Impact of Sports: A quick look into the relationship between sports and school

By: Hudson Hsieh & Ethan Mathew

Since the introduction of the first sport (wrestling) 15,300 years ago in modern day Greece, humans have always found ways to incorporate it someway in their lives. Whether that may be watching sports competitions, discussing the outcome of a tournament with friends, or maybe even participating in the game. The popularity of sports can not be understated because according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, more than 19.3% of the U.S population engage in sports or physical activity each day (2020). That’s more than 63 million people as of the 2020 U.S census (331 million citizens).

 To give perspective, that’s a greater amount of people than the current population of California (the most populous state in the U.S). The demographic shows which group is most likely to engage in physical activity. According to the data, Generation Z (1995-2005) has a participation figure of 59.1 percent which is more than half of their population; compared to 45 percent for Generation X (1965-1980). The same study reports that the majority of Americans decide to engage in physical activity to either stay healthy, improve strength, or to lose weight. With those statistics it’s undeniable to state the impact that physical activities and sports had on society, and still remains a staple of American culture.

Here in Carle Place we interviewed a student athlete and a member of the faculty, to get their insight into how sports are able to help students both academically and socially. Our goal with this article is to inform students and teachers alike about the benefits of engaging in sports or physical activities. We combined the interview with evidence conducted by researchers to back up our information. 

To give insight, Carle Place hosts an impressive number of sports teams at various levels including Intramurals, Middle Schools, Junior Varsity, and Varsity. On par with many other school districts in America, sports is a big part of our “school” culture, with Homecoming and pep rally being yearly traditions. With that established, let’s see what Mr. Espinal, and Juliana Mosca has to say on the subject.

When asked why he thinks that students decide to make sports a part of their life Mr. Espinal, said quote:

“I think students decide to play sports because they enjoy sports, enjoy watching it, and enjoy being part of the team. I also think that it’s something they want to build upon in high school, and beyond.”

Research certainly backs his statement up because according to Dr. RR Goyakla Apache, Ph.D; the number one reason kids play sports is because it’s something they enjoy spending their free time on. Sports are able to provide a positive feedback loop because when the athletes perform well on the field, they feel like the effort they put into practice and training has paid off. The key takeaway from his report is that sports naturally create an atmosphere where the kid engagement is prioritized and is an activity they enjoy participating in.

Next, we asked Juliana Mosca a similar question “How has sports affected you as a student, and how has being a student affected you being an athlete?” 

She said quote:

“Soccer positively affects me in school because it makes me work harder and stay on top of my work. My dream is to play soccer for Duke and in order to do that I have to maintain good grades.”

It’s without a doubt that academics and sports are interchangeable, and they directly correlate with one another. According to an article by Florida National University, there is a direct relationship between amount of exercise and grade point average. In the article FNU highlights that students who began to engage in physical activity, started to show an increase in volume of the areas of the brain that is normally associated with cognitive function. 

In Carle Place Middle and High school, academics are just as important in performing well in sports, with many students often dedicating themselves to do well in school and during athletic competitions. Furthermore, in order to be able to play sports in Carle Place, the students must pass a grade requirement. This is because educators and parents alike want the students to prioritize doing well academically, before engaging in athletics  .

The next question we asked Mr. Espinal was “Why do you think it’s important for students to have sports as part of their life?” 

He answered:

“Sports teaches students skills like  teamwork and leadership. Also it serves as an outlet for stress, school, study, and homework. Also sports is a good way to stay physically fit, and active.”

Skills such as teamwork, leadership, and communications are often the hardest to introduce to children at a young age. According to an article by Edutopia, sports teaches students a plethora of life skills. Examples of the skills that sport teaches are time management, building relationships, and communication skills. Sports are an excellent way to expose kids to these skills because of their nature to encourage athletes to form strong bonds with their teammates, in order to win. Lastly, sports forces the student/athlete to efficiently manage their time. It teaches athletes at an early age that time is important, and should not be wasted.

In order to get insight on why students may join sports at a young age we asked Juliana “Why did you start playing the sport you play now?

She answered quote:

“My parents put me in intramurals when I was three and I have loved it since then because of all the relationships I built and skills I’ve learned.”

This exemplifies the fact that students are often exposed to sports at a young age. Many parents understand the positive effects of sports from a both social and physical standpoint. From both talking to my friends and inquiring with my classmates about their personal experience, I came to the conclusion that many people started to play sports at a young age as well.  

In the end, sports will always be an essential part of students’ lives all around the world. Multiple studies have shown that an increase in physical activity can reduce stress, promote positive thinking, and increase academic performance in grade k-12. To Carle Place school district that fact is exemplified, just because of how we treat our relationships with sports. To our school is an essential part of our identity, and makes us who we are. Throughout this journey, both me and Ethan learned what it’s like to be a coach and athlete in Carle Place. However, the most important thing we learned is what it means to be a frog. 

Q&A extended

What impact do you think sports had on students?

Mr. Espinal: I think it teaches them about teamwork, and working collectively towards a goal. Team to work with and collaborate with. Working hard and values of hard work. Perseverance 

What are the impacts that sports have on the carle place middle and high school?

Mr. Espinal:  110% it makes it better. You see it in the hallway seeing kids walking in apparel. It teaches everything to the kids like teamwork, memories, and collaboration. Also it teaches them so much. The coaches are role models as well, truly believe that everything you learn you can apply in life. Helped community and school

How did sports affect you when you were in middle and high school?+ what was your relationship with that particular sport?

Mr. Espinal: It affected me tremendously. I still remember what it was like to have conservation with coaches like in school and  baseball. It taught me leadership, and the value of hardwork. Plus balancing workload between HW and sport

What do you think sports teaches students that they may not necessarily have learned in school?

Mr. Espinal:  It teaches them leadership skills. The importance of work in a different way from school. And certain values that you have to use outside the classroom. Quality of being a good teammate, friend, and leadership. Biggest thing is teamwork

How has sports made a positive impact on you in your life? 

Juliana: It taught me leadership, and built strong relationships on the team. It made you better on and off the field.

Links: 

All cited information will be MLA8 citation approved; the use of quotation marks ensures that we explicitly notify the reader and that we pulled direct text from the source. We are only using the information for purposes of entertainment and to call on external research to verify our claims. All rights reserved to the copyright owners.

We thank Juliana Mosca and Mr. Espinal for taking the time out of their busy day to speak to us. You provided invaluable information, and this article would not have been possible without your help. 

This is another collaboration article presented by Ethan Mathew and Hudson Hsieh; we apologize for the five month gap since our last upload. Always check out Ethan’s publications. That’s all from us today, and thanks for reading. 

Citation

Stats on how many people engage in sports regularly   in the US

Lange, David. “Topic: Physical Activity.” Statista, www.statista.com/topics/1749/physical-activity/. 

Top 5 oldest sports in the world

“Catawiki Stories.” Catawiki, www.catawiki.com/stories. 

Why kids play sports research paper

Organization. “Why Kids Play Sports – And Why They Quit Pages 1 – 3 – Flip PDF Download.” FlipHTML5, 20 Dec. 2015, fliphtml5.com/kyfe/buxv/basic. 

Florida National University article about how sports affect academic 

Admin. “The Link Between Sports and Academic Performance.” Florida National University, 11 June 2019, www.fnu.edu/the-link-between-sports-and-academic-performance/. 

Social and academic benefits of sports

Maslen, Paige. “The Social and Academic Benefits of Team Sports.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 29 Dec. 2015, www.edutopia.org/discussion/social-and-academic-benefits-team-sports. 

How children benefit from sports at an early age

says, Patty, et al. “How Can Children Benefit From Early Exposure to Sports?” Way 2 Goodlife, 28 Oct. 2020, www.way2goodlife.com/can-children-benefit-early-exposure-sports.