When you’re in high school, many students want to feel like they’re a part of something whether it’s the arts, a school club, or even sports. Being involved with sports comes with many benefits. These are some ways that sports can benefit high school students.
1. Fitness and Mental Health
A big benefit to high school sports is staying healthy and fit. For example, researchers found that students who participate in high school sports are less likely to engage in activities that could have a negative impact on their health, such as smoking and drinking, in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Furthermore, they found that sports participation reduces the chance of obesity or type 2 diabetes, which is generally associated with a lack of physical activity.
Sports can also improve your mental health. When you’re in high school, you go through so many different obstacles, which can include friendships, relationships, education, or personal life. Sports are a great and healthy way to let out and manage your stress.
2. Academics
Sports can make a huge difference on how a child performs in the classroom. Athletics can teach kids how to stay focused and listen to authoritative figures. Sports can also teach you the ability to multitask and problem solve, which are two attributes a great student should possess. Another reason is very straightforward in the sense that some athletes want to take their sport to the collegiate level. They want to make sure they do their best so they meet the requirements.
3. Teamwork and Leadership
Being on a team really teaches you how to work with others to reach a common goal. Sports give you an opportunity to take on a leadership role. When you’re on a team, you have a big responsibility because other people are depending on you. This can carry over and be very beneficial in the classroom and in life.
Being involved in sports teaches valuable traits like inclusion, collaboration, and how to communicate with people from different types of backgrounds.
4. Better Life Skills
Students who play competitive sports learn characteristics that you need at the collegiate level and in life. Students who play sports have more experience at setting goals and managing their time appropriately. Playing sports can be very demanding, so figuring out how to balance sports and education can drastically put you ahead academically at the collegiate level.
You also learn accountability. On a daily basis, sports require certain demands like showing up to practice on time and turning in items on time. High school sports positively benefit athletes by teaching them to hold themselves and their teammates accountable and learn to accept the consequences that come from not doing so. This also teaches kids to learn from their mistakes, ultimately making them a better person.
5. Positive Mentors
A lot of kids aren’t fortunate enough to have huge support systems, but through sports, you develop relationships with people that could help you along your journey. The sports world is filled with positive individuals like coaches, staff, parents, and even older teammates that could eventually turn into mentors.
As you play sports, especially if you start young, you’ll run into people of authority who teach you life lessons such as the value of hard work and good sportsmanship. The earlier you have experiences with positive mentors, the earlier it could help mold the outcome of the rest of your life.
6. Meeting New People
High school is a great place to meet lifelong friends. When you’re in high school, it can be hard to break out of your shell and find what social circle you want to be a part of. Sports are a great way to figure that out and experience new people with different personalities.
Sports introduce you to people who you probably would have never seen or spoken to otherwise. Being a part of a team gives you built in friends and a built-in support system because you are all moving towards the same goal.
7. The 3 P’s
High school sports teach you many lessons including the importance of the three P’s, persistence, practice, and patience. According to Public School Review, team members learn that practice is required even when they would prefer to be spending time with friends. They learn the harder they work, the better they perform.
They also discover that by never giving up, they are more likely to achieve their goals. These life lessons benefit students long after the high school years, helping them succeed in college and after.
These are just some ways that high school sports can really benefit or change the trajectory of a child’s life.
