Student Athletes at a Disadvantage

How much time should a high school student athlete commit to their sport? Many people would say that the answer to this question depends on whether the coach feels that his team is ready to compete or not. Others would say that it depends on the sport. Of course, certain sports may require more or less time. For example, tennis might not require as much time as basketball simply because unlike basketball, tennis doesn’t have an extensive handbook of plays or defensive and offensive formations that the players must be able to utilize throughout the course of the game, depending on what the coach calls for or what the situation is.

Student athletes choose to participate in athletics. Making the choice to become involved in something that might end up taking up a lot of their time is the individual’s alone. This is a sacrifice athletes have to be willing to make for the entire season. Many coaches require their team to participate in practice on any given day of the week, and the athlete is aware of this at the beginning of the season. Throughout the course of the season, times of games and practices are subject to change. This could be because of the weather, scheduling conflicts, or the coach’s preference. Nothing is set in stone, and many things can factor into how much time athletes will spend playing their sport.

When students are expected to commit themselves to the sport they’re involved in they celebrate the good, which could be a victory or skill development, but they also suffer the consequences. A lot is often expected of the athletes. As far as time goes, when can students catch a break? The reality is this: with extra athletic activities on the weekends, student athletes often don’t have nearly enough time to balance their academics and free time with the time they’re spending in their sport. If the athlete is lucky, she gets one day of rest during the whole week to rest, relax, and re-energize for the next. One day off is extremely helpful for the