Argumentative Essay On Benefits Of Sports In Schools

How much can $235,000 buy? In the hands of an American public high school, it could be used to buy more than three thousand textbooks. Or almost two hundred brand-new MacBooks for the classroom. Or to pay four teachers for a whole year. Or it could be used to buy a Jumbotron for a football stadium. That is exactly what my school district allowed $235,000 for. (Delaney) At the same meeting the school board voted to approve this project, they also voted to settle a lawsuit of $210,000 with a former student at the very same high school for which they just approved the Jumbotron. The student had been inappropriately touched by a football coach, who never served any jail time for his infractions with multiple students and staff. (Delaney) This example of two-facedness joins the ranks of ways football and other high school sports harm students. Sports suck up scare educational funding, are often dangerous to players, and rarely offer equal opportunities to all students.
However, who is really receiving these benefits? Despite many claims to the contrary, most high schools do not offer equal opportunities for students in sports. Participating in sports often has hidden costs to students and their families, such as transportation, insurance, and mandatory physical examinations. Not all students can pay for these expenses, and cannot participate in sports. Kevin Kniffin, a researcher at Cornell University, claims that those who played high school sports go on to have better pay and more success in their adult careers. However, which students are reaping these benefits? The most popular high school sport is undoubtedly football, but when was the last time anyone heard about a girls’ high school football team? Kniffin also claims that hockey players are found in high numbers on Wall Street (Casey, 1). This is also a sport that does not have girls teams. In fact, a lot of schools don’t even have hockey