Academics vs. Sports

Wakefield High School has many different sports to choose from, and in recent years, we have enjoyed success in a lot these sports. While sports are really fun, and a great escape from our everyday lives at school, academics should still be the top priority for high schoolers, not sports. As of right now, the minimum GPA requirement is 2.0, but maybe Wakefield, or even Arlington County should look into doing what the NCAA will start doing in 2016 with high school athletes. They are raising the minimum GPA for high schoolers to play to 2.3, which will make some athletes spend a little more time studying than they normally would. According to scholarshipstats.com, only 7.6% of male athletes in high school get to play in college, and 8% of female athletes do the same. What happens to the other 92% of the students who won’t get to play in college? It won’t be athletics that will help them start their careers in the adult world, it will be their success with academic endeavors. It’s not just on the students, it’s also on the coaches, to emphasize getting good grades. Having a 2.0 and barely remaining eligible isn’t good enough after high school. Alex Gilmore ‘14, who plays lacrosse as well as being an exemplary student, stated, “for student athletes, the student part has to come first.” It is up to the students to start taking academics more seriously. Odds are, they’ll finish college because of their track record with their academic pursuits, not their athletic ability.