Why Do High School Sports Increase Obesity?

Many people do not realize the importance of high school sports; let me tell a story. There were two completely different kids that went to the same high school. One of them participated in high school sports from Fall to Spring. This kid kept up with his grades and kept busy with sports and homework. The other kid did not participate in any kind of school sports. The kid who didn’t play any sports went home after school every day, so instead of playing sports or doing homework in the free time available, he had to find something else to keep busy. Having all this free time led trouble. There is no need to go into more depth in the story; the point is that people do not realize that high school sports are a crucial part of being a good student
According to the American Heart Association, “23.9 million children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese; 33.0% of boys and 30.4% of girls” (Overweight & Obesity – 2013 Statistical Fact Sheet). That means almost two thirds of all the Americans are at an unhealthy weight. According to Centers for Disease Control, obesity brings in $147 billion in healthcare costs per year. There are many different causes for obesity such as stress, inactivity, and depression. There is one simple solution to decrease the amount of obese adults and children in America. Playing sports helps with all three of the problems. Habits are formed at a young age, so if sports are a part of a lifestyle as a young child, they will most likely be a part of their future. When some people think about exercise, they instantly think boring, tedious, painful workouts in an over packed gym. What most people don’t know is that exercise can be fun! All it takes is the motivation to get off the couch. Exercising with others increases the chance that you will stick with it. Sports teams are the ultimate example of this. When a support system is built in, with the drive to not let your teammates down, the motivation to be physically fit comes