Athletics and Academics

A utility value is something that is not only important to you, but is also useful in everyday life, while an intrinsic value is something that is also not only important to you, but is something that you feel drawn to and feel like you belong with. An example of a utility value is education. Education is something that is absolutely needed for everyday wellbeing. The value of sports falls in with the category of an intrinsic value, while in some ways can also fall under the category of a utility value. In America, one of the most valued aspects of life is sports. Being involved in sports can make a major impact on anyone involved. You gain self confidence, self determination and the ability to work well with other people, and time management and hard working skills. All of these are able to not only be used in the sports world, but also in everyday activities including school work. The participation in sports is something that someone has to want to do, which is what qualifies it more as an intrinsic value. A major problem today is that Americans are getting their intrinsic and utility values confused with each other.

Student refers to a person formally engaged in learning, especially in a school or college. Being a student requires numerous hours of reading, researching and studying and as the school year progresses the workload only increases. Time management plays a big role in education. Having good time management skills shows that there is dedication to the job on task, that there is an understanding that having free time is not a priority, and that there is great knowledge that school work and getting an education comes before anything else. Concentration also plays a major role in being a student. If a student were to have a lack of concentration at a high level of education, such as college, it would take away from their ability to gain knowledge. Students must be intrigued knowledge seeking individuals. When students reach higher levels of education, such as at a university level, many more distractions come into play. Just being at a university makes it more difficult because the class sizes become larger than anything that was available at the high school level. That poses problems for many students who learn better at in smaller settings.(McArthur & Baron 1983) Also, the availability of free time seems more relevant because classes at that level are spread out throughout the day, and you also have at least a one day separation between classes. This causes students to make the choice of taking their time to study, or use it for other recreational activities. By putting time and effort into school work, and getting a good result, it will increase students' motivation and help them realize that it is all worth it (Covington 1998). At times being a student can be extremely stressful, and being able to stay dedicated without letting other roadblocks interfere with the school work is very important.

An athletic activity requiring physical fitness and is often of a competitive nature is known as a sport. However, not all sports require physical activity. Activities such as skateboarding, snowboarding and mountain biking all fall under the category of extreme sports. Another sport that most Americans do not consider is chess. Chess is a sport that is overlooked because there is no physical exertion. In chess the main part of the game is all from your mind. You have to use a lot of complex thinking skills. Although as Americans we tend to favor contact sports over any other sport. One of the most watched sports in America today is football. We as Americans are so intrigued by the hard hitting action of the game. Sports are extremely popular for children up to young adults. Children like to be involved in sports because their friends are doing them, or they think it is fun. Once the teenage years are met, sports are played for other reasons. The reasons for this consist of, again, the liking of the sport, but also at this age, there is an even bigger issue. Teenagers go through many hormonal issues that cause a change in attitude, and a lot of the time they need a way to release stress and anger, and with playing sports it lets them put their focus on other things than whatever it is that has consumed their day. Once we get to the young adult stage which is near the end of the high school years and college years the aspect of playing sports is completely different. Once you reach this high level of sports you have to have an extreme passion for the game, and how much it means to be able to be on the field or court. Unfortunately, not everything about being in a sport has a positive outcome. Along with the hard work and dedication, comes the simple fact that every day athletes put themselves on the line to get injured. Injuries from sports can range from either small muscle cramps and pulls to large bone breaks, and head injuries that cause brain damage.

Many individuals in the educational world consider themselves student-athletes. But what exactly is a student-athlete? A student and athlete is a knowledge-seeking individual who is indulged in physical activity. While being a student requires numerous hours of reading, researching, and studying, being an athlete however brings about a whole other perspective of dedication. While not only having to spend most of your day in the classroom, then your night is filled full of hard work, stretching from repetitive plays and drills, to sweat and sore muscles. After spending most of your evening draining yourself on the field, you then have to take more time out of your evening studying. Most students that are made for being student athletes tend to show their dedication in both the classroom and on the field. However, not all individuals are cut out for the stressful position of being a student-athlete. Some students, while involved in sports, lose track of their studies and fall behind in class. Not only can athletes lack time management skills, injuries can play a big role in keeping an athlete from performing their best. Based on the sport, an athlete can attain minor injuries such as sprains, strains, or bruises. However, injuries can also be major, such as head injuries or breaks. Injuries cause a potential threat to students because at times it can keep them from attending classes so that they can attend appointments for healing. Sports can either help a student excel in their academic performances or it can force a person to fall behind and not do as