The world knows Finland as an education powerhouse. The teachers and administrators come together to form a lax education system that produces great results that earn international recognition. The world knows America for its love of sports, among other things. Americans live and breathe sports. Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medals constantly are churned out by America. Friday nights in the fall are not complete without attending a high school or college football game. It is no surprise to hear how much sports are valued in American high schools compared to sports in Finnish high schools. To correctly analyze the benefits and drawbacks of the structure of high school sports in America and upper secondary school, Europe’s equivalent to high school, sports in Finland, a connection between sports and school performance must be established. A study done by a Harvard University psychiatrist, John J. Ratey, shows physical activity improved inactive students’ brain activity and, in relation, their intellectual performance (Admin). Sports provide an entertaining and usually competitive way to be …show more content…
In America, the coaches are usually teachers at a school. Many teachers become teachers for the purpose of coaching high school sports with the added bonus of a salary. Finland’s teachers, however, do not double up as anything other than a teacher. Whatever they choose to do in their freetime does not entail coaching their students’ sports teams or leading other kinds of clubs. Finland’s teachers also promote equality over competition (Pellissier). America frequently preaches about equality, but when it comes to America’s sports, equality is taken over by competition. The equality does not go away; the focus just shifts to the goal of winning and being the star player in the game, rather than focusing on performing well and enjoying