Idalia Lopez

November 12, 2015

Original Draft: Persuasive Essay
Sports in School Benefit Students
For many students in the United States, sports are offered in school. Research about
sports in school argues both sides: the benefits and the damages of participating in sports.
Although being involved in sports does take up a lot of the students time, I believe that the
benefits outweigh the damages. Students benefit socially, physically, and academically from
participating in sports.
Students increase their social skills when they participate in athletics. According to
Bailey (2006), numerous studies have demonstrated that structured activities can make a
contribution to the development of prosocial behavior and even fight antisocial and criminal
behaviors in youth. One example of prosocial behavior is altruism. Students spend hours with
their teammates. Every teammate is an individual of different social and economic background.
Students in the team may have nothing in common with their teammates prior to becoming part
of the team. By spending time with their teammates, they learn various social skills. As part of
the team, they make each other feel like they belong in the team, paying little attention to their
differences. Intervention studies have produced generally positive results, including
improvements in moral reasoning, fair play and sportspersonship, and personal responsibility
(Bailey, 2006, p. 399).

Students are in better physical shape when they participate in sports. Existing studies
suggest that there is a positive relationship between physical activity and cognitive development
(Bailey, 2006). The statement, A healthy body is a healthy mind, suggests that physical
activity boosts the mind. Researchers have suggested that sports can enhance academic
performance by increasing blood flow in the brain, improving mood, mental alertness, and selfesteem (Bailey, 2006). The human body releases endorphins during long periods of exercise.
Endorphins are neurotransmitters in the nervous system that help to cope with the feeling of pain
and bad effects of stress. Feelings of competence and high self-esteem on the court lead to selfconfidence in the classroom and aspirations for the future (Videon, 2002). There is a long
tradition claiming that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, and that physical activity can
support intellectual development in children (Bailey, 2006, p. 399). When children are
physically active, their mental alertness increases. In general, research evidence suggests that
increases in physical activity during a school hours does not hinder the students achievement in
academic courses even if time offered for academic courses is reduced. On the contrary, in many
instances, it is connected with improvement in academic performance.
Involvement in school sports requires many hours of practice. These hours are taken
from quality time that students can effectively use in their academic courses. What happens
when academic instruction is reduced to accommodate more time for physical education? There
was a classic study carried out in France. Researchers shortened academic instruction by 26%
and replaced it with physical education. Academic results did not decline. On the contrary, there
were less discipline problems, greater attentiveness, and fewer absences. Other studies have
shown increases in academic performance when physical education is increased in the school
day.

The social, physical, and academic benefits that come with participating in sports
outweigh the costs. At first sight, participating in sports seems like the student will be spending
many hours focusing on a sport rather than spending those hours on academic courses. In reality,
students will learn to cope with spending long hours participating in sports by implementing
good time management skills.

References
Bailey, R. (2006). Physical education and sport in schools: A review of benefits and
outcomes. Journal of School Health, 76(8), 397-401
Videon, T. (2002). Who plays and who benefits: gender, Interscholastic athletics, and
academic outcomes. Sociological Perspectives, 45, 415-444. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/sop.2002.45.4.415

Idalia Lopez
December 9, 2015
Revision: Persuasive Essay
Sports in School Benefit Students
For many students in the United States, sports are offered in school. Research about
sports in school argues sides, the benefits and the damages of participating in sports. Although
being involved in sports does take up a lot of the students time, I believe that the benefits
outweigh the damages. Students benefit socially, physically, and academically from participating
in sports.
Students increase their social skills when they participate in athletics. According to
Bailey (2006), numerous studies have demonstrated that structured activities can make a
contribution to the development of prosocial behavior and even fight antisocial and criminal
behaviors in youth. One example of prosocial behavior is altruism. As students become
involved athletes, they are able to contribute to the team selflessly. For instance, an athlete is
more likely to help his/her teammate overcome a problem or console him/her when needed.
Students spend hours with their teammates. Every teammate is an individual of a different social
and economic background. Students in the team may have nothing in common with their
teammates prior to becoming part of the team. By spending time with their teammates, they
learn various social skills. They learn to accept each other and simply get along. It is a skill that
will transfer to relationships as adults and benefit them socially. At one point in our lives, we
have to work with people who have different views and background. If we do not learn to work
well with others, our success plummets. As part of the team, they make each other feel like they

belong in the team, paying little attention to their differences. Intervention studies have
produced generally positive results, including improvements in moral reasoning, fair play and
sportspersonship, and personal responsibility (Bailey, 2006, p. 399).
Students are in better physical shape when they participate in sports. Existing studies
suggest that there is a positive relationship between physical activity and cognitive development
(Bailey, 2006). The statement, A healthy body is a healthy mind, suggests that physical
activity boosts the mind. Researchers have suggested that sports can enhance academic
performance by increasing blood flow in the brain, improving mood, mental alertness, and selfesteem (Bailey, 2006). The human body releases endorphins during long periods of exercise.
Endorphins are neurotransmitters in the nervous system that help to cope with the feeling of pain
and bad effects of stress. Additionally, the increased blood flow caused by exercise gives the
body a boost of energy and helps mind alertness. Feelings of competence and high self-esteem
on the court lead to self-confidence in the classroom and aspirations for the future (Videon,
2002). Confidence in the classroom makes a difference. Students, who are confident enough to
participate, even if their input in class is not always correct, can gain more from lessons. Being
wrong and accepting so, is a skill that can benefit the student for the rest of his/her life. There is
a long tradition claiming that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, and that physical activity
can support intellectual development in children (Bailey, 2006, p. 399). When children are
physically active, their mental alertness increases. In general, research evidence suggests that
increases in physical activity during a school hours does not hinder the students achievement in
academic courses even if time offered for academic courses is reduced. On the contrary, in many
instances, it is connected with improvement in academic performance. Children who are
physically active are more likely to grow to be physically active adults. The health benefits will

help in adulthood by reducing bad cholesterol, diabetes risk, coronary disease, and obesity to
name a few. In the workforce, stress levels are usually high. Everyone copes with stress
differently; however, exercise is one of the healthiest ways to relieve stress. Not only will
exercise relieve stress, it will also enhance overall mood. Other mood enhancers are available
with a doctors prescription, but why use chemicals that have serious possible side-effects? Why
spend hundreds of dollars on prescriptions when a jog around the block is free?
Involvement in school sports requires many hours of practice. These hours are taken
from quality time that students can effectively use in their academic courses. What happens
when academic instruction is reduced to accommodate more time for physical education? There
was a classic study carried out in France. Researchers shortened academic instruction by 26%
and replaced it with physical education. Academic results did not decline. On the contrary, there
were less discipline problems, greater attentiveness, and fewer absences. Other studies have
shown increases in academic performance when physical education is increased in the school
day.
The social, physical, and academic benefits that come with participating in sports
outweigh the costs. At first sight, participating in sports seems like the student will be spending
many hours focusing on a sport rather than spending those hours on academic courses. In reality,
students will learn to cope with spending long hours participating in sports by implementing
good time management skills.

References
Bailey, R. (2006). Physical education and sport in schools: A review of benefits and
outcomes. Journal of School Health, 76(8), 397-401
Videon, T. (2002). Who plays and who benefits: gender, Interscholastic athletics, and
academic outcomes. Sociological Perspectives, 45, 415-444. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/sop.2002.45.4.415

Reflection
My submission of the persuasive essay needed few grammatical revisions; however, I did
need to add more information. I started by correcting the punctuation in the introductory
paragraph and adding a in the second paragraph to the sentence, Every teammate is an
individual of a different social and economic background. I had to add more examples, details,
and elaboration on my ideas. I read the essay and decided to highlight areas that needed further
elaboration. It was difficult to elaborate more on the information without being repetitive.
Therefore, I had to think carefully before adding sentences in the second paragraph. I was going
to define altruism immediately after I mentioned that one example of prosocial behavior is
altruism. I decided not to add the definition hoping that I could give an example instead and to
vary the sentence structure of the essay. I added how the benefits of being a physically active
child leads to being an active adult.