High School Sport

Sports in high school play a large part in what makes the high school experience what it is. The big football games on friday nights were enough to make everyone excited. High school sport emerged in the early 1900's during a time when there was still extreme racism and sexism. They were modeled after the English public school system and became a way to provide student athletes with opportunities and structure. Today the objectives of high school sport are to bring together the school community as well as prepare athletes for the possibility of college sport and to win against other schools proving yours is the best. Sport in high school can give student athletes a sense of discipline and structure causing many to become a better student than they would have otherwise for fear of not being eligible to play. In some cases these goals are met in the cases of giving opportunities for higher education to those who would not be able to get one without sport. It also teaches student athletes leadership, discipline and determination for a goal. In other instances it can become an added pressure that takes all the fun out of the game. In high school there is no longer the mentality of equal play time and instead it changes to tryout and mean coaches whose only concern is winning. Some high schools value their sports just as much as they would value a professional sport with the cost of winning just as high. Issues arise when these players become all about the game and not at all about school. Coaches, parents and even some teachers care only about their athlete getting to play for a good college and getting noticed by scouts. Teenagers already deal with so much pressure from parents and peers that those who play sports can feel like the pressure is too overwhelming. Another problem is that sometimes the players loose the power to make their own decisions about their future with their colleges, teams and daily schedules being made for them by coaches and parents. One solution to these problems could be to take a step back as a society and treat high school sports they way we treat club sports or even middle school sports. In those days playing used to be fun and not constant stress. If we made sure the game stayed about enjoying the game, the issues that have arisen with high school sports can go away.