Sports Vs Arts In Schools Essay

Twelve percent of high schools did not meet the state graduation requirement of one credit in the arts (Arts Education in Michigan). The more budgets are for high schools, the more funding gets taken out of the performing arts departments, and more money gets put into the athletic departments. Spectators believe that sports are more entertaining which in turn is why schools do everything in their power to keep the sports program alive. But, if high schools cannot fulfill graduation requirements for the arts, why is money being put into athletics and not the arts? Schools should focus more on the arts ten on athletics because the arts are more intellectual, safer and cost less for schools. Firstly, the arts are more intellectual than sports. In an article written by Valeriya Melta, she states, “Music education at a younger age is also very beneficial as it helps to connect both hemispheres of the brain...children who play a musical instruments just thirty minutes a week have more developed brains then their peers.” Melta shows how the arts can aid in brain development,

Bloomfield Hills had the highest cost per-pupil for sports which was $284, making their net cost $1.5 million (Gantert). School are spending so much on athletics and are still asking the parents to pay almost $100 dollars per sport their child plays. Athletics are not only expensive for schools but also for the parents. Michigan Youth Arts published a pathlet that gave the average annual cost of art education in Michigan, “An annual average of just $4.39 per-pupil in high school and $1.67 per-pupil in elementary school is spent on arts education in Michigan.” Schools are spending over a million dollars on athletics a year when the arts cost less than a million dollars a year in Michigan. Athletics cost, at the maximum, $279.61 more than the arts, but schools are still putting more money into athletics and are cutting art