Balko 1

Katie Balko
Joel Friederich
English 101- Essay 5
4 May 2015
Disassembling Sports is Detrimental
All my life I have been the jock at school, even though I am a girl. This has
never bothered me because I see the truth in it. I have played more sports than I can count
and I love them all. People assume that I am just some competitive, tomboy who likes to
be in everything and anything sports related. To some extent this may be true; however,
nobody seems to understand the real reason I am involved in so many activities. The
reason I cant keep myself away from all of the sports I am in is quite simple if you really
know me. I like to be involved in sports because sports have kept me away from things
such as drinking, drugs, and other bad choices. In each and every sport I have learned
many life lessons I will carry with me and share with others throughout my life.
It has come to my attention that there have been discussions about if high schools
should keep or get rid of their athletic programs. This is a topic that hits home with a lot
of people. A recent study shows that almost 7.8 million kids in the U.S. has participated
in some type of high school sport in the past year (NFHS.org). Both sides on this debate
make compelling arguments but ultimately you must pick a side. Many conservatives
believe that high schools should get rid of their athletic programs, but I disagree because
sports help teach kids life lessons, help improve academic performance, and give them
structure in their lives.

Balko 2
Earl Smith is a well-known sociologist and author. He recently wrote an article for
The New York Times website on their Room for Debate page; the article argues that
kids who play sports expect to receive scholarships and to play high level sports after
high school. Smith conducted a survey on the amount of teenage athletes who actually
end up receiving money from scholarships for college. The results of his findings were,
only two to five percent of young men playing on their high school team will earn a
college scholarship (Para. 3). This is a true fact; however, most students who play sports
realize that they will not receive a scholarship, they simply play for the experience.
Another author who has some of the same ideas as Smith is Amanda Ripley. In
her article, School Is About Learning, Not Sports, Ripley talks about how she found
that when interviewing foreign exchange students that the students were surprised at how
seriously sports are taken in the United States. In most countries sports are not associated
with the schools at all; they are either through the community or simply pick-up games.
She goes on to talk about how sports are a good thing for kids. Ripley states, Kids play
sports, of course, but outside of school, through recreation centers, club teams or pick-up
games on dirt fields with no adults in sight (Para. 1). The overall idea Ripley has in her
article is that other countries seem to value education over sports, unlike in the United
States where academics and sports have an equal role in schools.
One of the most important things sports can do for kids is teach them life lessons.
There are so many different things you can learn from each individual sport that you
couldnt even list them all. Martin Camir, Pierre Trudel, and Dany Bernard are all
college professors. These men have worked together to write an article titled, A Case
Study of a High School Sport Program Designed to Teach Athletes Life Skills and

Balko 3
Values. This article focuses on all different aspects of how sports and school can work
together. When faced with the question if sports actually help teach life lessons the
authors say, Unfortunately, sport is not an activity in which youth automatically learn
life skills and values as the social and competitive nature of sport provides youth with
opportunities to lie, cheat, intimidate, and injure (Kavussanu, 2008) (Pg. 1). They later
go on to say, Nonetheless, Holt and Jones (2008) argued that the positive outcomes
related to sport participation generally outweigh the negative outcomes as persevering,
regulating emotions, and working as a team are inherently part of the sporting
experience (Pg. 1). I believe that by saying this, the authors are realizing the truth about
the benefits sports have in kids lives and that there are many lessons that can be learned.
Another author who helps me validate my claims that sports truly do help teach
lessons is Kevin Kniffin who is a professor at Cornell University. In his article, High
School Athletes Gain Lifetime Benefits, he writes, Research to which I contributed,
complementing previous studies, showed that people who played high school sports tend
to get better jobs, with better pay, and that those benefits last a lifetime (Para 2). This is
significant to be because it once again proves that sports, in most cases, help people
become well rounded and balanced individuals who have a tenancy to succeed in their
futures.
Sports have more to offer than just helping teach life skills, they have also been
proven to help academic performance. Jay P. Greene and Daniel H. Bowen are both
college professors who have done their own research on this topic and their findings
concur with studies conducted by others. In their article, Sports and Education Work
Well Together, they say, our own research has found that schools that offer more

Balko 4
sports and field more successful teams produce higher test scores and graduation rates
(Para 3). I believe that this idea is the most significant of everybodys because those who
oppose sports say that sports are damaging academic standings when in reality, sports and
education are actually working well together. Students who have high test scores are most
likely athletes or involved in some type of extra circular activity.
Another professor who conducted a study on the academic standings of athletes
and non-athletes is Eric DeMeulenaere. In his paper, Playing the Game: Sports as a
Force For Promoting Improved Academic Performance for Urban Youth, he states, In
this research examining students' transformation in their school performance,
involvement in sports emerged as a critical force in promoting student improvement (Pg.
4). DeMeulenaere has found that sports help promote academic standings in student
athletes and his findings concur with those of Greene and Bowen. I use these findings to
back up my previous claim; sports help improve academic performance.
The final part of my argument for keeping sports in high school is because sports
give kids structure in their lives. Not only to they have to stick to a specific schedule but
they also learn times management skills because of that fact. In his article, DeMeulenaere
says, Involvement in after-school athletics helps structure students' time after school. It
pushes students to be more organized with their daily schedule (Pg. 4). I find this to be
very true, at least in my case. I have had to learn how to balance all of my sports along
with school work and free time just so that I could make everything work well together. I
also believe that sports give some kids extra structure in their lives, especially for those
who do not have the best home-life.

Balko 5
In conclusion, I think that high schools should keep sports because they help teach
kids life lessons, help improve academic performance, and give them structure in their
lives. Throughout my involvement in sports, I have learned many things that have helped
me grow as a person. I would not have had many of the opportunities I have today if I
was not involved in sports and extra circular activities. Sports arent just something that
any kid can do; they require dedication, hard work, and perseverance. I encourage all of
those who still have the opportunity to participate in high school sports to do so. Sports
are life changing and through all of my arguments you can see that they improve peoples
lives for the better.

Balko 6
Works Cited
Camir, Martin, Pierre Trudel, and Dany Bernard. "A Case Study Of A High School
Sport Program Designed To Teach Athletes Life Skills And Values." Sport
Psychologist 27.2 (2013): 188-200. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Apr.
2015.
DeMeulenaere, Eric. "Playing The Game: Sports As A Force For Promoting Improved
Academic Performance For Urban Youth." Journal Of Cultural Diversity 17.4
(2010): 127-135. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
Greene, Jay P. Bowen, Daniel H. Sports and Education Work Well Together. Room
for Debate, 21 October 2014. Web. 20 April 2015.
Kniffin, Kevin. High School Athletes Gain Lifetime Benefits. Room for Debate, 22
October 2014. Web. 20 April 2015.
Ripley, Amanda. School Should Be About Learning, Not Sports. Nytimes.com. Room
for Debate, 2 March 2015. Web. 20 April 2015.
Smith, Earl. Make Sports an After- School Activity, Not a Competitive Team. Room
for Debate, 21 October 2014. Web. 20 April 2015.