One of the highlights of high school for students is the chance to compete in varsity athletic programs, but lately, there has been a change in intensity in all athletics areas. 

Some students think it is because they want to live up to their parents’ expectations. This can lead to more pressure on the student-athlete, leading to a more intense and pressured game.

“Parents’ high standards influence student-athletes to work harder and sometimes feel overwhelmed—meeting standards and trying to get better to live up to their expectations,” said freshman Faith Jennerich.

Some also believe that the intensity of the athletics programs is impacting scholarship and college opportunities for students. 

This can lead to student-athletes thriving to do their best and achieve necessary goals to be seen by these coaches and staff from colleges. This puts a lot of pressure on the student-athletes to do their best and try to improve on the skills they are not as talented at.

“Going to college and getting a degree is not as clearly an indicator that you’re going to get a new job. People are looking for other pathways than degrees. One of those pathways is sports. But because so many people want to take this pathway, there are only so many scholarships, making there fewer opportunities for students and more competitive,” said Parker Durrance.

Others say that an increase in the intensity of high school athletics is due to the amount of time dedicated to these sports and the desire to see improvement. 

Many student-athletes dedicate an enormous amount of time to these programs. This can lead to students wishing to improve faster because of all the effort they put into the game. This makes some students feel the need to do more than they can, which puts a lot of intense pressure on the player.

Overall, high school sports are essential to student-athletes. They shouldn’t be given a lot of pressure but should be allowed to have fun and enjoy playing with their friends at school.