Athletics Benefits more than just Student-Athletes.

Athletics Benefits more than just Student-Athletes

        Athletics plays an important role in the lives of many students.  It is an extra-curricular activity that many of America’s youth participate in during their years in school. It gives them an opportunity to excel in other areas besides academics. However, not just the student-athlete benefits from athletics. The benefits reaped from athletics can be seen in the school, families, school district, society, community, and even our economy.  

        Athletics benefits the schools in which student-athletes participate. Having students participate in athletics helps the atmosphere of the school all around. Athletics helps to provide the student body with a means to express their school spirit. When a school has a winning team it gives students a reason to be proud of their school. It brings them together in order to celebrate their team’s success. It gives them a reason to excel in other areas in order to match the success of athletic programs. School spirit is high when a schools team has been victorious. When school spirit is up, the morale of the entire school is up as well.

Some might disagree and say that whether or not a school has a winning team has no effect on the student body.  This can be further from the truth.  In the days leading up to a big game you can see and feel the spirit of the student body.  Pep-rallies and other events are held just to “hype up” the team and provide the student body with a way to show their school spirit. When a team has been victorious you can feel it in the vibe of the school in the following days. However, when a team has come out on the losing end the ambiance of the school definitely spells defeat. The loss can linger in the halls for days.

        Athletics also benefits the schools in which student-athletes participate by providing more money for the school. A part of a schools budget is provided by the funds made from athletic events. These revenues are made from ticket sales to these athletic events. The football stadium in Weslaco, Texas has a capacity of 15,000 people. Each ticket into a football game costs $7.00. This means that one sold out game can easily bring in $100,000 dollars in revenue for the school. A portion of this is put into the schools general fund. This is money that can be utilized in other areas that may not otherwise have adequate funds in order to excel. One of these areas is academics.  

        Supporters of academics might argue that the money the school receives from athletics can just as easily be made through fund raising. While fundraisers are a good means of getting funds for academics, it surely isn’t as easy as selling tickets to a football game. With ticket sales, a large amount of money can be made in a short amount of time. However, with fund raising it requires a lot more effort to raise funds. The profit, many times, is minimal when compared to the work that was put into the fund raiser.

        Athletics benefits the families of student-athletes. Some athletes go on to participate in athletics in college. In exchange for their participation they are reimbursed financially through scholarships. These scholarships can help pay for tuition that many families would otherwise not be able to pay for. Many students and their families are forced to take out loans in order to pay for college tuition. This means college students are graduating with large amounts of debt. This debt can cause great strain on a family. Athletic scholarships benefit the family by relieving some of the financial burden placed on them.

Some might argue that the amount that is given to athletes in scholarships is not a sufficient amount to even make a difference. While it is true that not all athletes receive full scholarships, any amount of free money a student-athlete receives is better than nothing. Even a small athletic scholarship of a few hundred dollars a semester can help to cover the costs of books or other supplies needed throughout the semester. This “small” amount of money can make a big difference to a family with a small income. I am sure these families welcome the scholarship and are grateful for whatever amount they receive; big or small.  

Athletics also benefits the school district. Athletics helps to bring recognition to the school district. When an athletic teams wins the district, area, regional, or state championship title in any sport they receive recognition in the media and around the community. A state championship title can put some small school districts “on the map”. When a team or athlete has become a champion in their respective sport it brings recognition to the district that they represent. It gives the district “bragging rights” since they are the district that produced the champion athlete.

Supporters of academics may argue that school districts and the community put the “spotlight” on academics and not athletics. They feel that school districts and the community only care about grades and test scores. This certainly is not the case. When you open any newspaper there is a whole section dedicated to local sports. Local student-athletes and their teams are represented in this section. It is full of detailed descriptions of their performance and achievements from the previous night’s competition. What section of the newspaper is dedicated to the academic achievements of students? The answer is none.

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