If it wasn’t for sports, will student-athletes be in school?
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Introduction
There has been a heated debate about whether the athletes need to be in school. This is affiliated with the fact that most of the athletes have poor performance in their school work. Even though it is true that they help the school to some extent to excel when it comes to issues to do with sports, it does not remove the fact that most of the athletes perform very poorly. Therefore it remains a continuous discussion, and some of the schools have taken the initiative to introduce methods to make the athletes perform better. However, this does not always prove to work in some cases, while it works in other instances. These methods include only admitting athletes who qualify for a particular pass mark. In this research paper, I will discuss the role of studies on athletes. The part of sports to students, teachers’ role in helping their children balance studies and sports, the role of teachers, and the role of other external agents in trying to balance sports and academics.
Role of studies to athletes
Almost everyone needs a good education, which is why the national collegiate athletic association sets an academic bar for one to achieve to play (NCAA, 2020). Therefore, studies to students are generally just as critical as sports and focus on athletics to the students. These two are very related and very close, and thus, separating them is a challenge. This is because any school always wishes to produce an all-rounded person. This means that they have to encourage their students to exercise just as much as they should join in academics. This makes the students physically fit and at the same time cognitively fit and active.
The role of studies in athletics can be discussed because reviews can help a person determine which sport fits them best and make the best decisions while in the field. According to research conducted by sports in June 2019, Miami’s dolphins are renowned for their excellent performance when it comes to sports. There have been many questions about how they can do that, but this specific report brings out a clear picture of possibility. The Miami Dolphins have their management and planning team of very well educated professionals. This means that their mental capacity is fully used to make decisions for the team and strategize different things and win.
The same is applied to high school students who can be of great work. When a person is mentally active, they generally become bright. Therefore this brightness can be used in the field during athletics to make sure they can win. In most times in as much as the physical ability is essential, it needs to be used together with the mental capacity to realize success. Therefore the role of studies in athletics is to help the athletics make the best decisions in the field and thus constitute their success.
Role of athletics to studies
These two, as stated above, are very much related. However, the relation of athletics to studies is much clearer. This is because most people view athletics as contributing to a person’s mental ability being better and higher. John J. Ratey, a Harvard University psychiatrist, brings our information about this relationship aggressively. She conducted research whereby he took the brains of sedentary people who have begun exercising or who have improved their levels of fitness. Through these tests, he discovers that the people who have started exercising have their hippocampus and front temporal lobe bigger than when they were not exercising and more significant than a person who is not exercising.
This leads us to one conclusion; that physical activity enhances mental ability. This is because these parts of the brain are associated with cognitive functioning, and the hippocampus significantly helps one in memory and learning. Therefore even though most of the athletes fail in school, it may be because of other issues like lacking time for studies, maybe exercising, or other external factors. This means that if an athlete is disciplined enough to balance studies and sports, they can excel very well in their academics. According to the CDC, “increased time in physical education appears to have a positive relationship or no relationship with academic achievement.” Therefore if this is the case, then it means the athletes should be the ones excelling.
Does athletics keep student-athletes in school?
This is a question which only athletes can answer and explain to them. However, we can draw inferences based on the information available. This is because most of the best athletes have got their scholarships in several colleges and universities and are studying there. This means that they have to stay there not because they want to but because the courses they take are necessary. Apart from the classes, the certificate is essential since they cannot predict the future, and it is not every time they will always depend on their athletics skill to put bread on the table. Therefore the situations at hand make some of them remain in school by will and decision. This applies to colleges and universities.
However, in high schools, it is difficult to refuse to attend school because one wants to become a professional athlete. This is because the high scholars are under the care of their parents mostly and therefore, it is not easy to make some decisions about one’s life at this particular point in time. Consequently, one has to stay in school even though not every time by choice but due to circumstances. However, academics comes as a stressing factor to some students, and therefore it is always important to inform the students that one has to excel where they are capable of. However, teachers must always ensure that this affirmation does not lead to a student neglecting their studies to focus on athletics.
Schools also act as agents for the students to get seen and get the opportunities that may benefit them for long. This includes scholarships or being enrolled into athletics associations that satisfy the desires of the athletics. Therefore it is a wise decision that the students keep in school till they are done. Therefore to answer the above question, it is true that athletics keep student-athletes in school even though with a kind of un- satisfaction that comes with failing academically. With all that, they still have to stay because schools are their agents for them to get seen and get out to the outside world in most of the instances.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is wise to say that athletics and academics are necessary and useful. They both should depend on each other and not one taking the place of another. The teachers must always make sure that the students are all rounded by allowing them to participate in sports and, in this case, athletics, but they also must make sure that their academic part of school life is not entirely ignored.
References
Covassin, T., Elbin, R. J. & Sarmiento, K. (2012). Educating coaches about concussion in sports: evaluating the CDC’s “Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports” initiative. Journal of school health, 82(5), 233-238
Huml, M. R., Hancock, M. G., & Hums, M. A.(2019). Athletics and Academics: The Relationship Between Athletic Identity Sub-Constructs and Educational Outcomes. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics
McCormick, R. E., & Tinsley, M. (1987).Athletics versus academics? Evidence from SAT scores. Journal of Political Economy, 95(5), 1103-1116
Yeung, R. (2015).Athletics, athletic leadership, and academic achievement. Education and Urban Society, 47(3), 361-387