Although many people believe that schools are placing a bigger emphasis on athletics than academics, this is not entirely true.  Our school has made many budget cuts over the past few years, but they have affected all aspects of Whitman life.  Yes, the district had to end the nine-period day and many electives, but schools sports are still lacking funding.  How many people in our school know that we have a swim team?  What about the bowling team? Golf? These are just a few of the sports that nobody seems to care about.  These teams don’t even have the facilities to compete at our school, so they have to be bused to other areas. It doesn’t seem like anyone is concerned about their successes because they aren’t sports deemed “important” in our society like soccer and football are.  They receive barely any funding and are struggling to get by.

As a member of the Whitman Volleyball Team, I had seen the lack of funding in athletic programs firsthand.  Cracking, shrunken uniforms are passed down year-to-year as there is not enough money available in the budget to purchase new ones.  Every game, we struggle to put up torn nets that look like they were bought ten years ago, and we play with old, flat balls.  My freshman year on the team, we were forced to sell cookie dough in an effort to raise money.  With the proceeds, we were finally able to buy new uniforms for the Varsity team.  But should it be the job of players to be buying essentials that are supposed to be provided by the school? Isn’t it the role of the booster club, or the entire athletics administration, to pay for our needs?  It has become up to the students, rather than the district, to take care of these problems.

And Pep Rally, while seen as pointless by some, is not just to recognize the sports teams of Whitman, but to foster a sense of school spirit among students.  Students are pulled out of classes to attend, but it is only an annual occurrence.  Most students can agree it is one of the few times during the school year that everyone is gathered together: students, teachers, and staff.  There is such pride in getting to watch your peers do what they love and spend hours a week practicing.  It is unfair to say the Pep Rally is only about sports, as the student body watches performances by the dance team and step team, and sees the hard work put in school clubs such as Robotics.

I do agree that getting a proper education is essential for a teenager preparing to face the real world.  But school can’t just be about academics.  High schoolers are feeling extremely stressed out trying to manage a schedule of AP homework, SAT prep, and constant studying. The average teenager only gets 6 out of the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep for a healthy lifestyle.  Approximately 10% of students suffer from an anxiety disorder due to the overwhelming amount of pressure put on them.  These kids need to be able to have some break from schoolwork.  Sports are an excellent way to momentarily escape the pressures of everyday life as they get to exercise and share the experience of being on a team.  Studies show that playing a sport has so many positive effects on the mind and body.  Participants in sports have higher self-esteem, are in better shape and have a decreased risk of diseases and becoming addicted to toxic substances. Most importantly, they actually do better in school and loosen up from stress.

Overall, it might be true that some schools value athletics over academics.  However, the positive effects of playing a sport are greatly influential on the average stressed out teen.  It is easy to justify the cause of spending money on sports after looking at the benefits of athletics. It may seem like sports are held on a pedestal, but they are often overlooked when the district decides which areas need money the most.