Many teens and parents wonder, ”Why are sports important in high school?” The answer to this question is simply that sports are important to the growth and development of a teenager’s mind and body. Sports foster many of the skills teens will use in high school and adulthood. The following are many of the benefits of playing a sport in high school. It’s never too early to start a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise. Teenagers who play a sport are already starting a habit of exercise that increases the chances they will continue it throughout adulthood. Teens use fine motor skills routinely in the classroom but not gross motor skills. Playing a sport gives a teen the ability to develop and enhance their fine and gross motor skills. Sports also helps in anger management adolescence is a difficult time in life and sports provide adolescents an outlet. Hitting a baseball or tennis ball can release tension and frustration after having a bad day. In addition, the activity can release ”feel good hormones” (endorphins). Teens that play a sport will most likely bond with their teammates and this improves their social skills. Sports can also maintain and improve parent-teen bonding, if the parents are involved and encourage their son or daughter. Teenagers need stimulation and if they don’t play a sport or do some other extra-curricular activity, they will find that stimulation elsewhere. Sometimes this can end up hanging out with the wrong crowd or doing some other deviant behavior. Some schools won’t allow students to play a sport if their grades are not at a certain level. This encourages students to get good grades. It also encourages team working, as a teen gets older, he or she will mostly have to work as part of a team on a job or in college. Understanding what it means to be a team player can benefit teens for the rest of their lives. Colleges like to see students involved in extra-curricular activities. It means that they are well rounded and understand how to balance other things besides schoolwork. For star high school athletes, it could mean a scholarship and a spot on the college’s team. Trying out different types of sports can help teens learn what they excel at. This can help a teen make plans for their future based on how well they do in a particular sport. Parents always remember to congratulate your teen for an outstanding accomplishment in the sports he or she chooses. If your teen isn’t doing well, don’t berate him or her. Take time to explain that sometimes it takes time to excel at a sport and if he/she continues to persevere, he/she will begin to see improvement. Source: Love to know teens