When you think of the most important aspects of high school, what comes to mind? Is it academics? The social clubs? The school spirit? An often underappreciated component of the high school experience is participation in the wide array of available sports.
Athletics at LM promote a healthy lifestyle, and are a cornerstone of fostering school culture. Sports build social connections, emotional wellness, and physical health. Despite the considerable time commitments and the potential risk of injury for high school students, LM students should still strongly consider joining a sport.
Athletics are great opportunities for students to meet peers. In my case and likely many others, socialization within school sports can help high schoolers integrate into the high school environment smoothly. From attending practices and playing in games or events, students are given a plethora of opportunities to socialize with teammates, coaches, and staff members, leading to the creation of long lasting friendships. Marcus Lord ‘26 stated that, “playing a school sport has definitely improved my social life overall… over the course of the season I have become good friends with the entire hockey team.”
Social integration is not the only benefit of joining a sport, Sports can also improve motivation for ameliorating grades. Since passing grades are required in order to participate in athletics, they can serve as an incentive. According to the Journals of the University of Chicago, “increasing students’ physical-activity levels from less than 2.5 hours per week of moderate-to-vigorous exercise to 7.0 hours per week was associated with 5.7%–9.1% increased students’ grades.” Not only do LM sports provide motivation to achieve higher grades, but they also build important academic skills and habits that can benefit a student athlete’s entire academic career – for instance, they can improve time management, focus, and persistence.
In a modern world where sedentary lifestyles have become increasingly prevalent, physical exercise is becoming more and more important. School sports represent a terrific approach to address this problem. Adam Riloff ’26 supports this, by saying, “Lacrosse has made my stamina better, has made me stronger, and has made me stay active over the years.” A way to limit unhealthy habits is to address them at their root – by encouraging participation in high school sports, more individuals would likely continue athletic behavior as they age. And as high schoolers at LM, consistent practice, workouts, and competitions can all help keep our student athletes fit.
There can be potential downsides to athletic involvement, however. For example, playing any sport can run the risk of injury, which can inflict harm against physical health, mental health, and academic success. Additionally, the time commitment required in sports can feel constricting and induce stress on a student athlete. Even though school sports can be significant time commitments, it is integral that students learn proper time management throughout their academic career, and working around a sport can benefit student athletes’ time management. Serious injuries from sports have such a small chance of happening that the thought of having one shouldn’t be enough to prevent a student from competing in a sport of their choice. The benefits of school sports, socialization opportunities, academic success, and physical wellbeing all outweigh the potential downsides.
