Latest research has been proving that there is a link between sports and academic performance.
Moreover, they directly correlate positively: the more time a student gets to play a sport, the better he performs at school.
So if you are in full time education and are interested in knowing more about how sports help students? Keep on reading!
Psychological Well-Being
Sport is a great way to manage stress. Exercise and physical activities help your body to release endorphins.
This is the chemical found in your brain that is responsible for relieving pain and stress.
The stress hormones, adrenaline, and cortisol are also controlled.
Studies claim that a 20-30 minutes exercise session every day can make people feel more at peace and calmer. Doing so in the early morning is even more beneficial.
For students, sports can help improve their short-term health and have long-term mental health effects.
Engaging in any kind of sports you love can help improve your mood, help you concentrate better, and even sleep better at night.
Long-term benefits include helping in fighting different types of addictions, prevention from depression, and improvement in self-esteem levels.
Sports Improve Focus
Whether it is one of those days or just the post-lunch slump, it is very normal for one to struggle to concentrate on studies.
However, exercise is one solution that is provided in this situation that can help boost your focus.
Research shows that a student who plays more sports has been observed to show higher levels of concentration in the classroom as compared to the non-sporty ones.
How does that make sense, you ask? Your blood flow to the brain tends to improve with vigorous exercise.
This enhances intellectual functions like decision-making, information retention, and makes you more alert.
In addition, high school student-athletes show a higher chance of getting a higher degree than their counterparts.
Integrating physical activities and sport into students’ schedules has demonstrated an increase in their abilities to learn new knowledge, experience it, and apply memory and inhibitory skills practically.
It fosters positive cognitive development in youth by improving levels of endorphins and norepinephrine.
It aids in the creation of new nerve cells that support synaptic plasticity.
So the next time you begin to wonder do sports affect grades, remember that it does and in a very effective manner!
Social Interaction
Students who participate in sports and other physical activities get the opportunity to engage and interact with one another. It promotes strong bonding and healthy relationships among students, which is beneficial for making the classroom a positive space for growth and learning.
Students who are active in extracurricular physical activities have shown higher levels of commitment to studies and an enhanced desire to engage in school life.
Students can overcome divides while playing team-based sports as a sense of fellowship and identity is instilled in them.
Trust and reliance on each other are increased, which makes the overall school experience more enjoyable.
Moreover, schools often offer intentionally designed sports programs.
These have clear and predetermined development goals and can be utilized as a promotional tool for improving learning in many areas, like eradicating gender stereotypes.
Gender-diverse role models can be produced through sports that can help empower young females under-represented in the physical education and sports department at school.
These specially designed programs sometimes also cater to students who have special needs.
They also feel included, their self-esteem rises, and they get to feel more comfortable in the education places, improving their learning process.
It Boosts Health and Strength
How do sports affect students? Getting indulged in sports helps students in managing many different types of health-related issues.
An individual who is physically active from a young age is less likely to develop serious health problems. The main benefits of sports on health are highlighted below.
- Improved blood circulation
- Weight control
- Fewer chances of cardiovascular risks
- Lower hypertension
- Helps fight addictions
- Better blood circulation
- Strengthening of muscles and bones
- Stronger immunity
- Lower cholesterol levels
Improves Attendance and GPAs
A study conducted in the Los Angeles Unified School District, composed of 35,000 athlete students, confirmed a positive correlation between sports and their GPA as well as attendance.
Studies demonstrated that athlete students were present for around three weeks more than the non-athlete students.
Students who actively participate in extracurricular activities and enjoy them are usually more content with showing up at school and making new friends.
Another reason that boosts their attendance compared to their counterparts is that these students engage in physical activities more regularly, which keeps them healthy and less prone to health-related issues.
The healthy competition among the players can also be seen in classrooms where these students like to perform better in every aspect of their academic lives.
Some people argue that sports affecting grades can also be disadvantageous as these students are more focused on athletics; however, the benefits it has been bringing to the students cannot be denied.
Increases Self Esteem
Self-esteem improves when an individual starts accepting who he or she is despite all the insufficiencies they might have and still choose to like themselves.
This grows with successful interactions and through positive reinforcements.
Self-esteem also has a significant influence on a student’s academic performance. Low self-esteem reduces the desire to learn among students, whereas high-esteemed students are more likely to enjoy this learning process, make friends, and take failure more lightly.
Such students are less likely to fall victim to psychological disorders like anxiety and depression and are more resilient in any situation of hardship.
The real challenge arises when academic institutions try to restore the belief of low-esteemed students by making them feel important.
This is where the role of sports comes in. Although it is not entirely possible to change how students feel about themselves, they can be nurtured so that their improved self-esteem allows them to preserve in the face of academic-related challenges.
Furthermore, through sports, students can be shown a continual process of support and appreciation which encourages them to do better.
The next time you get worried thinking getting involved in a sport might compromise your academic performance, recall all the wonderful benefits mentioned above.
In reality, sports improve grades and help you shine on the field as well as in the classroom. So there should be nothing holding you back now.
Author of the article:
Darren Barden is a writing coach. Darren is working on new campaigns as well as re-jigging and putting a slant on work in progress. He can write short, mid, and long-form copy for truly omnichannel campaigns such as: OOH, TV, digital, social networks, print, and more for WriteMyEssayForMe.