Most high school athletes don’t care about if they can play at a higher level or not, they just want to enjoy the time they have playing it now and make the best of it.
A recent opinion article published on the BluePrint made a claim that high school sports don’t matter because most high school athletes won’t play professionally. While it’s true that most athletes won’t go on to the pros, high school sports still matter for a number of reasons.
People play sports for fun, to keep in shape, and to make new connections and friends. Just because the chance they make it to the big leagues is low, doesn’t mean students shouldn’t play something they love. The chance of being in a college band or making money from a high-level career in music is even slimmer than the chance of playing a sport and making money from it. Does that mean that students shouldn’t participate in band in high school? By no means. People do what they do because they enjoy it.
The biggest reason that athletes play the sport(s) they do is because they enjoy it. Most of the time, they have played that sport since they were a little kid. They grew up with it as a big part of their life and it is a part of them. They look forward to that season all year around and just have fun playing it in general.
Another reason that people take part in sports is because it gets them in shape or keeps them in shape. People enjoy exercising and staying healthy. It helps them live a better life. A Stanford study from 2010 shows that 52% of women who do not exercise are obese, and 43% of men who don’t exercise are obese. That number is probably way higher now in 2023 than it was in 2010 due to many factors. Playing a sport can limit this due to the amount of conditioning that goes into most sports. Even if student athletes don’t go on to play professionally, many become involved in a sport or physical activity throughout their life such as adult basketball leagues, adult softball leagues, golf, running, and weightlifting. Being a lifelong athlete has great health benefits and can fulfill their competitive nature for a long time.
Finally, students play sports in high school because it helps them make new connections and friendships. Some of the biggest friendships in people’s lives come from their teammates. They win together, and they lose together. They spend countless hours together through practices and games, and help each other get better. It’s a special kind of friendship and a strong one. They can also meet new people from other schools during competitions and make new friendships.
As you can see, students play sports in high school for way more reasons than just trying to go pro. They enjoy it, it keeps them in shape and healthy, and they can form and build friendships. Overall, students take their sports so seriously in high school because it plays a big part in their life. Just because you don’t play a sport, doesn’t mean you can try and put others down for just doing what they love.
