Why do people allow kids to play sports at the expense of academics?

[Anonymous]

Because it gives some parents a social life. Because parents can't stand against the wall in the classroom and cheer their kid on through a test. Becuase no one will notice your new boots or stadium coat when Junior's report card shows up in your mailbox. Because the amount of time they spend with traveling and scheduling makes them feel like they are doing something important for their kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For some kids, Bs might be what they are getting for their best efforts and sports is an area where they can easily excel. We all have our strengths and challenges and we need to learn to make the best of our strengths and work hard at our challenges. It's good to have a balance in our days of things we are good at and things we have to work at. In addition, athletic participation teaches kids a lot about cooperation, leadership, how to win and lose in a graceful manner, persistence, and discipline, not to mention the physical fitness and health benefits.

Why do some people allow their kids to spend all their time on academics and make no effort to improve their athletic skills?

Because kids with good grades have more options and opportunities than kids with bad grades. If two kids are competing for the same opportunity, the kid with the good grades is going to have an edge over the low B kid.

That may be true for kids, but as adults, the one with the best physical health, ability to work with a team, and grit will have the edge in many situations. Sports develop all those things.

There's also no guarantee that dropping sports would mean better grades. My kid's grades always fall at the end of the sports seasons. He sleeps better, and organizes his time better when he's getting high levels of exercise.

[Anonymous]

My child is in a top 5 private school and I honestly don't care what her grades are. I want her to be in small classes, learn outside of a cookie cutter curriculum and be around kids that think it is cool to learn. She plays sports all 3 seasons and does extra clubs too. The school is very good with a flex schedule to have the girls fit everything in without being up for hours and hours. That they have a normal life. She gets some A's but mostly B's. She even got one C last quarter because she royally fudged up a final test. She didn't need to be ridiculed, sports take away or punished. This is life. She has learned from it and is trying so much harder this quarter.

Why do parents force kids to be perfect? They aren't. I just want mine to be happy and confident.

[Anonymous]

Op, you do not know it's at the expense of academics.

[Anonymous]

I would prefer my kid be happy and well rounded. B's are good grades, above average in fact, and acceptable in our home. Sports and other hobbies add a lot to life, and we find that more valuable for our kids' specific situation than the hyper-focus on grades that would be necessary for then to always have all A's.

Different individuals, different priorities and life philosophies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is an a/b student, with one subject that is around the c range and we get him extra help for it (math). He plays a lot of sports and does a travel team. Honestly, I think he would be an A/B student regardless- may be a few more As, may be that C would be a B. BUT he gets a lot of fun, self-esteem, self discipline, etc. from his sports. We value that too. And I am in the boat of hiring people who played sports. It was always a plus for me when looking at resumes.

Unless you are hiring coaches, this is potentially illegal. You cannot discriminate based on gender or physical disability, so you certainly can't say "Amy is more qualified, but then again Joe was a college football player and Amy walks with a cane so let's hire Joe."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is an a/b student, with one subject that is around the c range and we get him extra help for it (math). He plays a lot of sports and does a travel team. Honestly, I think he would be an A/B student regardless- may be a few more As, may be that C would be a B. BUT he gets a lot of fun, self-esteem, self discipline, etc. from his sports. We value that too. And I am in the boat of hiring people who played sports. It was always a plus for me when looking at resumes.

Unless you are hiring coaches, this is potentially illegal. You cannot discriminate based on gender or physical disability, so you certainly can't say "Amy is more qualified, but then again Joe was a college football player and Amy walks with a cane so let's hire Joe."

Seriously? I have many things that for me as someone who hires stand out in a resume or an interview - and we are not talking about discriminating we are talking about what separates you from the pack and I do value the skills that come from playing sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is an a/b student, with one subject that is around the c range and we get him extra help for it (math). He plays a lot of sports and does a travel team. Honestly, I think he would be an A/B student regardless- may be a few more As, may be that C would be a B. BUT he gets a lot of fun, self-esteem, self discipline, etc. from his sports. We value that too. And I am in the boat of hiring people who played sports. It was always a plus for me when looking at resumes.

Unless you are hiring coaches, this is potentially illegal. You cannot discriminate based on gender or physical disability, so you certainly can't say "Amy is more qualified, but then again Joe was a college football player and Amy walks with a cane so let's hire Joe."

Seriously? I have many things that for me as someone who hires stand out in a resume or an interview - and we are not talking about discriminating we are talking about what separates you from the pack and I do value the skills that come from playing sports.

If you only hire people who play sports, it is discrimination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is an a/b student, with one subject that is around the c range and we get him extra help for it (math). He plays a lot of sports and does a travel team. Honestly, I think he would be an A/B student regardless- may be a few more As, may be that C would be a B. BUT he gets a lot of fun, self-esteem, self discipline, etc. from his sports. We value that too. And I am in the boat of hiring people who played sports. It was always a plus for me when looking at resumes.

Unless you are hiring coaches, this is potentially illegal. You cannot discriminate based on gender or physical disability, so you certainly can't say "Amy is more qualified, but then again Joe was a college football player and Amy walks with a cane so let's hire Joe."

The WHOLE point of a resume is to discriminate. People are looking for certain qualities for certain jobs. No where did the PP say anything about not hiring someone because of disabilities. How would someone know on a resume that they even walk with a cane??? Stop taking the whole thing out of context.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

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.

No, it it not about skills. It is about being the kind of person who can handle the schedule and sacrifice of playing (and traveling for) a collegiate sport and still pull the grades. Any extracurricular with a huge time commitment will fit this bill. Law firms love this kind of over-scheduling, competitive, glutton for punishment. Many lawyers at our firm played collegiate sports, and it matters not one bit whether or not you were good at it -- it matters that you could handle the schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is an a/b student, with one subject that is around the c range and we get him extra help for it (math). He plays a lot of sports and does a travel team. Honestly, I think he would be an A/B student regardless- may be a few more As, may be that C would be a B. BUT he gets a lot of fun, self-esteem, self discipline, etc. from his sports. We value that too. And I am in the boat of hiring people who played sports. It was always a plus for me when looking at resumes.

Unless you are hiring coaches, this is potentially illegal. You cannot discriminate based on gender or physical disability, so you certainly can't say "Amy is more qualified, but then again Joe was a college football player and Amy walks with a cane so let's hire Joe."

Seriously? I have many things that for me as someone who hires stand out in a resume or an interview - and we are not talking about discriminating we are talking about what separates you from the pack and I do value the skills that come from playing sports.

If you only hire people who play sports, it is discrimination.

nonathletes are not a protected class. Relax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because it gives some parents a social life. Because parents can't stand against the wall in the classroom and cheer their kid on through a test. Becuase no one will notice your new boots or stadium coat when Junior's report card shows up in your mailbox. Because the amount of time they spend with traveling and scheduling makes them feel like they are doing something important for their kid.

This. Plus bragging rights about whatever weekend travel they are doing because their child is so great at their sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is in a top 5 private school and I honestly don't care what her grades are. I want her to be in small classes, learn outside of a cookie cutter curriculum and be around kids that think it is cool to learn. She plays sports all 3 seasons and does extra clubs too. The school is very good with a flex schedule to have the girls fit everything in without being up for hours and hours. That they have a normal life. She gets some A's but mostly B's. She even got one C last quarter because she royally fudged up a final test. She didn't need to be ridiculed, sports take away or punished. This is life. She has learned from it and is trying so much harder this quarter.

Why do parents force kids to be perfect? They aren't. I just want mine to be happy and confident.

The 1%ers like you have so much of a safety net that you don't have to worry about anything really. Not a fair comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question says it all. Unless your kid is truly scholarship material, I seriously don't understand why you'd let your kid play sports when they are bringing in low Bs. I know colleges like sports because the student seems more well-rounded, but that's stupid if it comes at the expense of grades.

Because I don't expect all A's at all. I expect my child to study hard but be active, social, healthy and happy. Sports helps with all of those things. And ironically my daughter does WORSE in school this exact marking period. When she isn't playing a sport (she is off winter) and the days are cold and dark. She lacks focus when there is too much time on her hands. So I think without sports, she would be an uptight, unhappy kid striving for only A's to show she belongs.

Now if she was getting C and D's, then we would have to figure some things out or drop a sport if time was an issue. But I have found most kids that get A's, get them while playing sports. And most kids that got C's, gets them during sports too.

Fencing is your answer! Inside, and a really interesting, totally different sport from her other ones (I'm guessing). My niece and nephew love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question says it all. Unless your kid is truly scholarship material, I seriously don't understand why you'd let your kid play sports when they are bringing in low Bs. I know colleges like sports because the student seems more well-rounded, but that's stupid if it comes at the expense of grades.

Because I don't expect all A's at all. I expect my child to study hard but be active, social, healthy and happy. Sports helps with all of those things. And ironically my daughter does WORSE in school this exact marking period. When she isn't playing a sport (she is off winter) and the days are cold and dark. She lacks focus when there is too much time on her hands. So I think without sports, she would be an uptight, unhappy kid striving for only A's to show she belongs.

Now if she was getting C and D's, then we would have to figure some things out or drop a sport if time was an issue. But I have found most kids that get A's, get them while playing sports. And most kids that got C's, gets them during sports too.

Fencing is your answer! Inside, and a really interesting, totally different sport from her other ones (I'm guessing). My niece and nephew love it.

Not really. For a competitive kid fencing for the off season is just frustrating. Not there long enough to get good at it and fence with those who are more skilled but there long enough to get frustrated by the large number of kids whose parents are looking for an outlet for their kid who doesn't do teams. It is a great sport for many, but not for all.