Why We Do What We Do
Beyond the Game
Take a look through the resources we have compiled which explain "why we do what we do".
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What is educational Athletics and why does this differ from club sports?
Interscholastic athletic competition is an extension of the classroom and an educational activity that provides outstanding opportunities to teach life lessons.
Through participation in such programs, young people learn values and skills that help prepare them for the future.
Leadership, goal setting, teamwork, decision making, perseverance, integrity, sacrifice, healthy competition and overcoming adversity are inherent in the interscholastic athletic framework and also support the academic mission of schools.
Student-athletes earn the privilege to participate by succeeding academically, and the resulting positive outcomes continue far beyond graduation.
These programs exist to prepare young men and women for the next level of life, not the next level of athletics.
Wins are achieved through athletics by developing successful athletes and teams, but more importantly, wins are achieved through the educational experience by developing successful and responsible students, leaders and community members.
The positive educational outcomes of interscholastic athletics do not happen by chance. They happen because teacher-coaches and school administration adopt an intentional and purposeful approach to the interscholastic athletic experience.
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The NFHS (National Federations of State High Schools Associations) has put together "The Case for High School Activities"
This case study outlines advantages of participating in athletics and activities in school. The report is broken down into sections and links scholarly articles and studies that back up each section.
Key sections are:
Students who compete make higher grades and have better attendance
Participation yields positive results after HS
Participation helps attitudes towards school and minimize discipline problems.
Teach lessons that lead to better citizens
You can read the entire case study online HERE or the PDF HERE
Additional Resource
CDC Paper: The Association Between School-Based Physical Activity and Academic Performance
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There is increased growth in sports participation across the globe. Sports specialization patterns, which include year-round training, participation on multiple teams of the same sport, and focused participation in a single sport at a young age, are at high levels. The need for this type of early specialized training in young athletes is currently under debate.
Some of the arguments against sport specialization are:
Risk of overuse injury
Risk of burnout that leads to stopping the sport altogether
Specialization does not guarantee success
International schools believe in multi sport participation and allow this to happen by having 3 seasons which do not overlap
Myths of Sports Specialization
Myth 1: Most college athletes specialized in one sport as a child.
Myth 2: The only way for my child to be “good enough” is for her/him to focus specifically on one sport early in life.
Myth 3: Children need to play their sport year-round to avoid getting out of shape, which could lead to injury.
Myth 4: Kids who spend their time learning one sport as a child are more likely to stay active throughout their lives.
Myth 5: The only way to develop skills in a sport is to adopt that sport early and spend time training to be better in that specific sport.
Myth 6: The only way to learn to love a sport is to specialize early and focus on getting better in that sport.
Scholarly Articles and StudiesSports Specialization and Intensive Training in Young Athletes
96% of players in the 2018 Super Bowl played multiple sports in high school.
Books by John O'Sullivan both available on AmazonIs It Wise to Specialize? What Every Parent Needs to Know About Early Sports Specialization and its Effect Upon Your Child’s Athletic Performance
Changing the Game: The Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes, and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids
Athletics Stories
