In this article, Amanda Ripley delivers a fair and strong argument on why high schools should get rid of sports and the benefits of doing so. She argues that schools should focus funding on teachers, supplies, and new equipment. A school district, Singleton, the author states improved their acamdeics greatly once getting rid of sports from their curriculum. Although a controversial topic, Ripley delivers a fair and strong argument as to why sports should consider getting rid of high school sports.
This article reaches out to people who believe the school system in America is good and fair, not the underfunded and unfair reality of American schools. With America falling in academic scores, getting rid of sports might hurt at first, but work out in the long run. The Ripley says “I can rattle off the many benefits of high-school sports: exercise, lessons in sportsmanship and perseverance, school spirit, and just plain fun,” (Ripley) but throughout the article, she makes an argument that there is “too much emphasis on sports.” (Ripley) She states that in other countries around the world, high schools focus more on academic success, unlike some schools in America, “Sports are embedded in American schools in a way they are not almost anywhere else.”(Ripley) To make an argument, she did her own study with foreign exchange students and found “in cooperation with an international exchange organization called AFS, nine out of 10 foreign students who had lived in the U.S. said that kids here cared more about sports than their peers back home did.”(Ripley). The author also found that more high school students played then took advanced placement exams like the SAT and ACT. The author then goes on to say that they believe one reason for sports becoming a large part of American school culture is that white Anglosaxon males were responsible for it “The ruling elite feared that all this schooling would make Anglo-Saxon boys soft and weak, in contrast to their brawny, newly immigrated peers.” (Ripley)
The author goes on to mention one specific school district in America, Singleton. They cancelled their sports programs and focused on a more academic focused school. The average of students passing classes was 80% greatly improving from the 50% the year prior. Students and some teachers left the school, but those who stayed said it was a lot easier doing a club sport and focusing on school compared to how it was before.
Another reason to cut high school sports Ripley argues is that its to expensive and the money could be put to better use. It costs more for a school to have a sports team then it does for them to have a class. All the budgets and funds going to high school sports is profound, unimaginable even. To maintain a field for the year would most likely cost a school above ten thousand dollars, at the least. Academics should get the most funding in schools but sadly that’s not the case, as “schools will spend more money on athletics than they will on academics” (Niedospial) For example the high school I went to made multiple big decisions while I went there. They turned the old library into a full art room with new equipment and supplies, allowing the art program at the school to continue, rather than expanding the weight room for athletics. Another decision I agree with them was building new and essential science labs which will help and allow some students for years learn and expirement in school. When it comes to school academics come first always, and that’s why I agree with Ripley.
Ripley, Amanda. “The Case Against High-School Sports.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 19 Feb. 2014, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/
the-case-against-high-school-sports/309447/.
Niedospial, Laurel. “If Schools Want to Succeed, Get Rid of Competitive Sports Programs.” POPSUGAR Tech, 28 Aug. 2017, www.popsugar.com/moms/Why-High-Schools-Should-Get-Rid-Sports-43894372.