Everybody says high school is some of the best years of your life, but that can only be true for a student if they take advantage of the opportunities high school provides. There are clubs, organizations and sports available to students. These are all great, but the most fulfilling thing a student can do is compete in a sport. Sports are the only extracurriculars that can help a student grow socially, academically and physically all at once. This is why every student needs to do a high school sport.

One aspect of sports that makes them unique is that it gives students the opportunity to improve one’s physical health. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, students who participate in high school sports are less likely to engage in activities that have a negative impact on their health such as smoking and drinking. Participating in sports also reduces risk of obesity. Not only do sports improve physical health, but also mental health.

In high school sports, students are given a sense of belonging that they may not get anywhere else. Sports are also a good avenue for building friendships with people that one may otherwise not have met by finding a common interest in their sport. These connections help students to grow socially. When students feel belonging their mental health improves. Students are given a reason to stay more motivated when they have sports and their friends to look forward to.

Student athletes are more inclined to do well in school so they can continue to compete and be around their friends. Sports also assist in teaching time management and accountability to teens at a young age, and those skills will stick with them for the rest of their lives. Balancing school life and sports, as well as, being accountable by having to show up to practice and responsible for being on time and having gear are just some ways sports help these skills. Learning to be responsible in sports transfers to their school work. The National Federation of State High School Associations found a direct link between school sports and higher GPA. 

Overall doing any extracurriculars is beneficial, but high school sports offer things that no other programs can. Sports improve students in multiple parts of life, all at once, unlike other These sports teach good habits. These habits make these students better all-around. If every student did a high school sport, their lives would change for the better.