The school year has started and so have sports! Eight million students in the US yearly are involved with sports, whether outside or in school. With only 24 hours the day, 7 1/2 of them being used up by school, and more of it being taken away because of homework, how do these students find a healthy balance? According to some students… they simply don’t. 

Student athletes seem to spend anywhere from 4-10 hours weekly on their sport, practices usually being daily with weekend exceptions. Cross country meets take place on Friday mornings, causing students to skip most of the day of instruction and leaving them with a lot of homework.  

Other sports including marching band don’t miss much class but instead it uses up time otherwise used to do homework. Managing their time seems like the most important part of keeping that perfect balance.  

“It is pretty hard because I have to wake up early so I have to manage my time, like I have to think, when should I go to bed so I have enough sleep but also be able to get all my homework done?” sophomore cross country runner Melony Cohn said. 

According to a study from the CDC in 2019, 57.4% of high school students in the US have played on at least one sports team. The number of student athletes are only increasing by the year. 

Although people can agree that every now and then, sports can interfere with class time and studies, they’re also beneficial. Morning practices help students wake up and it gives them motivators.  

“It makes me more awake and alert. So, I can focus more in class than when I don’t do sports,” Melody Cohn said.  

And the pass-no-play rule causes student athletes to ensure they’re keeping up good grades to keep doing what they love. Sports are enjoyable but the student part always comes first in student athlete. 

Sources:

Amount of student Athletes NCSA 

CDC study 2019