Many people say that sports help students with their grades and involvement in sports will help student athletes to be more academically focused. However, many student athletes are failing in at least one class.

I took a survey of Crownpoint High School students about school and sports. I asked students if they could keep up with school. One person said they can, but the rest responded, “sometimes.” Most of these responses were collected on September 14th ,2023. If this statement was true that “many athletes do better academically,” I wondered what the average grades for all student athletes might be.

Grades in school

Many students cannot keep up with their grades and only a small number can keep up with school. When I interviewed a few students, many of them go home, sleep, and relax, and a few of them said they do their schoolwork. All their days start off the same, and when they get home is when it changes. After conducting the interviews, half of the student athletes are struggling with their grades. The other half are doing well, or even better.

Survey Questions

In my survey of student athletes, I posed questions like “Do you like sports?” and “Can you keep up with your schoolwork?” Through my research, I found that many students like sports, and it is hard to keep up with schoolwork from time to time. One sport that makes it harder to maintain good grades is basketball. Students don’t seem to have as much trouble maintaining eligibility in track or cross country as they do in other sports. Volleyball is the second sport that makes it harder. Sports are fun, but it can be hard to manage school and sports. For me, it is hard to keep up my grades, and most students have things to do when they get back from school or practice like cleaning, cooking, or other chores. Overall, it appears that it is challenging to be an athlete and a student at the same time.

In-Person Interviews

In student interviews, I asked some students how long they have been playing sports. From what I see, many students have been playing sports for more than 5 years. One student, Domeniqu Largo stood out because he said when he gets home, he does his schoolwork and after practice he studies. Another student I spoke to was Mariah Perry because she does relax, but she makes time to study and do work. The last question I asked was “If you could stop doing sports, would you?” Each student responded that they would not give up sports. I understand this because sports are fun to do, and I like playing sports. It appears that other students like playing sports too. It is hard to mange sports and school, but it helps us understand responsibility well.

Are sports good or bad?

Sports are fun, and from what other people say, students need to learn to juggle sports with home life and school too. School sports can really be something that can make or break your success in life. If you are really good at sports, you can get a scholarship that could help you in college, or you may end up going pro. Another thing is that if students spend too much of their time on sports, they may forget about what is important and end up falling behind.

Mindset in sports

One thing in sports is what is going on in your mind when in practice or in a game. How you think in practice or games is what is going to help you or mess you up. If you are confident and feel good about yourself, that will create a positive outcome. One thing that happens the most is when you mess up, you may start thinking negatively and lose your confidence. This is self-criticism, which is not a good habit; I hate it! The best thing to do when this happens is trying to focus on the game and wait for your time to come. This is one of the things that you can do, and if that time does not come then keep at it, and it will all pay off in the end. Your emotions can be something that can affect your success. Overall, when you do something good, it feels good, but when you mess up, just keep going! Do not get discouraged, because you are giving it your best!

Benefits of Sports

I really like sports and I would like to play sports for as long as I can, and I am sure many other people are like that too; However, if you are not that is ok too. Sports are a way we can have fun and express ourselves. Sports help build teamwork skills, self-esteem, confidence, and can keep you in shape. Overall, sports are great to have in school. I know people like going to games to watch and cheer for their team. Remember, be patient, your time will come to show them all what you accomplish. And one more thing…remember to have fun!