why a student chooses to play sports has been
established we must begin to delve into what effects they have on the youth. When a child
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English 1102
4/16/2014

chooses to play sports they are making a huge commitment and even more importantly it is a
voluntary commitment. This is often the first time in a young persons life that they make a
choice to dedicate much of their time and effort towards something. Which translates into much
of a useful life skill. Once a child makes this commitment they are thrust into a body of work to
benefit not only themselves but the team as a whole. This develops a work ethic regardless of
whether the child wants to or not. Some of the laziest teens can be motivated to work hard and
develop a great work ethic by the feeling of not wanting to let down their team mates, coach, or
even the expectations that other non-athletes might have for them. (Rhodes, Sports Have Positive
Effect on Students)
Once a teen has begun working towards this goal things are not always going to go
smoothly. These obstacles that arise during a teens sports career could be anything from not
being the best at doing a certain thing, to overcoming certain issues with teammates or coaches,
to just handling a simple defeat. The skills to cope with these problems are developed as they
come about over the course of a season. It is inevitable that things are not going to go exactly
how you would like them to and with each confrontation or variation from the plan that happens
a teen learns how to reasonably react and respond, in most cases with the guidance of a
responsible coach or peers. (Maddox, "How Do Sports Affect High School Athletes in a Positive
Way?)
This not only applies to problems related to things that happen within the sport or team.
Many players and coaches have very open lines of communication and through the very close
family bond that has been created, can talk about and give advice or guidance on just about
anything that happens in life. This is very prevalent among troubled or what is considered to be
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English 1102
4/16/2014

at risk youth. A friendly listening ear for someone in a time of hardship or trouble can make all
the difference.
Many people who do not feel like high school sports are important try to argue that the
amount of time the student athlete spends on the athletic field takes away from the time they
could spend studying or doing something productive toward their education. The facts however
prove otherwise in studies done the global post the statistics show that the average grade point
average of a male student athlete has a slightly higher average grade point average than a regular
student. Female student athletes also have as much as a full point higher on average than regular
students. This demonstrates how while sports may take up great amounts of time and energy they
do not negatively affect a students grades. The study actually goes even farther to demonstrate
that student athletes are forty one percent more likely to graduate college. This speaks
tremendously of the power that sports can have on ones life. . (Gorman, "A High School
Athlete's GPA Vs. Average High School Student's GPA.")
Why does whether or not someone does something as simple as playing a sport in high
school affect their life in such a positive way? It can be examined closely in at-risk youth
which are those teens who have grown up in situations and conditions that usually lead to high
percent chances of drug use and jail time as well as failing out of school. (Abbasi,"Comparing
the incidence of aggression among student athletes in various sports disciplines at the University
of Tiran .") Part of the reason that these teens are less likely to get in trouble while playing high
school sports is very simple, time. When a student is in season for their sport they have little time
or energy for anything other than school and their sport. This means simply that they dont have
the time or energy to get in trouble, the sport can consume their whole life and eliminate the
Randy Gibson
English 1102
4/16/2014

desire to do things that will get them into trouble. (Benedict, "Kitam Hamm is using football to
get out of gang-infested Compton.")
One of the best things about sports are their ability to help to relieve stress. Playing and
practicing sports are some of the healthiest ways to reduce stress. Studies show that the average
teenager today is under what is classified as extreme amounts of stress. All this stress is not good
to have built up inside, and can cause serious emotional or physical problems. Some of these
physical problems are things such as over eating and lack of motor or drive to do anything active
or productive. These things are clearly reversed through the inherent physical activity caused by
participating in a sport. Which burns calories, reduces stress, and releases endorphins which
cause the individual to be happier. Therefore greatly improving the overall health of the student
athlete. (Diane, "PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ITS IMPACT ON HEALTH BEHAVIOR
AMONG YOUTH.")
These things that are happening to the student athlete while in high school effect more
than their current health and state of mind. They set habits and patterns that will last a lifetime.
Students who are happy and successful both in their social lives and their academic careers tend
to stay happy with their social lives and excel in their future careers after college. They also tend
to be much more adapt to changes in their environment such as moving away for college and
having to meet completely new people. The trials and tribulations a teen is put through in high
school sports lead to a higher level of mental strength, which helps deal with possible failures
and hard times that come with growing up. (Gorman, "A High School Athlete's GPA Vs.
Average High School Student's GPA.")
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4/16/2014

Sports can also provide a free education for a lot of student athletes that could otherwise
not afford to go to college. This usually comes in the form of scholarships which can be given in
different increments, based on need and athletic skill. While a small number of athletes just take
the money and go to school for a few years until they go pro, the majority of athletes given
scholarships graduate and use their degrees to get jobs and benefit the community. This is great
for a lot of reasons, because they come out of school with many of the team work and
communications skills to join the workforce as well as a degree that they have attained free of
debt. This is a jump start to a healthy and comfortable life that they can now live and provide for
their children so that they are not in the same at risk category, thus reducing the number of
children categorized as at risk.
Even though not every high school athlete is not going to get a scholarship they still have
the advantage of having a higher grade point average and colleges can see that they can handle
the extra work load and manage their time. Also it shows a sense of social ability and cultural
awareness, that someone who has not had the same experiences is not nearly as likely to have
gained the skills and ability to deal with situations as someone who has been out there in
constant working with others and confrontation with someone or something. All while working
to better themselves at whatever it is that they do. (Gorman, "A High School Athlete's GPA Vs.
Average High School Student's GPA.")
Some may argue that while some of the physical fitness and happiness released from
exercise involved do help a students overall health. Many also incur injuries that can severely
and sometimes even permanently damage an individual. While the exact percentage of injury
varies from sport to sport the average rate of serious injury in sports is less than ten percent, and
Randy Gibson
English 1102
4/16/2014

the percentage of that, which would be considered life threatening or critical is less than five
percent, making dying on the way to a game over one hundred times more likely than during the
game. So while there is a very minute risk of serious injury playing sports, the guaranteed
positive aspects way out weigh and outnumber the very small risk.
While these risks of getting hurt may already be very small, there are several things that
can be done to prevent them. For example a large part of practices especially in higher impact
sports is injury preventative workouts. In football players lift weights not only to make them
stronger, the muscle actually helps to cover bones and other fragile things in the body. Also
exercises such as squats and lunges help to keep muscles flexible and loose while strengthening
them at the same time. In addition before every game athletes can be seen going through rigorous
pregame stretches to get their muscles lose and ready to react quickly, to prevent strains and
pulled muscles that while not serious are not pleasant and can keep athletes sidelined for weeks.
Like anything sports require thought and care when participating in, for example a lot of
the injuries that develop in football and baseball come from doing too much to early. For
example the bone structure of a child is often not developed enough for the rigor and contact of
football. Also in baseball certain motions can be bad for a young player, such as the curveball
motion from a pitcher that has not developed muscles in arms well enough yet. That being said
the same can be demonstrated for many things. Children do not just turn sixteen and get there
license or just go to school and begin algebra, time is taken to develop and teach children how to
do these things.
In conclusion to the injuries are a serious problem with sports and should prevent people
from playing them argument. The number of injuries an athlete will occur over a lifetime is very
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4/16/2014

small and of those injuries they are very often, very insignificant. This known, the best way to
handle the risk of injuries is preventative work and exercises as talked about previously. All of
these things considered the risk of playing sports is very small and the rewards that are gained
not only physically but emotionally and experience gained are exponentially greater. Life is short
and should be spent doing something that you love, whether or not that involves a small risk.
(University of Rochester Medical Center, Sports Injuries Statistics)
Sports are helpful in a financial matter to high schools as well as the possibility for
players to get free rides to college. The high school itself makes money from the tickets sold to
games and concessions sold at those games. Many people complain about the money that schools
spend on sports, which is honestly ridiculous because people who make this complaint are not
informed. It is true that not all sports make money at every school, but some of the bigger and
more attended sports help to pay for them as well as money raised by the boosters which are
usually athletes and their parents. Most high schools have a couple major sports that really make
money for the school. These sports include football, baseball, basketball, and soccer. While these
are not the only sports that make money at high schools around the nation these are typically the
ones that make the most and help to pay for the other sports. (Kolbert, "Have Sports Teams
Brought Down Americas Schools?")
The money made from sports can also help to improve the facilities for every student to
use at the school. The school that I attended has won three state championships in a row and the
school has made a very large amount of money from this high school football dynasty. These
have brought many improvements to the school for the average students as well. Money donated
from the National Football League and players from that league have provided the money for a
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brand new weight room which is used by any students who take weight training as a class. Also
with some of the leftover money from the donation to the weight room, the gym and tennis
courts were both able to be resurfaced both of which are used by the average student in healthful
living or physical education both of which are required, so every student will be given the
opportunity to utilize these benefits. (Kolbert, "Have Sports Teams Brought Down Americas
Schools?")
While all these benefits of sports in high school have a dramatically great impact on a
student athlete and their development, these things can be abused and destroyed. After all the
emotional connection a player has with their team mates and coaches negative things from them
can cause serious emotional health problems. The idea that sports are just a bonus and a privilege
added onto school is important not to lose sight of. When that idea is lost it can be very
detrimental to the students grades and health. Parents and coaches often put a lot of pressure on
student athletes to perform on the field and sometimes they go too far. While sports are such a
great benefit if handled correctly they must be taken seriously from an adults responsibility to a
child to ensure it remains beneficial to them and their health.
In conclusion high school sports are definitely beneficial to a student in high school.
Students are given a second family in their teams and coaches, that provide a wonderful support
system for a teen in some of the most important and developmental years of their life. This
acceptance that is wanted by everyone is best gotten from people working toward a positive goal
that are there to encourage and support a teen as they move through high school. The lessons in
commitment and loyalty are some of the most important learned as a teen and commitment to
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4/16/2014

your peers is a great way to learn this. With this commitment comes an inherent development of
a work ethic that will shape the work ethic of that individual throughout their life.
The lessons that are learned through high school sports are many and very important.
Things like time management are proven to be better in student athletes than regular students.
Student athletes have less time to do things like homework have a social life and sleep but
somehow student athletes have a higher grade point average and a higher percent of graduation
and acceptance to college. This happens while students are on average less stressed and happier,
its very impressive that with less time and more to do that this is the case but the social
acceptance and the endorphins released from physical activity and overall better health help to
make for an on average happier life. (Bakhtiari, Comparing the incidence of aggression among
student athletes in various sports disciplines at the University of Tiran .")
The possibilities of a student athlete are virtually limitless with the ability from the things
learned and the experiences that have strengthened the athlete throughout the years. On top of
that a very good student athlete can earn money for college or even free college. This is a huge
deal and a very severely life altering event. Local schools and organizations support and promote
the student athletes in great ways. Over the course of the four years that a student athlete is in
high school the student will benefit greatly through grades, physical and emotional health and
social happiness.



Randy Gibson
English 1102
4/16/2014




Sources Cited
Kolbert, Elizabeth. "Have Sports Teams Brought Down Americas Schools?" The New Yorker.
The New Yorker, 6 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Gorman, Fitzalan. "A High School Athlete's GPA Vs. Average High School Student's
GPA." Everyday Life. Global Post, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Rhodes, Ana. "Newswise." Sports Have Positive Effect on Students. University of Miami, 11
Oct. 1998. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Benedict, Jeff , and Armen Keteyian. "Kitam Hamm is using football to get out of gang-infested
Compton." SI/CBS News Special Report: Sports and Gangs. Sports Illustrated, 8 Dec.
2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Maddox, Theresa. "How Do Sports Affect High School Athletes in a Positive Way? | The Classroom |
Synonym." The Classroom. Demand Media, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

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Bakhtiari, Abbasi. "Comparing the incidence of aggression among student athletes in various
sports disciplines at the University of Tiran ." Scholars Research Library. Tiran Branch,
Islamic Azad University, Tiran, Iran, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Jones-Palm, Diane, and Jrgen Palm. "PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ITS IMPACT ON
HEALTH BEHAVIOR AMONG YOUTH." icsspe, World Health Organization .
University of Maryland European Division, Heidelberg, Germany, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Gould, Daniel . "Ask the Experts." ISYS@MSU . Michigan State University, 1 Jan 2010. Web.
20 Mar. 2014.

Smith , Jennifer . "The Relationship Between High School Sports Participation and Youth
Violence." Udini. ProQuest, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

"Sports Injuries Statistics." University of Rochester Medical Center. University of Rochestor,
n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.