Why do people allow kids to play sports at the expense of academics?
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Anonymous
It's today's edition of the DCUM perennial, "Why do people who are not me do things that I wouldn't do?" |
Anonymous
You are oversimplifying and ignoring PP's point. Let's say you have a B student who, if they dropped all of their other sports and focused exclusively on academics, can only really bring their grades up to a B+ overall. An increase from B to B+, all else being equal, may result in some better opportunities, but the opportunities for a B+ student who does nothing else still may not be as good as for a child with Bs who is also a dedicated athlete who has developed (and can demonstrate) maturity, teamwork, leadership, etc.) would be. They also may be much happier and emotionally healthy getting Bs and playing sports than if they were getting B+s and not playing sports. If we're talking about a kid who could be making straight As without sports but is barely making Cs with sports, I will grant that there's good reason to reassess the place of sports in the kid's life. But those students are very few and far between, and they're certainly not representative of all student athletes. |
Anonymous
Some schools (like Basis) have short sports programs specifically in Jan-Feb, followed by regular sports in March, to give kids activity and keep them in shape. |
Anonymous
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Some kids ARE excelling (personal best) when they are archieving low Bs. Additional hours studying aren't going to help. On the other hand, exercise helps build healthy bodies and release stress. And sports foster self-control, decision-making, and team work skills.
I teach and used to also tutor. Initially, I had your mindset. Then I worked with several driven families with B- star athletes. These families willingly paid for $70 an hour tutoring four times a week (I was just one subject) and all they got for their money was frustrated kids who would have been better off going to bed an hour earlier. Swim practice is ridiculously early. |
Anonymous
| When I was on the recruiting committee of biglaw firm I learned that the managing partner nearly insisted that the good candidates have strong team sports on their resume -- preferably at the college level. So you can't just blanket say "better grades equals more opportunities". You'd be wrong. |
Anonymous
| Actually, they might be worse students without the sports. Time spent at academics isn't the only determining factor. There are other things at play, like happiness, focus, health, etc. Some people are at their most creative during or after exercise. I work in education, and I will often "prescribe" more physical activity for students who are not doing well. It can give the day structure, help them focus, stave off depression/anxiety, make them more self-confident, and decrease screen time, which can compound other issues. |
Anonymous
I'd say that's an anomaly and a quirk. Most law firms hiring their summer associates don't give a damn about if you played a college level sport. They want grades, journal, clerkships. |
Anonymous
I have seen this in other fields also. People who have never played a team sport frequently are missing a lot of important skills that are important in a business setting. Working with teammates to win at a sport has many similarities to working with associates to put a winning case together or write a winning sales presentation. Sports develop a lot of qualities that the classroom does not. |
Anonymous
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When did Bs become such a horrible grade? This idea that every kid will get an A in every subject is just mind boggling to me...
But in answer to the question. Our first priority is and always will be academics. That doesn't mean that I expect straight A's in every subject. But I would be concerned if the kid went from mostly A's to mostly B's. It's good to get a baseline of their performance w/o extra curriculars before getting them started up in a sport. But once you have that baseline set, you also know what you can expect from them academically. If grades start to suffer, they know that they better study harder or they will have to drop the activity. I remember how well that worked for me. I was highly motivated to stay in my extra curricular activity when I was a tween/teen so I was intrinsically motivated to study hard and keep my grades up. |
Anonymous
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In our case, it's not at the expense of academics but we probably give it equal weight. They're kids (not mini-adults) and they should have fun. Then there's the fact that physical activity actually enhances academic performance. Behavior and focus deteriorate when they're sedentary. They sit in school for 7 hours a day so it's important they get up and moving.
My kids are good students, but no matter how hard my kids work in school (and they work super hard), they are unlikely to ever be the top academically and we aren't expecting them to go to the Ivies. Yet on the field, they stand out. Not enough for a college scholarship but enough that they receive praise from their friends and coaches. They never receive praise in school for anything no matter how hard they work. Every child should have a chance to feel good about themselves. |
Anonymous
This is the point people like OP always seem to miss. Unless you are trying to balance both extraordinarily demanding academics and athletics (like a top TJ student who is also a nationally competitive equestrienne), you can still spend a significant amount of time playing sports and be a highly successful student, so long as you are motivated and academically capable. Sports have had a huge positive impact on both my high-school aged kids, both of whom are A students at a demanding MoCo school. One does not find school to be interesting at all, and would rather spend the time when he is not at school or practice/games (he spends at least 20 hours on sports each week and travels overnight for games 10 weekends per year) texting or hanging with friends. But he wants to play in college and knows he needs to keep his grades high to have the options he hopes for. My other child will likely just be an intra-mural level player in college, but loves the friendships and stress relieve that come from practicing/playing 6 days a week. She would do well in school with or without sports, but wouldn't be nearly so healthy or happy. I think these things are true for many or most kids who play sports. |
Anonymous
| We have an advanced musician in the house and are struggling with the same balance. This is a kid who could probably make straight A's with more time, but who instead is spending hours each day practicing or rehearsing and has several performance obligations each month. Goal is a top conservatory. So we balance and accept that school is important but not the be all end all. Do what works for your family. |
Anonymous
| My kids do better in school when they have are doing sports. I've seen grades for both my kids decline when they didn't have an after school sport. They both do better academically when they have a busier routine. They certainly wouldn't come home and study all afternoon if they didn't have sports practices. Sports are a great outlet after school for them and they come home happy, ready for dinner and then they do their homework. |
Anonymous
Just like some parents think their kid will get into a highly selective college. |
Anonymous
| They do it so their kids will be more popular. Plain and simple. |