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Symphony Frazier Dr. Heltzel World Literature A6 25 March 2014 Cutting Sports Out of the Lives of Many Because of low budgets, the administration usually makes athletics the first program to cut to save the educational program. Reporter, Winnie Hu from The New York Times states, school officials here and elsewhere say they recognize the value of athletic programs, but have little choice as they face rising teacher salaries and mounting costs for benefits, special education classes and utility bills that are soaring with higher fuel prices and inflation (Hu). Because of prices rising to the brink of not being about to sustain the proper budget for education, their first decision is to cut sports. These school officials never seem to mention that they thought of any other programs or even classes to cut before athletics. They make it seem as though there was a unanimous vote to cut athletics over anything else. As Hu indicated, W. L. Sawyer, superintendent of the 10,046-student Mount Vernon district, said he was forced to choose between pre-kindergarten classes and sports after voters rejected the school budget twice this spring (Hu). They seem to only mention one alternative in order to keep sports and education, but cutting sports is still the best option. School officials agree that sports are beneficial for children, but in the end, education comes first. Playing sports at an early age is important because many do not understand the benefits they have for children; therefore, schools should not cut athletics from them. This is the best solution because development in sports will increase physical activity which helps for the life choices children tend to make as they get older. Playing sports is very common in America. Annually, ages ranging from 5-18, 35 million children play organized sports. Fourteen percent more boys play sports over girls (Youth

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Sports Statistics). Statistics show that females are 92% less likely to participate in drugs if they are involved in sports. They are 80% less likely to become pregnant, and they are three times more likely to graduate over non-athletes (Womens Sports Foundation) . The odds of playing sports professionally are very low for all the professional sports, but athletes still make better decisions. There are many reasons why children join organized sports, 65% want to be with their friends, and 20% just wanted to develop their skills. There are 420,000 student athletes playing for National College Athletic Association. NCAA spends $10.6 million for sports (NCAA). Because of this amount of money and these many opportunities, students who are outstanding in their specific sport are able to earn scholarships to play and attend that specific college. Marc Joseph of the International Business Times states, student athletes attended an average of 21 more days of school per year than their counterparts and their grade point averages were 0.550.74 higher than non-athletes (Joseph). The essence of Josephs statement is that many athletes have to manage a tighter schedule, they have more on their plate than non-athletes, but they still have a better grade point average. Even though the average ranges are not that large of a gap, it is still nothing to minimize because athletes have more to focus on. According to the Washington Post, $2 billion in cuts to school-based sports and physical education programs are contributing to a range of problems afflicting the nation's youth, including obesity, violence and academic failure (Brown). Without sports as an outlet, more problems are occurring in the younger generations. Too much money is being taking away from sports programs which also bring problems to the children, the parents, the schools, and widely, the country. Sports help children develop physical skills, get exercise, make friends, have fun, learn to play as a member of a team, learn to play fair, and improve self-esteem. It is important to remember that the attitudes and behavior taught to children in sports carry over to adult

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life. Sports are very influential in the short and long-term, which can be very beneficial, especially to children that come from a rough background. Young children ranging from ages seven to ten years of age start to learn how to associate with and gain friends while playing sports (Winning Edge Psychological Services, LLC). Perspectives of children begin to change frequently at this age because they have yet to know what they really want. Pre-teens begin to develop the best friendships. They want acceptance from their peers, so they join sports to become close with each other. Many children at this age have yet to see the importance of sports because they are more focused on their social life. Teens, however, begin to identify themselves as athletes by this time in their lives if they know that playing sports is what they truly want to partake in. This decision changes their lives from then on, and now being a basketball player or football player is their identity. The stages of playing sports are very important because it determines how serious children become in sports after they realize they want to actually play. It is a process every child should experience (Winning Edge Psychological Services, LLC). It tends to be an easier way to identify themselves than just playing around and being invested in school. A childs identity is very important and he should be able to establish this as early as possible. Aside from the identities of children needing to be established early, school is also a major factor when it comes to sports. Playing sports requires good sportsmanship which in turns can give better results of achievement in the classroom. Facing challenges in sports can also teach children to face the classroom challenges. With this type of mindset, they can prepare for the competitive ways of society at an early age. Sports build confidence which is helpful in all aspects of their lives. In Matthew Irvins view, team sport is significantly related to higher grade-point averages and a higher likelihood of completing high school and enrolling in college

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(Harris). Sports are so influential, that students who apply themselves both in academics and their sports will likely have a better college career. Sports attribute to many other factors than just the physical activity, but also the mental activity. American College of Sports Medicine performed a study, which included 317 students, showed that the fittest kids scored nearly 30 percent higher on standardized tests than the least-fit group. Moreover, the less-fit students received grades in their core subjects that were 13 percent to 20 percent lower than their fitter classmates (Bliss). By this statistic, it shows that students who play competitively in organized sports, have a higher advantage in their tests and overall grades than students that are not physically active or just do not participate in sports. Sports attribute to many other factors than just the physical activity, but also the mental activity. As much as sports are considered opposite to academics or as a competitor, but also beneficial for them, sports and education work well together. Its important to manage time and energy efficiently, which will be a major asset for the future. As long as students learn to balance their priorities between academics and athletics, each factor will support them all the way to adulthood. As Justin Williamson discusses balancing academics and sports, he states, Perhaps the most important key to balancing both academics and sports is learning to manage your time. If you cant make the most of every minute, you will be miserable; there is no room for procrastination in this juggling act. When youve got both a demanding course load and a heavy practice schedule bearing down on you, you have very little time to waste. Take a look at your daily schedule and find little ways to fit in more studying, more sleep, and less waste (Williamson). This is telling students that they really have no excuse for not being able to manage academics and sports if they are really serious about doing both. Both sports and

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academics are beneficial in childrens lives. Neither one should be excluded in their developments into adulthood. Playing sports attributes to the smart decisions made in life. Sports keep people off the streets, it keeps people pre-occupied. School only lasts, at the most, eight hours of the day. There are still many hours to account for aside from sleeping that sport could fill in the rest of the time. According to the National Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education, about 18% of junior and senior high school students say they use illegal drugs every month (National Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education). This is due to the fact that sports are available. That percentage would be significantly higher because instead of being influenced to play sports, these students are influenced to do illegal things like drugs and alcohol, which then jeopardizes their school career. According to North Carolina High School Athletic Association, high school athletes in North Carolina make higher grades, get into less trouble, graduate at a higher rate, drop out less, and often have higher GPAs than non-athletes (NC High School Athletic Association). If these are the statistics for students in North Carolina, there should be no reason to take sports away. If the institutions for education want their students to succeed in the long-run, they should implement the sports programs to ensure that these students perform the best for themselves and statistically for the institution itself. North Carolina is just one example, but the necessity is to keep sports programs alive and operational. In Curtis Crabtrees view, public schools cannot afford to cut back on sports funding because athletic programs are too important to the development of students who participate in school sports. Reducing funding to these and other extracurricular activities would negatively impact overall student performance in academics and other areas (Crabtree). In other words Crabtree believes that sports are essential

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to the well-being of high school students, but it seems that the financial benefits each school is receiving differs significantly because not everyone is struggling to keep the athletic programs. With all this evidence, many people feel the need to keep sports available for students. Budgets are the enemy when trying to keep the sports programs alive. Money is always the main factor when it comes to anything. People need to figure out a way to have the monies necessary so, in the end, nothing needs to be cut. Superintendent, Dr. Nikolai Vitti states, In the summer of 2011 several school sports around the district were on the brink of being eliminated before Mayor Brown and a few private donors stepped in to help save the programs (Augustine). In Jacksonville, Florida, the people found a way to have support for these sports. Instead of just accepting the fact that there was not a lot of money for every program, they had higher private organizations and people donate money to the programs. There was widespread agreement among the participants that high school sports in most communities are facing severe financial problems. Just like college students look for outside sources for scholarships other than the institutions money, this is in the same field. There is never going to be one place where everyone gets their money, so people have to reach out to other venues in order to receive what is needed. This is one solution that has obviously helped somewhat, but clearly, since this is still an issue, there has to be other ways to get the best outcomes for sports programs in schools. Instead of looking for others to help with the budgets to support sports programs, some schools and organizations just utilize the money they have. They create their own funding proposal for the sports programs, and they divide whatever money they have evenly between the different programs. To subsidize places for after-school sports and increase participation in school sport (Broomfield Primary School). Broomfield Primary school has a chart dividing all the sports into different sections. They wrote out all the factors they have to take into account,

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and they stated everything thing that would have to be paid for and everything that would be free. The proposal calls for all schools to receive a base of $8,000 in sports funding, and then additional funds based on the number of student athletes at the school (Cunningham). In Washington County, they proposed to the Board of Education to receive more money for their sports program. According to the source, they agreed on the proposal and those schools in Washington County received the requested amount of funding needed to support their sports programs. Either making proposals for the individual institution to manage the money it already has or creating a proposal to present to a higher power requesting for more support is a solution to keep from cutting sports programs. Educators are so diverse in their views that it is hard to generalize about them, but some are likely to object on the grounds that sports are a distraction from everything. It is a distraction from what is going on at home, out on the streets, and also the academics. Since education supposedly takes students further in life over playing sports, they do not see the necessity in funding sports as a priority. Sports are a distraction to academics and lower grades. Cutting sports has a higher graduation percent. Cutting sports can also save money because maintaining a field or gym can cause a lot of money. With schools only achieving in sports, this excludes the mission which then makes it pointless to stay focused and serious about school. Stephen C. Jefferies of Central Washington University states, It is absurd that on the one hand we feel that sports are good enough for kids and on the other we set up a system which eliminates poorer performers, girls, late-maturing boys, kids who are not aggressive enough, and so on... (Jefferies). If there are so many athletes participating in sports today, and sports help their decisions and also support them for their education, then they should be funded. Although not all educational administrations think alike,

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some of them will probably dispute my claim that sports should not be cut from the schools programs, but athletes will have nothing else to fall back on besides education in their livelihoods. By taking the sports away, the schools are taking these athletes identities away. The clear solution is to not cut the sports program. Obviously, the sports program still needs to be funded with money, and it needs a source. Utilizing private institutions and organizations is the best way to fund sports if the tax dollars are not supplying the necessary funds. This is the best solution because it is easier to see what private organizations are willing to offer, than trying to convince the Board of Education or the government to give more money to these extracurricular programs. It is less hassle, and the response from these organizations may come quicker than it would from the government or Board of Education. This may take some time. Schools should still use what they receive from the government, but they should add on to that with the funding from the private organizations. If this goes well, these schools will look better to prospective students and parents to attend, especially if the academics are outstanding. This should change many peoples views towards sports. If the people that are reading this played sports and are the ones cutting these programs, they need to evaluate how they grew up, and analyze whether sports played a major role in their decisions based off what has been said earlier in this paper. Reconsider taking away sports. The fun is lost in going to school to not wait after hours to play sports; the fun is lost not being able to represent the school on the field and the court. There is no need to take away sports and add hostility and adolescent crimes in this day and age. The way people see sports and the fascination of the athletic talents as the years pass will become pointless and will more than likely be forgotten. The spirit will soon be lost.

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Works Cited
Augustine, Matt. School sports safe: Superintendent avoiding cutting athletics. 5 December 2012. Web. 1 March 2014. Bliss, Kevin. Does Playing Sports Help Improve Grades? 21 October 2013. Web. 1 March 2014. Broomfield Primary School. Primary School PE and School Sports Funding 2013-2014. 2013. Web. 1 March 2013. Brown, Emma. "School sports' cuts have drastic consequences, group says." The Washington Post (2009): 2. Web. 1 March 2014. Crabtree, Curtis. Should schools cut back sports funding and focus more on academics? (Our Turn Column). 17 December 2011. Web. 1 March 2014. Cunningham, Erin. Washington County school board to consider change in sports funding. 13 July 2009. Web. 1 March 2014. Harris, Sarah. Why team sports really do improve grades: Link between self-esteem and better performance in the classroom. 24 May 2013. Web. 1 March 2014. Hu, Winnie. "For Many Student Athletes, Game Over." The New York Times (2008): 3. Web. 1 March 2014. Jefferies, Stephen C. Quotes and Statistics on the Value of Sports. 23 Septermber 2002. Web. 1 March 2013. Joseph, Marc. Cut Sports, Cut Quality Of Life. 10 September 2012. Web. 1 March 2013. National Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education. Quotes and Statistics on the Value of Sports. 23 September 2002. Web. 1 March 2013. NC High School Athletic Association. 1997. Web. 1 March 2014. NCAA. NCAA College Athletics Statistics. 8 May 2012. Web. 1 March 2014. Williamson, Justin. Balancing Sports and Academics. 2014. Web. 1 March 2013. Winning Edge Psychological Services, LLC. Understanding Child Development In Sports and Competition. 2012. Web. 1 March 2013. Womens Sports Foundation. Her Life Depends On It II. Research Report. East Meadow: Womens Sports Foundation, 2009. Web. 1 March 2014. Youth Sports Statistics. 10 September 2013. Web. 1 March 2014.