Summary and Response to "The Case Against High-School Sports"

In “The Case Against High-School Sports” by Amanda Ripley explores the negative effects of high-school sports on a student’s education because students today are doing worse in school because of sports. Amanda informs us that high-school sports are more important to students than getting a good education. Sports cost schools a lot more money than a kids education. For Premont, a football player costs about $682 more than a math student in a year. Basis public charter schools offer only cheaper sports and are in smaller cheaper leagues than other schools. The average Basis student did better than the average student in Shanghai, China which is ranked number one in the world. If schools just cut down on sports than American students could have better educations than students in other countries.

Amanda Ripley’s “The Case Against High-School Sports” is right in saying high-school sports need to be cut down. The importance of sports in schools is getting in the way of a student’s education. Students will spend less time studying and more time playing sports or watching sports. Schools will spend as much many as they need to build a new stadium or keep their sports equipment updated and will cut down on teaching if needed. Last year, in Allen, Texas, Allen Stadium was built costing them nearly $60 million. That is millions of dollars more than the cost to educate multiple student for all four years in their high-school career. People say that sports help students stay fit and teach them proper sportsmanship, but it is costing them more money than it should. The principal realized that none of the students in sports were going to play after they graduate. Spelman College cut sports and used that money to help other things. They instituted cheaper classes like swimming, aerobics, and Zumba. If the focus of high-schools were more on academics students grades would be much better. Schools could still have cheaper sports like soccer and volleyball. In conclusion schools need to change their main focus from sports to academics.

Allen Stadium: This high-school stadium cost almost $60 million.