Davidson1

JazmynDavidson
ProfessorWebb
English1010
April9,2015
BalancingBooksandBalls
Bothacademicsandathleticshavebeenatremendousoutletinmylife.TheknowledgeI
havegainedfrombothoftheseinstitutionshasshapedmeintothepersonIamtoday.Growing
up,sportsbecameanecessitytomyfamily.Wewereconstantlyactiveinouryouthwhilestill
tryingtobeproductiveinotherareasofourlives.Anychancewegot,myfatherwouldtakeusto
theneighborhoodtrackjusttoexerciseandhavefunwitheachother.Gettingolderandentering
intomyteenageyearsIwasdeterminedtoplaysportsinhighschool.Beinginvolvedinsports
requiredyoutokeepacertainGPA(gradepointaverage)andmandatoryattendanceinall
classes.Theonlyexceptionweregamedays,becausewewereexcusedtoleaveclassafew
minutesearlytogetready.Ifourathleticteamswerefortunateenoughtomakeittoplayoffsand
sometimesfurther,studentswereabletoattendthosegamesandmissclassthatday.Thedebate
onsportsovershadowingeducationinhighschoolstodaycannotbedecidedeasily.Byweighing
outtheprosandconsoffunding,academics,andhealthcanhelptobreakdowntheimportant
necessitiesstudentsneedaswellasimprovingintheareasthatarelackingcertainstability.The
questionyouhavetoaskyourselfis,Cantherebeabalanceforathleticsandacademicsinhigh
schoolstoday?
Doesthefundingforhighschoolshelpprogresstheacademicneedsforstudentsorthe
athleticprogramsappearanceandtraining?Whiletherearemanyresearchersandauthorswho
saythefundingofsportstakesawayfromtheeducationalprograms.AmandaRipleywouldbe

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amongthisgroup.Ripleyanauthorof"TheSmartestKidsintheWorldandHowTheyGot
ThatWay,statesthat,FootballatPremontcostabout$1,300aplayer.Math,bycontrast,cost
just$618astudent.Forthepriceofonefootballseason,thedistrictcouldhavehiredafulltime
elementaryschoolmusicteacherforanentireyear.But,despitethefactthatPremontsfootball
teamhadwonjustonegamethepreviousseasonandhadntbeentotheplayoffsinroughlya
decade,thisoptionneveroccurredtoanyone.Learningnewtricksandtechniquesforsports
shouldnthavegreaterworthovertheimportanteducationalvaluesstudentsneed.Itsthestudents
thatsuffertheconsequencesoflowbudgetacademia.Teachersnotbeingabletoexpandon
differentteachingmethodsandincreaseeffectivelearninghabitsisduetothelackoffinancial
support.Seeingthefinancialeffectsthatsportscancauseissomethingthatshouldnthavea
debate.Financialdistributionsamongathleticsandacademicsneedtoberevisedforthebenefit
ofthestudents.Havingmoremoneytosupporteducationalpurposescanhelptoincrease
intellectuallearningintheclassrooms.
Theopinionsofotherresearcherssuchas,TomWyrwichaSeattleTimesreporter
disagreesthatthecostofsportsinhighschoolshouldntbeareasontoeliminatesports
completely.WhiledoingresearchWyrwichwritesadirectresponsearticleaboutthehigh
schoolsinSeattleWyrwich.Hestates,Afterseveralcommunitymeetings,theLakeWashington
SchoolDistrictadamantlymadeitaprioritynottocutathleticprograms.Sothedistricttookpay
toplayastepfurtherthisschoolyear,raisingitsparticipationfeeatthehighschoollevelfrom
$100toaKingCountyhigh$275persport,perchild.(Aswithmostdistricts,thereisacapper
childandperfamily,andwaiversareavailabletostudentsonfreeandreducedprograms).The
districtexpectstheincreasetosave$600,000,moneyitdidnothavetocutfromprograms.
(Wyrwich)Creatingasolutiontoimprovethefinancialstabilityofschoolscannotonlybe

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beneficialforacademicsbutathleticsaswell.Ifthesportsprogramsweretobecutduetobudget
demands,studentswouldtransfertootherschoolsjusttobeapartofanathleticteam.Cuttingthe
athleticteamswouldntsolvetheproblemitwouldjustpushstudentstotransferschoolsfor
involvementinathleticprograms.Findingasolutiontokeeptheprogramgoingwhilesavingthe
schoolmoneyisveryhelpfulforbothprograms.
Although,Iwouldhavetoagreethatpayingforathleticsinhighschoolshouldnttake
reignsovertheimportanceofthestudentseducation.Takingawayimportanteducational
opportunitiesfromstudentsisanissuethatneedstobeprioritizedandresolvedwiththebest
intentionsforthestudents.Schoolsthatdohaveprogramssuchaspaytoplaycanbeagreat
thing.Notonlycancommunitiesstarttakinginitiativetocometogethertofindasolution,butthe
boardofeducationshouldstarttoputmoreresponsibilityontheparentstopayfortheirstudents
athleticfees.Bymakingthesechangesitcanprovetocreatemorefinancialstabilityandsupport
fortheschoolseducatorsandprograms.
Allthroughoutmyhighschoolcareerasastudentathlete,mycoachwouldalwaystellus
thatwemustalwaysbeastudentbeforeanathlete.Itrequiredustogotoeveryclassandkeep
ourgradesabovea2.0GPA.Althoughsomehighschoolathleticteamsaresimilar,whatimpact
doessportshaveonstudentswhoarentapartoftheathleticteams?AmandaRipleywrotethe
article,TheCaseAgainstHighSchoolSports.Inthisarticlesheexplainstheeffectsonstudents
whodontplaysportsinhighschool.Ripleystates,Butonly40percentofseniorsparticipatein
highschoolathletics,andwhatshardertomeasureishowtheoverridingemphasisonsports
affectseveryonewhodoesntplay.Onestudyof30,000studentsattheUniversityofOregon
foundthatthegradesofmenwhodidnotplaysportswentdownasthefootballteams
performanceimproved.Bothmenandwomenreportedthatthebettertheirfootballteamdid,the

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lesstheystudiedandthemoretheypartied.Notonlycansportsbeawaytosocializewith
friendsbutalsoawaytoshowyourtrueschoolspirit.Whatalotofpeopledontrealizeisthat
sportscanbeadistraction,andnotjustfortheathletes.Goingtogames,peprallies,andafter
partiesposeasadistractionformanyhighschoolstudents.Gamesthatareduringschoolhours
caneasilybeafreedayforstudentstogetexcusedjusttonothavetogotoclass.Indoingthis,
itcutsdownthedaysofinstructionforstudentsandresultsinlowertestscores,grades,and
potentialgraduates.
OthersmayagreewithRipleyaboutthedisadvantagesnonathletestudentsface.JayP.
Greeneisnotoneofthem.Greeneauthorof,DoesAthleticSuccessComeattheExpenseof
AcademicSuccess?andhiscolleagueDanBowendidaresearchprojectonathleticsinhigh
school.Ifthesuccessofhighschoolsportsteamscontributetoacademicsuccess.Wefoundthat
highschoolsthatdevotemoreenergytoathleticsuccessalsotendtoproducemoreacademic
success.Inparticular,welookedatwhetherhighschoolswithahigherwinningpercentagein
sportsalsohadhighertestscoresaswellashigherratesofeducationalattainment.Wealso
lookedatwhetherhighschoolsthatofferedmoresportsandhadalargershareoftheirstudent
bodyparticipatinginsportsalsotendedtohavehighertestscoresandhigherattainment.
(Greene)Fromscoringbasketstoacingtests.Thereisaprovenstudythathighschoolsports
teamswhoadvanceinathleticsshowanincreaseintheiracademicsaswellasthestudentbody.
Givingstudentsagoaltoreachwillchallengethemasiftheywerecompetinginthe
championshipgame.
Inagreementthatschoolsshouldbefocusedsolelyoneducation,sportscancreatea
positiveimpactonstudentstoperformwellonandoffthecourtaswell.Whatstudentslearn
insidetheclassroomcanbebeneficialtotheirfuturesandpossiblecareerpaths.Itwilldetermine

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whattypeoflifetheymayleadandpossibilitiesoffurtheringtheireducations.Thedecisionof
havinggamesduringschoolhoursneedtobedebated,becauseitisaninterferencewiththe
education.Itsendsthemessagetostudentsthatitsokaytomissclassaslongasyoushow
supportfortheathleticteams.
GrowingupIwasalwaystoldthatbeinginvolvedinsportscanhelpwithmyhealthand
keepmeintiptopshape.AccordingtoAmandaRipley,Competitivesportsisnotabout
exercise.Ifitwere,wedhavethefittestkidsintheworld.Somesaythatsportscanbea
resourcetogettinginshapeandpositivehealthbenefitsyoucanreceivealongtheway.Butto
categorizesportsinhighschoolsasexercisetimeisdisregardingthepurposeofphysical
educationclasses.Whileothersdosaytherearesomebeneficialfactorstohavingsportsin
school,healthyoutcomesofexerciseisoneofthem.Notonlydoesthepresenceofsportsin
schoolsportraytheinclineinathleticismbutthephysicalattributesofbeinginshape.
TheresaMaddoxareporterfromdemandmediaelaboratesmoreonthissubject.The
childhoodobesityrateintheUnitedStatesisatanalltimehighandcontinuestorisewith
alarmingspeed.Preventingthenegativeeffectsofexcessweightisoneoftheprimarybenefitsof
participationinhighschoolathletics.AccordingtotheU.S.DepartmentofHealthandHuman
Services,teensneedatleast60minutesofphysicalactivityadayforoptimumhealth.A2009
studypublishedinthe"InternationalJournalofBehavioralNutritionandPhysicalActivity"also
concludedthatteenswhoparticipatedinsportsinearlyadolescencemaintainedhigherlevelsof
physicalactivityinlateryears.Thisleadstohealthieradultlifestylehabitsthatreducetherisk
fordiabetesandheartdisease,obesityandotherchronicailments.(Maddox)Notonlydoesthe
involvementinhighschoolathleticsprovetobehealthierforhighschoolstudentsbutitcan
teachstudentstocontinuewithexercisingintheiradultyearstopreventlifeshortages.

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EveninmyownlifeIseethehealthybenefitsofdoingsportsinhighschool.Iammore
knowledgeableaboutwhatIneedtodotokeepingoodshapeduringmyadulthood.Thebenefits
ofathleticsinschoolscanbeveryhelpfulwhenitcomesdowntosomeoneshealth,beingable
tousewhatskillsandtrainingtaughtthroughathletics.Iwouldagreethatathleticsinhighschool
canbeconsideredasexercise,eventhoughitisnotadesignatedclassitstillpushesathletesto
prepareandcompeteattheirbestability.Itisagreatassettocuttingdowntheobesityratefor
childrenandalsopreventionofobesityforadults.
Inconclusion,thebalancebetweensportsandeducationinhighschoolscanprovetobe
beneficial.Whileresearchingthethreemostcommonfactorsofsportsinhighschoolsmoney,
academics,andhealth.Ifoundthatwithsomeimprovementsfromtheboardofeducationaswell
astheathleticdepartments,therecanbeapositivebalancebetweenathleticsandacademics.
Gettingparentsonboardtopayfortheirstudentsathleticfeeswillsaveschoolsystemsa
tremendousamountofmoneytohelpsupporttheneedsofotherprograms.Creatingaschedule
forgamestotakeplaceafterschoolhourswillhelpalleviatethedecreaseinclassattendance,
academicperformance,andgraduationrates.Understandingthehealthbenefitssportscanoffer
studentstofightagainstobesityintheirteenageyearsaswellasprogressingtotheiradultlives.
Improvingthestatusofallthreefactorsforthebalanceofsportsandeducationwillnotonlyhelp
studentsprogressintheirathleticcareersbutalsotokeeptheirfocusandprogressionstablein
academicsaswell.

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WorksCited
Ripley,Amanda."TheCaseAgainstHighSchoolSports."TheAtlantic.AtlanticMedia
Company,18

Sept.2013.Web.30Apr.2015.

Wyrwhic,Tom,SandyRinger,andJoshuaMayers."TheCostofPlayingHighschoolSportsIs
onthe

Rise."TheSeattleTimes.TheSeattleTimes,30Aug.2009.Web.30Apr.2015.

Ripley,Amanda."TheCaseAgainstHighSchoolSports."TheAtlantic.AtlanticMedia
Company,18

Sept.2013.Web.30Apr.2015.

Greene,JayP."DoesAthleticSuccessComeattheExpenseofAcademicSuccess?Education
Next." RSS.HooverInstitutionStanfordUniversity,HarvardKennedySchool,Thomas
Fordham

Institute,06Feb.2013.Web.30Apr.2015.

Ripley,Amanda."SchoolShouldBeAboutLearning,NotSports."Nytimes.com/roomfordebate.
New

YorkTimes,2Mar.2015.Web.30Apr.2015.

Maddox,Theresa."HowDoSportsAffectHighSchoolAthletesinaPositiveWay?|The
Classroom|

Synonym."TheClassroom.N.p.,n.d.Web.30Apr.2015.
<http://classroom.synonym.com/sportsaffecthighschoolathletes

positiveway4973.html>.

Reflection

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WhenIstartedthispaperIremembergoingthroughallthearticlesandthearticle,Whoneeds
football?caughtmyeye.Withoutthinkingabouttheinstructionsofthisassignment,Idecided
todomypaperonthatarticle.InthebackofmyheadIrememberthinkingthatthisassignment
wouldbeapieceofcakebecauseIalreadyknewwhatitwasliketobeanathleteinhighschool,
AstimewentonIposedmyquestionaroundthistopic,Hasthepurposeofsportschangedfor
teenagerstoday?.Thememoriesfrommyhighschooldayswereoverflowinginmymind.I
thoughttomyselfthatIdidntneedtodothatmuchwork.WhatIdidntanticipatewasthe
instructiontofindothersourcesthateitherforsportsornotforsports.Findingsourcestousein
myannotatedbibliographywastheeasypart,buttokeepmyquestionfocusedaroundthese
sourceswasthedifficultpart.Finishingupmyannotatedbibliography,IfeltlikeIhad
accomplishedeverythingasked.MypresentationIreceivedalotofgoodfeedbackwhichonly
mademyheadmorebiggerthanitalreadywas.LaterthatweekIgotascorebackformy
presentation,Imissedonepoint.LookingtothesideIseenalongcommentfrommyinstructor
aboutthegoodqualitiesIhadforpresenting.ContinuingdownthepageIseenwhatmy
presentationlacked,complexityofmycontent.StrugglingtofindwhatIdidwrong,Ilooked
overtheveryhelpfulfeedbackIgotandusedit.Irewrotemyquestiontowidentherangeof
potentialsources.Makingmyargumentandpositionmorethanjustayesornoanswer.Taking
thetimetodotheresearchhelpedmetolearnthingsIdidntknowandhelpedsupportmypaper
tremendously.Havingtorewritemyquestionandfindnewsourceswasdefinitelyalongprocess
butittaughtmetonotoverlookthingsjustbecauseitssomethingyouarefamiliarwith.Reading
overtheinstructionstoknowwhatyouneedtoincludeinyourpaperaswellashowitshouldbe
writtenissomethingyoudontwanttojustskipover.Ifyoudo,youllendupredoingmostof
yourworklikeIdid.Theimportanceofdoingyourresearchandtakingtimetoactuallyreadthe

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articlescanbeveryhelpfulwhilewritingapaper.Usingthedifferentwritingtoolswevelearned
fromthebookcanimprovethewayyouwrite,notonlyforyourselfbutforyouraudienceas
well.