Speaking
of Sports 

by
Lance J. Lilla

 
Why Sports Are
So Important In
High School

June 18, 2012

There are a lot of people on this planet who go through life looking out for no one but "number one." A lot of the time these people only look out for themselves for the simple reason that they either have been or felt they have been alone for some portion of their life.

Part of what sports do to an individual is that it teaches them to be selfless. They teach us how to work as a team rather than a single being. To put others above themselves and work together toward achieving the common goal that they share, winning. With these team work skills come an entirely new set of learned abilities. Social skills.

According to Novi alumni and former athlete, Kent Burnett, being involved in high school sports helped show him "how to interact with others in a different environment that not everyone gets to experience and work together with them." Kent also added that he believed "sports taught us how to work well under pressure even when the odds are against us, which is something that can't always be learned everywhere else."

On top of social skills, sports also teach priorities. It teaches one to worry less about themselves and focus more on the bigger picture. Possessing this trait gives one the power to be extremely successful. When one participates in a sport, they become a student athlete. Having to balance the weight of school and sports all at the same time can become very hectic and sometimes even overwhelming.

One who understands how to set their priorities straight is one who can balance the two and do well at both. Over time, being involved in sports generally instills this ability into most athletes, which helps prepare them for future success.

Another thing sports do for an individual is provide them with an outlet for emotion. If you have a bad day and you need to let some stress out, after school practice is the perfect place to do it. Not only mentally, but physically, with the chemical changes that occur when one goes through such strenuous physical labor, one's mood will literally become better. This happens due to the natural production and release of endorphins in the brain that goes on during physical activity.

Novi alumni and former lacrosse captain Adam Haynes explains that "sports always helped me relieve some stress after a long day or school. I always felt better leaving practice than when I did going in." Haynes also exclaimed that "sports always gave me a reason to do well in school and now that I look back I'm really thankful for that."

Novi alumni and former athlete, Travis Trainor piggy-backed on Haynes' statement adding "there's this whole stereotype against jocks and how they're stupid but honesty most of the people I know that do sports are really smart, if not smarter than a lot of the non-athletes I know."

Yeah, all of these things previously addressed are great, but one thing sports offer that may be above all others is that they're just flat out fun. Students have but one opportunity to play high school sports. They may go on to further their athletic career, but it will not compare to high school. There's something different about the environment in high school. It's an experience unlike any other and should never be taken for granted.

(c) 2012 Novi Information Network
www.novi.org