More Than Just A Game

Swish. Buzz. Boom. These may just seem like the sounds of sports, but they are the sounds of a life changing. The sound of pure passion. Playing sports can really affect the lives of kids and teens. Studies have shown that there is a connection among academic performance, overall health and participation in sports.  Believe it or not, playing a sport can be beneficial to the self esteem and social development of adolescent boys and girls. Science has even proved that exercise can change the way people feel and affect the way they go about their lives. This is a factor influenced by coaches, and how they do their job. They can either sculpt kids or bring them down, varying upon different people. For some reason, however, the number of adolescent teens playing sports has been dropping, shown in the bar graph below. We are having an exercise crisis in America and it’s time to end it.

The graph represents the number of girls and boys that get at least one hour of physical activity every day. The separate columns indicate the different grades (9th, 10th, 11th and 12th) and different genders within the grades.
Athletics Affecting Academics?

How can passing a ball around change how your report card looks? Stats have shown that students who play on sports teams are more likely to attend college and get a degree. This is especially true for athletes that play a big role on the team, such as a captain and/or MVP. Attendance is a big part of your grade in school and sports coaches are aware of that. They threaten the student athletes that if they skip school, they can be taken off the team. This gets them motivated to come to school more often than if they weren’t. Many studies have been taken to see how athletes perform on tests in comparison to non-athletes. In a majority of the studies, like in a Kansas state study, show that student athletes are doing better on regular tests compared to non-athletes, even though they score lower on ACT’s. If you pull a random high-honors student with mostly A’s, it’s more likely that that student gets more physical activity than a random student with mostly insufficient grades like D’s and F’s. Someone that plays on a sports team, whether they practice soccer, basketball, baseball, football, hockey, lacrosse, etc., they are probably helping their school grades and brains more than a student who goes home and sits on their computer all afternoon. Sports teams and coaches additionally encourage good eating and sleeping habits, which can also improve one’s academics. Eating right and sleeping a sufficient amount of hours can lead students to having a healthy mind and body. Academic improvement is one important benefit to playing sports, but there are other reasons why kids and teen are motivated to play.

This graph shows the student-athletes who plan to attend all four years of college (in green) and the ones who plan to do less than for or even

Why students are motivated to play/ try-out for sports teams

Have you ever been part of a sports team? Why did you want to be on it? There’s many reasons why kids and teens see opportunity in being part of team. Parents encourage their children to try-out for sports because they know many of the physical advantages that can come from exercising every day. They see that it’s good because their kids can stay fit and have a  healthy mind, as well as the ability to learn good healthy habits. If the sports team isn’t extremely competitive, students might want to do it just to have fun. Teenagers can often feel very self-conscious and that might be another reason for them to want to play a sport. This can be a way for them to break out of their shells and make new friends. It’s shown that playing on a sports team can build confidence and many kids feel like that is a part of themselves that they want to improve. Being involved in sports can expand one’s social group and make it so that they are more comfortable in the school environment. They can be involved in a group of friends that they never would have seen themselves with. Even if the student doesn’t have this problem, they might still be motivated to be able to have fun with their friends after a stressful day of school. Speaking of relieving stress, can exercising actually help?

Activity Each Day Keeps The Stress Away

You just came home from work after your boss told you that you had 4 days to complete a top-notch business report to present to the head of your company. You feel like your head is going to explode. Just in time, your best friend calls you up and invites you to go to her pilates class with her. You accept, although still extremely overwhelmed with work. but by the end of the class, you realize that you feel a whole lot better. Why is this?

Research shows that exercise relieves stress by increasing the flow of the release of neurotransmitters in your brain. Neurotransmitters are substances that are sent out at the end of a nerve fiber because a new nerve impulse is arriving. The increased flow of these endorphins, hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system, can improve your mood and make you happier and less stressed. Endorphins, when released, have many physiological functions and when your body is working efficiently, your brain will be be too, making you quite a bit happier. Basically, exercising makes you less stressed and more happy. 

Even if all of that scientific explanation didn’t make sense, you might also feel less stressed after exercising for more simple reasons. Have you ever noticed how people with more confidence look as though they have no weight on their shoulders at all? If a player has a lot of confidence in the game and the way they play, they probably won’t feel as stressed because they don’t have to worry as much about getting enough playing time or letting the team down. If they aren’t confident in themselves though, they will probably feel like they are even more weighed down by stress.
Coaches are a big part of how the athletes feel towards themselves, depending on their feedback and attitude. These team leaders can be a huge portion of how sports can affect kids and teens. Are they good role models though?

Coaches:  Heroes or Zeroes?

On one hand, the team can do extremely well in the season, averaging 7 goals per game and given an “undefeated” title including 6 shutouts. The players are congratulated and given all of the credit. The coach is barely acknowledged. How nice. On the other hand, the team does very poorly, averaging just a few goals per game, sometimes none. The players go home after each loss with their heads hanging low. Who is to blame? The coach. They’re noticed, but for all of the wrong reasons. Being able to put up with this is a quality that every coach must have and should be admired by the players.

This role of a coach is incredibly hard to fulfill, because you need to have a passion for the sport that is so intense that nothing else really matters. This is good to rub off on the kids because it teaches them not to let anything get in the way of them doing what they love. Also, teaching children that the sport (and life) isn’t all about them makes for a devoted and well-rounded person.

Also, coaches greatly affect the careers of aspiring athletes. They are the people that they look to for feedback and advice after/during practices and games. All team members strive to meet their coach’s expectations, making them better players. Coaches are really enforcing their athletes that student-athlete means student comes first and athlete comes second. They are showing the kids that education is an extremely important part of their lives and should be taken seriously. They are the leader of the team, the one looked upon for guidance, and the glue to  a stable team. Coaches are definitely fantastic role models, setting good examples and showing players of all ages, from kid to adult, to do the same.

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” -John Wooden. Sports are a great way for young people to expand their horizons and change the way they feel about themselves. Sometimes people just need to let go and “lift the weight off their shoulders”, which is a benefit that comes from regular activity. Exercising leads to a happier and healthier you! Playing sports is something that many kids are getting into. Are you?