Athletics Deserves More Money Than the Arts

Written By:
Chris Roe

Published:
Dec. 18 2009

Schools across the nation have been forced to slim their budgets at the cost of important extracurricular activities. School sports teams are vitally important to the well-being of the students and should not be victims of the bad economy.
Sports are most importantly a way for students to get active. A healthy body makes for a healthy mind, and since childhood obesity is a large problem in the United States, schools should not skimp on spending on an activity that promotes exercise and good health. Sports encourage kids to get off the couch and interact with others in an active and fun setting. They provide an outlet for kids who might otherwise be getting into trouble. Taking away this outlet may prove detrimental to the criminal records of some students.
Besides the obvious health benefits of sports, school teams increase a sense of school spirit that is hard to achieve with other school-related activities. Most school memories come from the Friday night football games where students can  socialize and support their school at the same time. There is something about cheering on fellow classmates that brings a school together and a community And who could forget the nights fellow Blue Devils spent at the Comcast center, singing “Hot to Go” and “Action” for the soon-to-be back-to-back state champions? Sports create a school identity that students wear like medals.
Those who participate in sports gain social skills like leadership and teamwork that are vitally important in college and careers. Members of sports teams understand that what they do and how they train not only affects their individual performance, but the performance of their team as well. This encourages students to do their very best because their actions affect others as well as themselves. Team members also know how to set goals and then know the best way to achieve those goals. Goal setting is an important skill to have, because it gives students a purpose in whatever they do.
Sports require a lot of funding. Teams need coaches, equipment and working fields. Broken equipment needs to be replaced, fields need trimming and painting, and courts need waxing. It is understandable that schools would want to cut down on the things they need to pay for. However, if they require students and their parents to fundraise for their sport, students who cannot afford the extra patronage are left out of the opportunity to experience one of the best parts of high school.
Sports are an opportunity for a student to shine in their high school. If one is not particularly good in academics, they can show their stuff on a field or court. If schools did not make this opportunity available to all of their kids, they would be doing a huge disservice to their students as well as the community as a whole.