Monday, October 21, 2013

Article of the Week: Period 2, 3 and 6 Post Here-Due MONDAY

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the-case-against-high-school-sports/309447/

1.  Read the article.  Consider the author's tone, structure of the article, validity of evidence, persuasive techniques, and your personal reaction.
2. Please add an intelligent comment (minimum 3 sentences) in response to the linked article from The Atlantic.  Be sure to reference specifics from the article.
3. Optional: Comment on a classmates post in a second post (minimum 3 sentences)
*Use only your first name, last initial and class period.

55 comments:

  1. This article is in a very formal tone that clearly illustrates the given issue that sports in American High Schools are taken too seriously and hinder the academic potential of their students. Sonny not done.

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    1. While I agree that sports may be taken too far, taking them away altogether may not be the solution. Taking away sports won't help test scores go up unless the quality of education being received at schools increases. Even then, having sports teams shouldn't be causing problems, as long as they are not the main focus. Students can be athletes and still get good grades. Many of us are on sports teams, and we still do well in our classes. As long as school remains the priority, there shouldn't be a problem. Jessica L. Period 6

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    2. But the problem there is that school is not the main focus for many people who play sports. Having sports outside of the school system instead of having them connected to the school system would be the most logical system. If our school systems stopped having there own sports teams then it would allow for more funding in the classes that ALL students can benefit from. Disconnecting sports teams from the school systems does not take them away like you had previously stated, it simply would have students doing sports that are provided through other facilities that aren't necessarily responsible for the education of students as well.
      -Shoshanna Longo

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  2. This article talks about how sports have a negative and positive impact on students. I agree that too much of a focus on sports can cause problems, but taking them away altogether isn't the answer. Instead of having a huge pep rally for the football team, as the article discusses, a school can have team-building exercises, like in Premont, that include everyone. However, taking away sports isn't necessary to improve test scores. If we can increase the quality of education kids get by hiring effective teachers and having current resources, whether or not students play sports after school isn't going to drastically change their scores. I agree that if schools need to cut costs, they should cut back on athletic expenses before classroom ones. But if a school has enough funding, why take away sports? As the article says, they can have a positive effect on the players. As long as schools don't hold sports above education, the focus will remain on schoolwork, while still stressing the importance of fitness. Jessica L. Period 6

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    1. I agree with Jessica Getting rid of sports is not going to have a drastic effect on an education system that has incorporated sports into its program for decades. Sports have a positive effect on students especially in a country where obesity is a problem. Keeping sports programs in schools will continue to provide a positive effect on the overall wellness of students which i return will allow for better test grades.
      Hannah Beatty pd.6

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  3. While the author of this article makes a valid point, it is difficult to compare the American school system to that of Europe and Asia because each continent has their own values and traditions which contribute to the structure of their school system. In America sports are a huge part of life and are considered apart of the high school experience. The participation in sports have been integrated into society so much so that American colleges will consider an applicants participation in not only clubs but sports. This is because sports to serve a purpose in teaching life lessons of teamwork and leadership which are desirable qualities for college applicants. Also the US education system has taken precautions to encourage kids to keep up their grades. Most schools require a certain GPA for the participation of sports which presents the opportunity to participate in these events as a reward rather than a hindrance. Overall this article presents a valid point but sports are so integrated into the American lifestyle that students will also have a desire to play.
    Hannah Beatty pd.6

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    1. I agree with the ideas Hannah presented about the different customs of each country and how it can be hard to compare our school systems to theirs. I also agree that sports are important for us especially for college purposes. In America playing a sport and being able to keep up academically is a respectable quality. When considering eliminating sports it would be at our own disadvantage to cut out that quality from a person especially when considering the college application process. Compared to other countries too this would perhaps not be a quality that colleges look for in a student and therefore sports could be less of a focus. I believe sports can be just as important as academics especially to Americans.
      Jessica M. P.6

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  4. This author does make some good points, like in saying that sports are a part of school culture in America in a way not found in other countries. Yes in some cases it can distract from a students' academics, or how, in the case of a school in Texas, they will lay off teachers and cut wages before they cut out sports. But at the same time the author also includes other interesting things. For example how female sports teams, for the author, were a much welcomed chance for girls to do something other than sit in class and look pretty. And for other people it can be a distraction or outlet for stress in their lives. Not to mention that in the U.S the leadership and teamwork skills developed by sports are looked at as very good by many colleges.
    Leah Braley period-6

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  5. Jared C.Period: 2
    As argued in previous publications, this article argues that sports are a hindrance towards education. The author provides good reasons that I believe sports provide such as, "...exercise, lessons in sportsmanship and perseverance, school spirit, and just plain fun". Though other countries may not have as much of a connection to sports at school as America does, this holds little grounds that this causes education standards to drop; any number of things could cause these differences. Despite my disagreement on the main premise of this article with the author, I do agree that $1,348 for a cheerleader vs. $328 for a math student is frivolous and that education does deserve more priority in schools opposed to sports.

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  6. Ripley was very successful in bringing up both side of the argument, unlike the previous author from the sport article. The point she makes does make sense to me, that we Americans focus more on athletics than education. I do agree that sports take away form student’s education and cost money, but it is not a good idea to eliminate sports as a whole. This might seem little out of topic but can be connected very easily with the topic of internet and media. There are several debated going on to decrease the use of technology and spend more time in nature and socialize through each other rather than socializing through media. Sports help to do so. I can understand that everything from maintaining the field to buying equipments require more money than we expect. But it’s worth it, as the students are benefiting from it. They and their brain stay healthy and active and sports also bring the school and community together. Though if the students are failing classes and are unable to success due to sports, then yes sports should be decreased. Maybe we Americans are biased through our typical culture of high school, but that is what we grew up with. However, this doesn’t mean sports over powers education; education should always come before sports.
    ~Shilpa R Period: 3

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  7. This article made me rethink my previous argument. Now the evidence is more prevalent; however, I disagree with Ripley and say that Americans focus a lot more on academics than what is credited in this article. It is protocol in our school, if a student fails a class, or does not have enough credits; they receive a penance of not being eligible to join that sport until they bring up their grades. Along with the grade penance, if that student doesn't spend 5 periods in school, they can't attend the game or meet. I know my coach receives the attendance from the high school everyday to follow up on our team’s attendance. Also with sports it gives kids sometime to get off technology and get some exercise. This definitely helps reduce the child obesity rate, especially since the main cause of obesity is sitting around and playing on the computer, hours at the time while eating junk food. Not only does it prevent an increase in the obesity epidemic, but it also creates a healthier state of mind. Sports help people have some time to distress and relax the mind from all the anxiety or distraughtful experiences during the day. My cousin used to have night terrors, and barely eat meals sufficient for his body. Now with swimming, he hasn't a night terror in months, and won't stop eating to replenish the calories he loses daily. He is an active athlete, and he manages to be in advanced math and high honors. Now, I have stressed the importance of an individual, but also removing sports would slowly bring apart the school. The school would have more cliques and issues. Now we have soccer and cross-country coming to cheer on our swim team or swim team cheering on field hockey. By having a sense of having school spirit helps unify the school. It integrates teams from producing a bad rivalry in the school. A school shouldn’t have a clique of soccer girls sitting together at lunch; it should have a table of various sports for better unity. All in all this article provides valid data and arguments; however, it is filled with many flaws.
    ~Miranda S Period 6

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  8. I agree with most of what this article stated. Sports can make a positive impact on students' lives, teaching them life skills that can't be taught in basic courses. But, academics should come first, and sports have made their way to the top of not only students' priorities, but school administrations' as well. Most schools in America have molded everything around sports. With so many countries ahead of us in education, is this really what schools should be doing? As stated in the article, the Premont schools district, for football, was spending, "$1,300 a player. Math, by contrast, cost just $618 a student." After the Premont school district banned all sports because of financial issues, students began to have time to do their work and to not fall behind. Maybe, if more schools followed in Premont's footsteps, positive change would occur.
    Claire Paterson Period 3

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    1. I agree with you completely. Sports are fun and can be both physically and mentally beneficial for students, but that is not the job of the school. The amount of money Premont High School spent on football was absurd, and it makes me wonder how much BHS spends.
      Jackson Mariotti period 6

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  9. I agree that education should be the primary focus in high schools instead of sports as stated in the article. Like many others I was surprised to read that schools like Premont spend $1,300 on a football player vs the $618 on a math instructor. I believe schools should prioritize so these numbers are reversed. I found it interesting as argued in the article, "In many schools, sports are so entrenched that no one—not even the people in charge—realizes their actual cost." Maybe the decision of spending more on sports isn't fully recognized. I think our high schools should continue to support American sports but put a larger emphasis on paying for our education.
    Eleanor Hall Period 3

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  10. First and foremost this article was better than the last one about sports. Where the last one caused a rise in me, even though I don't even pay attention to high school sports for the most part, whereas this article showed me a different way of thinking. I liked how the article really researched the topic and wasn't trying to make the direct connection to sports being the downfall in our education system. This article's point was that American schools focuses more on sports than on education. Which, for the most part, I agree with. She makes clear connections to sports causing the downfall in grades. Though I still think that sports is only a mere part in "taking down" our education system and I believe many other factors tie into that as well. Also just because other countries have higher test scores doesn't prove that they'll be more successful in the future. My personal opinion is that maybe sports are focused on too much as a school community and considered more important then the actual education. But sports is also what causes us to bond as a school and town community instead of competing against eachother to get the highest test grade.
    MaryColleen Whitney
    per. 2

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  11. In this article there are some valid points but I still disagree that getting rid of sports is going to make us better educationally. I agree with the author that spending more money on an athlete than on a math student is unnecessary; however, I think sports are important for other life skills that cannot be learned in a classroom. Perhaps we could just create less of a focus on sports and more of a focus in the classroom instead of just eliminating sports in general. One idea brought up in the article is separating sports from school. Doing this could be advantageous for our academic performance but on the other hand we would have to pay a lot more money for the things a school would normally fund. I believe eliminating sports is not the answer to a better education, instead we should just decrease the focus on school sports in order to improve our academic performance.
    Jessica M. P.6

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  12. The author does a good job of staying calm and presenting a nice and formal tone. The author tends to lean towards education being put above athletics in American schools. According to Ripley, "Athletics succeeded in distracting not just students but entire communities. As athletic fields became the cultural centers of towns across America, educators became coaches and parents became boosters." It is time for us to turn things around and put education first. We are ranked 31st in the world in children math scores. Although we are number 1 in athletics we lack in education and it is time for change.
    Ryan C. per. 2

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  13. In my opinion this article was very well written. It was very lengthy but it gave a sufficient amount of information. The author supported their point really well and made me agree with what they had to say. I enjoyed reading about the high school that banned sports. By reading the data they gathered from the experiment you can clearly see the direct correlation between sports and academics. I think that education is first and for most important but i also think that sports are an important aspect to growing up. Sports give one the experience of being on a team and working in a group to accomplish a common goal which is a very important skill. This article presents very good arguments as to why sports are not as important though. It seems that this article is on the side of education being more important also. I enjoyed how the author connected their point to something that i could relate to like the tv show Friday Night Lights which is one of my favorites. When reading about a Texas high school it made it easier to envision what the author was talking about because of the example they gave. This article was a good read and I found it very interesting to read about something that pertains to my life as well as many others in my school.
    Elena M. Period 3

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  14. I enjoyed this article a lot more than the previous one. The tone is much less aggressive and demeaning to sports, and it also identifies the upside to sports even though the author clearly still thought they are hurting the school system. Still, I believe that sports are necessary, and while they take time and money, the life long lessons and friendships that athletes make are irreplaceable. The story of the school in Texas is one specific case, in which, if all other means of improving the schools were exhausted, sure, maybe banning sports is a good idea. But when your looking at school with not much wrong, and trying to get rid of sports because they have a bigger focus than academic groups, that is wrong.
    Cara B Period 3

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  15. I feel like this article presented the information much more professionally and not as, almost rude, as the previous article. The article definitely persuaded me to change my opinion a little bit. The Premont Independent School District got rid of sports, and that gave the school district thousands of dollars back. I never realized how much money sports cost the schools, not even just the student. The article said with the money saved they could hire another teacher for their music department, and that is shocking. They also said that the whole atmosphere of the school changed and everything was more focused on actual school work, but how much of a difference was there really? Were the benefits of getting rid of sports worth losing the benefits gained from participating?
    Obviously sports are important to so many students, so maybe schools should rethink how to pay for all the activities and how focused the school as whole should focus on their teams.

    Emma S per 3

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  16. Jackson Mariotti period 6
    I preferred this article how sports and grades could be related much better than the other article. It showed proof. The first article had a condescending tone and not much evidence to back up the author's claim, so I viewed it as a biased, incorrect article. I refused to believe the ideas the author was trying to tell me about. Yet, after reading this article by Amanda Ripley, my opinion has changed. She took a good stance, which was not being emotionally involved and basically just doing an analysis of numbers. It made this article much better, in my mind. I was able to follow her thought process and see why she is making such claims.
    As for the data, I think it is surprising. I originally thought that sports had only a little impact on grades but after reading this article I am doubting that. Sports do add stress in lives and cause students to fall behind on school work. Yet, I did not expect the impact to be that large. If sports are holding students back, we need to reevaluate our school system. The purpose of our school is to teach the students and if we are not doing it the most effective way possible then something needs to change. I would not be in favor of completely cutting sports, since I enjoy school sports, but we need to change something. We cannot continue sacrificing intelligence for fun.

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  17. This article was, in short, far better than the other article that we read concerning high school sports in our country. This author went much further in depth and had solid examples to back their writing, as opposed to the previous article that came across as very biased. However, I still strongly disagree with the article. Especially in our region of the country, school sports come second to academics; for baseball we are required to show our coaches our grades weekly and prove that we are in good academic standing. Another misleading point of the article is that teams and coaches miss a lot of school due to travel for games and practices. Never once have I, as a student athlete, missed a single period due to the school sponsored sport. If these principles were adopted in other regions of the country, there would not be the problem that there currently is. Finally, I do agree that schools spend a large amount of money on sports and that this can be detrimental to a school district. I do believe, however, that there are ways to cut this spending without cutting sports out completely and keeping intact an important part of the American education system.

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  18. I believe this article was much better at backing up its claims with evidence and not becoming emotionally involved. As I read it, it seemed a lot less biased than the previous article on this subject, and this author has persuaded me to not only recognize their argument, but side with them. Sports add a lot of stress and complications that can lead to worse grades, and this author proved it with statistics and studies rather than just what they believed. I also believe that sports will never be removed from our school systems, and if they did many students would rebel against the school and get worse grades and even get in trouble.
    Evan S. Period 2

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  19. I have the same, or a similar, opinion as I did when we read the first article on this topic, if not more so. The author of this article was much more logical and evidence based than the author of the previous article, and I agree with the way she got her point across. I agree that sports can be an encumbrance to our studies in high school, and they should not be involved with the school itself. Sports can be important, and are important to a lot of students, and they should be afforded the opportunity to participate in them, just not when they are affiliated with the high school.
    - Jennifer Giri Period 3

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  20. I feel if we take away sports it will cause a major problem. A lot of people come to the high schools and join sports teams to make friends. Yes, I will agree this article wasn't as biased, and gave strong evidence. Sports are stressful, but it's a great way to stay in shape and make friends. Some say they cause your grades to have complications. Although most sports teams have a policy that if you have grades lower than a C, you may not participate in the next game. Sports also bring everyone together. We might not have a strong football team, but other teams get a lot of support throughout the school.
    Teagan Mockus Period 6

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  21. First of all, though this article used the same statistic regarding international test results, I was glad to see that it made a deeper investigation into some of the schools that decided to mostly or completely defund school sports. The most interesting point presented in this article, though, was how other countries have the same competitiveness in the class that we have on the sports field/court/mat. There are hundreds of athletes in our school, but I'd be willing to bet the number of people competing in academic extra curricular activities (like science olympiad, poetry contests, etc.) is in the double digits. Most people don't really think of academic extra curricular activities as fun or entertaining, but perhaps that is our own fault. If we associate competition with academics from a young age, perhaps, people would actually look forward to applying knowledge rather than excercising for 2.5 hours a day.

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  22. This article describes the history of the incorporation of sports within high schools, and it also sheds light on how American schools take sports very seriously. The author, Amanda Ripley, is very formal and provides a lot of factual information, such as that "17% of juniors and seniors at Shawnee High School took at least one advancement placement test, compared with the 50% of students that played sports". Ripley shows the importance of school over sports but also recognized that sports teach things such as sportsmanship and perseverance.
    Gabby White Period 3

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  23. Jordyn B. P2
    While reading this article, I found the amount of data positively overwhelming, especially when compared to the other article we read about sport's correlation to our academics. The data and personal experience that this author provided actually started to make me feel as though sports may not be the best thong for teenagers. While I do agree that they are a good distraction from bad influences, after reading this article I feel as though sports are not the only ways to convey teamwork, leadership, and other important life lessons. From what the principal of the school in Texas accomplished, I now believe that sports may actually be holding students back. To me, the "no sport pep rallies" are a great idea. Why should our school only come together for the sake of sports? If we can get the whole school involved in team building activities, like he demonstrated, why should teens be burdened with 3 hour practices after school and almost no time for homework? The previous article did not back up its claims, but as this author provided more and more information, I began to think more clearly about the situation at hand. Though I do not believe that sports should be banned from highschool, I only now believe that they should be limited and less of an importance in today's high schools. There are much better things that the money could be put towards that would give the same results, thanks to this authors informative article.

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  24. I believe that the information from this article was written with way more influence and support than the previous one we read about the downfall to athletics. Although the article made more statements why sports are a hindrance to students learning capabilities, I still stand with my original opinion that school sports are a significant part of a child's development. For someone who originally agreed with the primary article about the effect of school sports on academics, I could imagine how this addition would solidify their standing, but for someone who is a member of the those who participate in school sports, I feel the article wasn't explaining the whole picture. In one section where the amount of money spent per individual on math and sports, I'm sure most readers were surprised to realize that sports funding is nearly double education, although the government represents the real people handing out funding for schools to delegate. So in reality the schools have the responsibility of distributing the money to education and sports, so they could give more money to whatever cause they would like but most choose sports. I know that for Branford High School's case that many of the sports teams and clubs are mainly supported by booster clubs that raise money in order to purchase miscellaneous necessities for the teams, including scholarships, which the school system does not present to each student. Plus the school would have more money to put into the education portion if they didn't spend thousands on buying obsolete things such as 50" TV's that display slideshows, or smart boards that the majority of teachers don't even know how to use. Schools spend more money in multiple different fields before actual education purposes, sports just happens to be one of them. But sports come with a physical and mental benefit that many of the other aspects don't, so I feel they have deserved their spot. If a student isn't focused with and is being unproductive, taking away their extracurricular isn't going to change their mindset of laziness, but just give them more time for procrastination.
    Alyssa Case P3

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  25. This article wasn’t much different than the one I had read prior. I still found it biased, but this one at least supplied a decent amount of statistics to back up its point while also providing some for the counter argument. Even though the article was also of the persuasive nature, my opinion still remains the same. Sports are an important part of the high school experience, and they should certainly not be removed, nor detached from the school.
    The fact of the matter is the United States is in part a sports driven nation with events such as the Superbowl and the World Series almost being considered “holidays,” for some individuals. As stated in the article, there are some teenagers who care more about sports than school, and of course visa versa. In many high schools (including Branford High), a restriction on GPA is set in place for student-athletes; Branford’s is currently a minimum of 2.0. For some, team sports are the most important - and sometimes only - incentive to stay in school; having students play and stay in school is certainly better than having them not play and drop out.
    As the article stated amid some of its biased context, sports don’t have a completely negative toll on your average teenage student-athlete. According to one study done by Columbia’s Margo Gardner, “teenagers who participated in extracurriculars had higher college-graduation and voting rates,” with another study even saying that, “The number of girls playing high-school sports have historically generated higher college-attendance and employment rates among women.” Sports have beneficial aspects to them, but also some negative ones; a decrease in grades being one of them.
    On another note, there are certain characteristics of people that just cannot be changed, as hard as you may try. If a student is just plain lazy and has no concept of time management, taking away sports teams and extracurriculars isn’t going to change anything; it could worsen things and provide greater opportunity for procrastination. Maybe instead of focusing on sports - specifically their effects on students and if they should or should not be affiliated with high schools - we should be working on teaching students as a whole to be more time conscientious and to try to procrastinate less.

    Kathryn C P3

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    1. The author covers your last statement, Kathryn, by quoting Gingham, a former Tennesse principal, by saying, "His argument is a familiar one: sports can be bait for students who otherwise might not care about school." But why shouldn't we get rid of sports? If sports only exist to entertain those kids less interested in school, then why not take away their entertainment to force them to focus more on academics? They would have more time for tutors, if need be, and less time for excuses like, "Sorry, I couldn't do my homework, I had a game." This only helps my argument to rid schools of sports to force kids to focus on their grades and not their teams.
      Megan Glynn Period 3
      (I had a better, longer comment but it got randomly deleted and I couldn't rewrite it verbatim, so this is the outcome.)

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    2. Thank you for your rebuttal, Megan. After reading through your argument, I’m left with a few things I disagree with. You stated, “If sports only exist to entertain those kids less interested in school, then why not take away their entertainment to force them to focus more on academics?” Interesting point. However, if a student is completely uninterested in school, taking away extracurriculars is going to do absolutely nothing for their academic life. Let’s face it: if someone lacks desire to do something, that task simply will not get done, or if it does get completed, it would be a half effort job.
      You then state, “[ex-student-athletes] would have more time for tutors.” As I have previously stated, if you remove sports - which could be someones only passion in life - it is unlikely they will suddenly get this wave of enthusiasm to devote their high school lives to academics. But lets say these students had tutors for the sake of argument. Having a person sit down and teach you math every day will accomplish nothing if the student is simply uninterested, and - once again - lacks the desire to work.
      There are many benefits to participating in school sports. Athletics as a whole teaches you how to work as a team: a vital skill in the workforce. Even those "ridiculous costumes" you mention in your own response play an important role; having those dress up days promotes a esprit de corps, and a general happy attitude throughout the school. Sports teach teamwork, a sense of fairness, grace, and humility, all qualities the world could use a little more of.
      A few years ago, I was an avid swimmer; my father even took me out of school during my last period study halls to go and swim at Yale for a few hours. I also would swim on various teams connected to different schools during that time. Participating in swimming could have had a negative impact on my grades; key word there being, “could.” I learned then how to manage my time, and to reduce my procrastination. This leads me back to what I stated earlier: “instead of focusing on sports - specifically their effects on students and if they should or should not be affiliated with high schools - we should be working on teaching students as a whole to be more time conscientious and to try to procrastinate less.”

      Kathryn C P3

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  26. The author of this article takes an interesting, and detailed, turn on this debate. She talks about what people from around the world think and how we compare to international standards, her own history with high school sports and her opinion, the history of high school sports, and more. Really, the quality of this article is fantastic. But, onto the debate, I believe that high school sports should be eliminated. They are a major reason why the USA ranks 31st worldwide in math. I cannot speak for every high school, but I can speak for my own- BHS, along with Jenny's school in New Jersey, cares a great amount for its sports. You can get students to arrive at school at 5am for senior day to decorate and scream around, and you can also get them to dress up in the wildest outfits, all because they belong to a sports team. But can you get them to study, or do all their homework? I believe that sports should be totally eliminated from high schools in America so that kids can study more and get good grades. We cannot simply 'die down' the addiction to sports by simply eliminating some or trying to focus more on academics. No, its an addiction and it will always be there. My father, who played track, football, baseball, and more in high school and is an avid football fan, even says that our focus on sports in high schools is too much. But, he says that without school sports and the popularity of them, you wouldn't get kids to be active and play- they would just sit at home on their computers the entire time they aren't playing. I suggest that it be not the schools that organize sports teams, but communities. I used to play soccer and even basketball for the rec center in our town- whatever happened to that? And I didn't even need to dress up in ridiculous costumes whenever I had a game that day, and I never had to get up at 4am to decorate the halls for our senior players- go figure, I could actually focus on school. Why are we not funding this?
    Megan Glynn, Period 3

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  27. Jake S. Period 2
    What we as a nation need to take out of this article is that something needs to be done about shifting the focus from sports to school itself. However, America is unlike any other country and one of the things that makes us unique is that we put sports in front of school. While this may not be such a good thing, we need to take the positives out of this article. Sports have many benefits such as exercise that can cut down obesity rates, they build character, and also develop teamwork among children. Whereas sports have many benefits, we cannot simply eliminate them from our school systems. Therefore, we need to shift the focus more to education because that is of utmost importance.

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  28. Justin C. Period 3
    As a whole, this article was a lot more convincing of its stance than the previous one we read. Regardless, I still firmly believe that athletics hold many benefits that academics cannot provide. On the other hand, it is preposterous that athletics hold a much larger priority over academia in our nation's schools. So much larger in fact, that the cost per player in many school districts is higher than the amount of money allocated for each student. Clearly our priorities are mixed up. The purpose of school is to educate our youth and to prepare them for the real world. Given the current tough job market, it is imperative that our youth enter the job market just as prepared as graduates from fellow developed countries such as Norway and South Korea. So far the outlook looks bleak and it seems that a big change needs to occur to fix this. The author suggests getting rid of athletics in schools because it distracts students from what is important. But high school athletics are an american tradition that will not just disappear overnight. It is impractical to try to get rid of high school athletics on a large national scale. The more realistic and probable solution is to make academics more enticing and appealing to students. Rather than depriving students of the social and developmental benefits sports offer such as teaching teamwork and unity, encouraging an active lifestyle, and instilling a sense of responsibility, academics just need to be set as a higher priority.

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  29. Jonathan W, period 6

    Although this article makes valid points, school sports should definitely not be removed. I agree that, financially, more emphasis needs to be on education; however, if a school can afford sports teams, they should have them. Sports are an essential part of our culture, and they promote qualities like hard work, leadership, and team work. Taking them away isn't realistic. The one thing I suggest is that all schools require a certain gpa to be on a team, which many schools already do. Other than that, there's no significant issue with sports, and I feel they should stay a part of school.

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  30. This article, like the previous article, talks about both the positive and negative impacts that sports bring to highschool students. I agree that focusing too much on sports and completely ignoring educational departments will lead to negative things as the article says we do now. Also in the article though, it doesn't specify sports as the only reason for the United States' poor test scores. Other reasons were given that include undertrained teachers and poverty throughout. I do believe that there needs to be a balance of funds distributed between academics and athletics not favoring one over the other. This balance will allow sports to still thrive in our schools but allow new academic possibilities to open up. There is room in our educational system for this to happen and I think it should happen.

    Kevin C
    Period 3

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  31. Ahmad Zaidi
    Period 6
    I agree with this article when it says that so much of our education budget should not be spent on the sports because even though they have benefits but they should never overshadow educational activities. I don't think that sports should be eliminated completely but less money should be spent on them. For example sports should be played in schools instead of all over state and money being wasted on big games and stadiums. This would focus the budget on education and still give kids the chance to play sports.

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  32. This article was quite the same as the last one, and it didn’t really change my perspective on whether to have high school sports or not. He comes with more info, and goes more in the depth. He might have some good reflections over things, but I still think high school has to stay no matter what. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind. There are so many good things that come with high school sports. And many of those things might also help you improve your grades or test scores. You are staying in shape, and the brain needs to be in shape to do good, and high school sports might be the best way to stay in shape and make your body work. You get motivated on the field, which might motivate you more when it comes to school. I am not saying that high school doesn’t take up time, because it definitely does, and occasionally you got to put school before your sport. However, this only happens a few times, and that time you would have had if you didn’t do any sports might not have gone to schoolwork. With that being said I still stand on my point that high school sports is important for people in general, and even though it might take time sometimes, you always got time for school as well.

    And the fact that USA might get bad test scores has nothing to do with high school sports to do, that’s just how the school is built up and the fact that you have to choose classes, but that is another discussion.

    Christian F. period 6

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  33. Michael Caminear Period 6
    While I agree that excessive amounts of emphasis put on sports in school can cause serious problems, I also think that it is unreasonable for sports to be singled out as the primary reason as to why kids' performance in school is lowering. There are undoubtedly other significant factors that come into play when considering academic misfortune. For example, the quality of the educators and the learning environment are two notable aspects that can be improved upon in some areas of the country. I do, however, appreciate how this article provided facts and real life experience to back up its main argument. It provided various studies and research evidence to support its claim. However, I also think that the article was a bit bias seeing as it did not provide any factual evidence regarding the other possibilities that could cause a problem with education in America. So, while I liked this article, I think it could have addressed the opposing argument a little bit more.

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  34. This article is much more backed up than the past. I do like the support it gave and the experiments but as a society I think it is healthier to play sports; if not physically, mentally. The article compared us to South Korea who is fourth in the world for critical thinking saying that our emphasis on sports isn't normal compared to the rest of the world. But Jenny said it's "refreshing to attend a school that is about so much more than academics." It seems that she is happy to be appreciated about more than just her grades. Many kids feel this way. Most of the best athletes are not the smartest people. If you're a well rounded person your personality will be a much more friendly and interesting person. The people who are straight academics and don't develop social skills aren't well equipped to the real world and social situations. All of these articles bring up how we aren't as smart as these other nations but these other nations are not in the situation that we are in. We are a major power and compared to South Korea, who would surely fall to North Korea if we were to pull out our aid to them, the United States and its people are much more well off. Maybe we can negotiate or get along with people better than they can give teams help bonding between people and show you how to work together. South Korea doesn't emphasize team bonding or working together given "only about 2 percent of [South Korean students] receive athletic scholarships to college." Where is the bonding. They work their whole lives focusing on education and intelligence. They don't focus on normal human interactions as much as we do here in America.

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  35. The article, "The Case Against High-School sports" opened my eyes about many different issues that I never considered or even thought about. I believe that sports have become part of the norm and culture in the American schooling system, however as the article states I believe we do put a lot of importance in sports instead of academics. I never realized how much of the school budget and spending goes into playing sports just for one student, this money can go towards better computers, higher pay for teachers or more equipment for science labs. The article mentions that the reason why school athletics became so prominent was to preserve the masculinity of men. However, today both males and females are encouraged to participate in sports. I beleive that sports encourages students to be motivated to go to school.
    The article also mentions, "Imagine, for a moment, if Americans transferred our obsessive intensity about high-school sports—the rankings, the trophies, the ceremonies, the pride—to high-school academics. We would look not so different from South Korea, or Japan, or any of a handful of Asian countries whose hypercompetitive, pressure-cooker approach to academics in many ways mirrors the American approach to sports. Both approaches can be dysfunctional; both set kids up for stress and disappointment." This quote explains that both the American and Asian school systems have flaws- either too much stress is put on academic or sports. In many Asian countries education is the main priority, with rigorous academics since elementary school, which put a lot of stress on students at a young age. Sports is an essential way of life in the western world, it helps students grow actively, and it is a way to bring the community together.

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  36. I'm slightly more convinced on this issue after reading this article. There was a lot of data and information that was shocking and helped me compare the United States to other countries. It is important to reflect on our country as a whole and if our high school dedication to sports is hurting students in the long run. When the high school in the article got rid of sports one student said, “It did make you focus. There was just all this extra time. You never got behind on your work.” Although it is possible to be a focused and successful student while playing a sport, I believe the majority of students would perform better in school if their were less distractions. I can say personally that in the winter and spring when I am not playing a high school sport I am more academically focused and my grades go up.
    -Cassidy McCarns Period 3

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  37. I do not believe that we should focus more on school based on this article. It is not like we give a shortage of academic scholarships to students each year. We also have a much richer history of sports than alot of other countries. In comparison to other countries sports are a much bigger part of our history. We have a higher chance of finding a career in a sport. Not only that but it brings in more attention to these sports schools, especially if a player they picked goes pro. Then it brings in more hype for the college, and more people will look to go there. Another thing is that we have certain requirements for these athletes. Most schools require a certain gpa for scholarships to apply, so it is not like any person could just pick up a sport and get a free ride to college. Mike B period 3

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  38. I believe that as a country we shouldn't put more focus on school than sports. Sports is America's past time. People love playing sports and it's a nice break from everyone's regular day. America is different from all of the other countries. We play a variety of sports that aren't played in other countries. Although school is really important to getting into colleges, sports shouldn't be put second because of it. Americans have a choice whereto to put sports ahead of school. They can choose to play a sport or just focus only on school.
    Joe R. p 2

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  39. After reading this article, It gave me different ideas on schools and sports and how important sports are to your high school experience. Sports add another level to your preparation for the future where ever you may end up. As stated in the article, there are some students that care more about there sports than there grades but on the other side of the spectrum, there are students that care about there grades just as much there sports. In most high schools, the school requires a minimum GPA in order to play. If they have bad grades, they are not going to play. From personal experiences, If i was on the verge of being denied to play because of grades, I would sure immediately contact my teachers and counselors to find ways to raise my grades and be able to play. Comparing this article to the last one, this was much more in depth and provided much more detail and evidence with more statistics. In my opinion, I see Ripley as assuming the position that most high school athletes are just expecting to play collegiate sports and not caring about the grades but I could argue that Most of the athletes at the collegiate level have good grades and worked hard in high school. If athletes want to play at the collegiate level, they need to understand that grades come first and even if you are the next Michael Jordan or Babe Ruth, without good academics, you wont play.
    Dalton E Period 3

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  40. Having read this article, I feel as though i now have a slightly different perspective regarding school and sports. Before reading, i had a drastic bias for sports in school. Sports as young children allow kids to grow up well rounded, as well as teach them discipline for later in life. But now, I am starting to understand the other end of the spectrum. Grades and education should be the primary focus of schools, and it is true that sports can affect the grades of students. Grades, in my life, always come first and tennis comes second. All student athletes should live this way.
    Jared P Period 3

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  41. I personally have had a bit of a change of heart. I myself don't play any sports;however, I am involved in numerous extracurricular activities, and I have always acknowledged the many benefits they provide to students from a very young age. Sports allow students to become very well-rounded individuals, they also provide many important life skills as stated in the article, "exercise, lessons in sportsmanship and perseverance, school spirit, and just plain fun." Sports are a very important part of a young person's youth. After reading this article however, I feel as though schools should not be left to run and organize sports. Schools' main focus should be on academics. There are plenty of outside sporting groups that could organize team sports/fund them. The funding schools are provided with should be given almost entirely to academics and improving the education of America's youth. It was alarming to see how much the costs of sports compare to those of students, "Football at Premont cost about $1,300 a player. Math, by contrast, cost just $618 a student." That money could be going to other places such as hiring more teachers or being spent more wisely towards academic excellence in the school system. I love the benefits that come from sports and extracurricular's, but I feel the schools main focus should be on academics and not sports. There needs to be a separation between schools and sports. I feel that separation could increase academic excellence in school, and those who want to play sports would still be able to outside of school. This article really changed my view on sports and the role they play in schools.
    Hailey N. Period 3

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  42. I agree with the main ideas of the article in that school should be more based upon learning.. However, i do not ever imagine an extinction of school based sports, so I plan to take fullest advantage of my opportunities. Obviously there are times when i wish i could just work on my homework, but i have sports to attend. The problem i feel is that school sports are rooted as deeply in school as school is. I feel like America needs to prioritize, yet i doubt this will happen anytime in the near future.
    Ben Greenvall
    Pr. 6

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  43. Although the article makes some valid points, I think athletics have many more benefits to students than academics provide. Getting ride of sports wouldn't get students to do better in academics. Students do sports because they enjoy it and because it is something that they are good at. Some gain lots of confidence through doing well in athletics when they aren't academically. Also, sports definitely don't have a negative effect on students. It helps students become independent/work as a team and to stay fit. I believe sports are one of the important part in one's youth. But this article made me realize few things. I don't think the school budget and spending should mostly go to sports. Instead of wasting so much money in sports, we can use the money to raise the teachers' pay, getting better computers, improving school lunches, and getting better science equipment. South Korea and many other Asian countries are high in academics, but the schools don't highly recommend sports. That may be their culture, but for America, sports are in our culture and our system. Jenny said that she loved playing sports rather than studying everyday. I have lived in South Korea for 7 years before I came here to America, and when I was there, I had so much stress from school. My parents always forced me to get good grades and to study 24' 7. That was the life of a 2nd grader in Korea. But here, there is so much more freedom. For me, playing sports is a way to let go of stress and just enjoy the moment.
    Vicky Seok Period 6

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  44. Caroline M. 2
    A commitment to school sports does not have to translate into compromised academic performance. Although these students often feel substantial pressure to perform both on the field and in the classroom, the benefits of athletic endeavors seem to counterbalance the challenges they present. Nevertheless, many youth athletes become increasingly stressed as they strive to maintain academic eligibility while advancing through their school years. Many student athletes express concern over having insufficient time to study for exams and write term papers. Team travel is also a stress factor because of missed classes and assignments. Some student athletes, however, seem to thrive on the pressures caused by tight schedules. During her senior year at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, field hockey player Leah Ferenc reflected on the role athletics play in academic achievement. “Most of my peers believe that they perform at a higher academic level while participating in their sport and have felt more organized and motivated during their seasons to do well academically. I am more successful at completing my assignments during the season, because I know that I only have a certain amount of time to do so.” Along with myself I am a fellow field hockey player for BHS. A strive every night to finish my homework no matter how long it takes. Its a natural thing for an athlete. If you take the sport away from the player your also taking away their will power both on and off the field.




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  45. Although the article made great points about how schools tend to spend a lot of time and money on sports and less on teachers and tutors. However, coming from a student athlete i feel that sports benefit me greatly. I know that i have a certain amount of time to get my homework and studying done before a game or practice and i keep organized and plan accordingly. Sports have taught me how to balance my time and create study habits. Even if you dont finish you work before, you know that you have to still do it because you have to keep your grades up to stay on the team. I feel that sports have taught me many important skills that i will use in the future.
    Michaela Spinello
    Period 3

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  46. I agree that sports can affect students academics negatively, however I also think that it has other benefits, besides concrete grades and statistics. Working as a part of a team can contribute to teamwork for the rest of that persons life. I think that the statistic about the money spent on each type of student is crazy, but I also think it is necessary for many people to have fulfilling high school experiences. I think this article stressed opne point of view, when I think a balance of the two would be beneficial for all students.
    Emma Pottenger
    period 6

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  47. I understand that being on a team takes up alot of time and requires serious commiment, but that doesnt mean we should take them away. Being apart of a team create memories and long lasting friendships. Yes, i do beleive that academics should come first for student athelte's. But in some cases sports help students get into school that they would'nt usually get into. I think the amount of money put into sports can get crazy, but thats only because they want to give the kids the best opportinites to succeed.
    Rachel C. Period 6

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