Essay On High School Athletics

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Literature Review Athletic competition has been around for a long time and is growing in popularity. America’s passion for sports continues to grow as demonstrated by the amount of college and professional sports channels and magazines (Cotton, 2009). In high school, athletics can be seen as a positive motivation for student success, but can also deter pupils from academic excellence. Research on the relationship between academics and athletics is often contradicting. There are several studies, books and articles which disagree on the impact athletics have on academic achievement. Both positives and negatives are highlighted, but limited on the area of border town statistics. Positive Effects of High School Athletics Proponents of high school athletics state high school academic achievement is positively affected by athletic participation. In fact, supporters concluded high school athletics positively impacts the students not only academically but also personally and socially (Yancey, 2007). Burnett (2001) said high school athletics keep students out of other activities in which teen and young adults may get into trouble. School athletics also has a positive effect on the school culture. When students participate in athletics it reduces student absences and helps develop positive relationships between students and teachers (Yancey, 2007). Athletic participation also assist academic success after high school (Reid, 2005). Reid compared non-athletes and student-athletes who participated in junior varsity, varsity and intramural sports. Reid found the student-athletes showed higher rates of physical activity. They also smoked cigarettes at a lesser rate compared to non-athletic peers. Reid also states students participating in h... ... middle of paper ... ...nsates for other sports that do not earn revenue such as cross country or track. They depend on the large paying crowds of football spectators and tickets sold. If school sports are not operating on the positive side, booster clubs are often solicit support from community members. When discussing financial limitations with coaches, administrators and parents, it was concluded that it was not a reasonable explanation for eliminating high school sports. Again, booster clubs and parent groups could be counted on in order to compensate for the lack of funds available for sports. Athletics usually have a huge fanbase, especially high school football and basketball. High school athletic teams with strong fan support are capable of running even with a shortage of monetary help. In Texas, high school football accounts for three-fourths of the high schools athletic budget.

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