Over 205,000 students in the United States may not have graduated last year if it were not for the positive effects of high school sports. Sports are proven to be the reason that a large number of children stay in school. Something that inspires kids to do so well should be embraced. The more sports a school has, the more academically proficient the school is (Greene Par. 10). There are noticeable good qualities in high school athletes that are often overlooked. High School sports have a positive effect on children by boosting academic scores, improving individual health, and teaching valuable life lessons. Students who participate in high school athletics tend to experience more academic success than their peers who do not compete. Numbers are not the only thing that are noticeable when it comes to athletes relationship with school. In fact, children that are in sports reportedly have a greater connection with their school (“Psychological …show more content…
Participation in sports has been related to completing more years of education (“Psychological” Par. 6). A popular misconception is that when people get caught up in sports, they get caught up in illegal activities off the field as well. However, thousands of athletes prove those misconceptions wrong every day. Many people might not know that Richard Sherman, cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks, attended Stanford and finished at the top of his class (Strauss Par. 1). Matt Birk, former NFL center, attended and graduated Harvard University with a degree in economics. After his career, Birk founded the HKE foundation, designed to help children in risky life situations (Birk Par. 1). These are only two of countless examples of athletes being great people on and off the field. Student athletes are great at finding ways to benefit not only themselves, but the community as well. The perception of athletes being less intelligent than their peers is