Equal Playing Time In High School Sports

Millions of parents and athletes across the country have encountered the issue of playing time when it comes to high school sports. The majority of them are disgruntled because they are oblivious to the fact that playing time is determined by ability. Not by the coach. The number of innings, playing time, minutes, games- It is called many different things, however, they all equate to how hard the athlete is willing to work towards the sport and whether they show it. Therefore, high school coaches should not be required to give equal playing time to all of the players on the team because it is an unfair practice to the best athletes and fails to prepare all of the players for the real world. To begin with, coaches should not be required to …show more content…
Fred Bowen states that “... you don’t know at age 8 or 10 or even 12 who will be the best athletes”(Bowen). Although it is true that a player’s skill may not be clear while they are young, Kyle Elmendorf, an experienced high school Basketball coach argues the other side- “...I explain that playing time will not be equal among players” (Elmendorf). Before each season, he writes a letter to each one of the parents explaining that their child’s playing time will be determined by skill alone. “The letter also states that if they are interested in getting the most playing time-or equal playing time- high school sports may not be for them” (Elmendorf). With acknowledgement to the opposing view, playing time should not be eliminated from a child while they are young. However, players ages 14 and older should know that all time in the game is earned. So, although some might argue that everyone should play until their capabilities become clear, 14/15 years old is the age for that to end. Therefore, high school coaches specifically, should not be required to give equal playing