TheImportanceofAmericanHighSchoolSports

肖鈺敏

【Abstract】Sports is an integral part of the American high school education that is very much related to the American culture.Recently there have been some voice suspecting the role of sports in high school due to its supposedly negative effect on teacher-coaches' teaching quality and the tremendous cost to operate sports teams within the school.This article will improve the importance of American high school sports.

【Key Words】American High School； Sports； Importance

American high schools have long had the tradition of integrating competitive sports into education as a part of their curriculum.Recently there have been arguments against American high school sports primarily due to its supposedly negative effect on teacher-coaches' teaching quality and the tremendous cost to operate sports teams within the school.However，these arguments are insignificant and insufficient to prove a point since high school sports not only enhance a person's academic performance and build a person's character，but also serve as a key to the preservation of the American culture and identity.

It is understandable to conclude that teacher-coaches are more easily distracted when compared to their teaching-only counterparts.However，it is not justifiable and rather misleading to generalize this interpretation to the entire population of teacher-coaches.The study done by Egalite，Bowen，and Trivitt （as cited in Bowen and Hitt，Oct.2013） of University of Arkansas found that in the State of Florida，teacher-coaches are equally qualified for the teaching job as their non-teaching counterparts.This directly rejects the stereotype that teacher-coaches are bad teachers.

Aside from attacking the quality of teaching，the issue of cost to operate sports teams in high school is also brought up as an argument against high school sports.A high school's curriculum is not consisted of any single subject，it is a combination of the natural sciences，social sciences，humanities，arts，and athletics.Therefore the cost of education is not represented by the cost of mathematics education.Singularly comparing the cost of football and the cost of mathematics does not provide any concrete conclusion whether the school has more expenditures towards sports or academics.Consequently，it is only fair to compare the cost of the entire curriculum combined to the cost of operation of all sports teams combined.Contrary to those who believe that students' academic performance decreases as a result of sports participation，both studies done by Ress and Sabia （2010） and Singh et al.（2012） suggest otherwise.Even though Singh et al.conducted their research using the term“physical activity”，it could be inferred from their studies that“physical activity”includes competitive sports participation since their measure of physical activity includes sports such as football and basketball，and physical activities such as“health-fitness and skill fitness activities”（2012）.While the result of Singh et al.firmly shows that physical activity and academic performance are positively linked （2012），Ress and Sabia found little evidence to counter the argument that academic performance and sports participation are connected positively （2010）.Meanwhile，further data could be extracted from the report done by San Francisco Unified School District （2012），which simultaneously suggest that student athletes yield a higher average GPA than the school's overall average GPA.

Not only would sports participation boost students' academic performances，it is also an effective tool in building the character of troubled young adults.As cited in Rees and Sabia's research article （2010），UCLA's head basketball coach John Wooden says that sports reveal one's character rather than build it.The evaluation done by the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago further proves the validity of this quote （as cited in Bowen and Hitt，2013）.“Becoming A Man – Sports Edition”is a program that helps troubled teenagers to become better citizens through sports participation.This Chicago program is there to help“reveal”the potential of these troubled teens； it is a proven success.

Sports gather an overwhelming attention among the American people and this partly defines an American：they are passionate，competitive，and have the potential to be unified despite the wide ranges of difference and diversity.Those who argue against high school sports magnify the problem inaccurately and ineffectively while ignoring the many goods of high school sports such as its positive relationship with a student's academic performance and personal development.Just as one does not tear down a house to fix a leaking basement，sports ought not to be eliminated from American high schools because of its minor issues.

References：

[1]Bowen，D.H.，Hitt，C.（Oct.2013） High-school sports aren't killing academics.The Atlantic.Retrieved Dec.27，2013 from http：//www.theatlantic.com.

[2]Singh，A.，Uijtdewilligen，L.，Twisk，J.W.R.，van Mechelen，& W.，Chinapaw，M.J.（Jan.2012）.Physical activity and performance at school.Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine/166（1）.Downloaded from：http：//archpedi.jamanetwork.com on 01/08/2014.

[3]Ress，D.I.，Sabia，J.J.（2010）.Sports participation and academic performance：Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.Economics of Education Review 29（2010），751-759.