5 Benefits of Playing Sports in High School

School sports are a big part of the American high school experience. For many parts of the country, football is an integral part of the community culture. In fact, it is the most played school sport, according to AAA State of Play, with track, basketball, and baseball gaining in popularity.

For many students, playing a sport in high school is a way to receive a scholarship and get a higher education. But, according to the University of Missouri Health Care,  there are a host of other benefits and positive experiences for adolescents who play a team sport in school.

Improved Academic Performance

Even though playing a sport requires a lot of time for practices and games, it would seem that this could interfere with study but the opposite is actually the case. That’s because to play a sport well, your have to memorize information, do repetitive actions, and learn the sport. All of this is useful for studying school work and any other type of learning.

A study from the University of Kansas found that 97 percent of student athletes graduated from high school and that athletes had higher grade point averages than students who did not participate in sports.

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Teamwork and Problem-Solving 

When you are working with others for a common goal, you learn how to think and act as a team to solve problems, according to MU Health Care. That’s why the best dribbler in basketball passes the ball to the  best shooter to score the goal. Athletes learn how to support other members of the team and this will help them with problem-solving in school and beyond.

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Gain Confidence and Self Esteem

Sports are a great way for adolescents to become more confident by seeing themselves achieve goals they set for themselves in their sport or in fitness. A meta-analysis published in the Sport Journal found that taking part in high school sports was directly related to higher self-esteem and happiness.

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Provides Positive Role Models

High school athletes work with many other people who can become positive role models and mentors, stressed the organization Edutopia. These can include coaches and older team members who can take younger athletes under their wings. Players who have positive role models are more likely to continue this practice later in life.

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Physical Fitness

Participating in a sport improves the fitness levels of the players, according to a blog on the Public-School Review website. Part of this is due to the physical activity involved in playing the sport but it is also due to the fact that the athletes spend much less time playing video games, watching TV, or snacking. Sports also encourage healthier behaviors like eating healthy food, not smoking, and not participating in other risky behavior.

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