At first glance many people think that sports are too time consuming. Many experts have done studies that show the positive impacts sports have on children. Sport participation in school does not worsen academic results despite taking time away from class (Maximizing the Benefits of Youth Sport). Athletes know that they don’t have as much time to do schoolwork, which makes them more motivated to use their time for school. Students that aren’t athletes don’t use their free time for school which makes them less likely to do quality schoolwork. Involvement in after-school athletics helps structure students ' time after school. It pushes students to be more organized with their daily schedule (DeMeulenaere ). Student athletes have a very structured schedule. They know that they have school at a certain time and then practice at a certain time. After they get done with all this they know that they must complete their school work. Children that aren’t involved with sports often have a lot of free time that they can use to get in trouble or be lazy and not complete their work on time. When students value participating in sports, they work hard academically to maintain a "playable" GPA"I can 't do my work, I can 't play sports." (DeMeulenaere ). Athletes must have good grades in order to participate in sports. Athletics is what encourages many children to …show more content…
First and foremost, participation in sports fosters vigorous physical activity and energy expenditure (Merkel). Children that are involved with sports exercise all the time because they must attend practice and then train in the offseason to stay in shape. Non- athletes often don’t gain the same amount of physical activity as athletes because they are not motivated to go out and exercise by themselve. Organized sports have been shown to assist in breaking the vicious cycle of inactivity and unhealthy lifestyle by improving caloric expenditure, increasing time spent away from entertainment media, and minimizing unnecessary snacking (Merkel). Sports help children to remain active and stay healthy by exercising. Both male and female athletes were more likely to eat fruit and vegetables, and less likely to engage in smoking and illicit drug-taking (Merkel). Sports also help children to eat healthier and make better choices for their body. Athletes know that they can’t eat junk food all the time because it will affect their performance. Instead many athletes eat a lot of fruits and vegetables which will help improve the health of their body. Also, increased mental alertness from the physical activity that youth sport offers helps cognitive functioning, increases blood flow to the brain, and enhances one 's mood (Maximizing the Benefits of Youth Sport). Sports can