I remember back when I was about seven or eight playing little league softball. It always felt great when I would smack the ball into the outfield, or make an amazing catch. Although, there were also times when our team would lose or someone would make a bad catch, or someone struck out. I remember my dad always telling me what I should have done, or how the team didn't have a good enough coach, but he didn't have time to coach it himself, and how it was unfair that the coach had me sitting out. That was the worst feeling in the world, after losing a game having my father would just rant and rave about how bad I played. Even during games, I could hear my father in the stands, calling out to the umpires yelling; 'You suck ump!' or 'Nice call idiot'. It didn't matter how well I played, I could always hear my father putting me down, and it embarrassed me. I eventually told my dad never to come to any games of mine.

I believe that sports do carry a positive impact on students, although, it seems once you reach the High School level playing field, things begin to change. Students seem more pressured to do above and beyond what they are capable of doing. That doesn't go saying that students shouldn't try. Simply that the student athlete can only do so much before they feel pressured to do unhealthy activities. Many feel overwhelmed by their parents and their coaches, and sometimes they are told negative things that are suppose to help but ultimately bring them down even more.

Many athletes are also exposed to school 'politics' such as a coach favoring a group of students more then another. This does affect an athletes playing time. It always depends on who you know, or who you can suck up too, that's what gets students the playing time. It's no longer who has talent, or who works the hardest, now a days it's who is closer to the coach. I think in order to get a more balanced playing field in High School sports, coaches should be less bias to how popular the student is, and pay more attention to how talented the student is. But let's not forget the parents, who often times you can hear in the stands yelling at the officials, or yelling at the other players. Parents should be told to support the whole team as well as their child, and not yell things at the officials, who are just trying to do their job.
Student athletes who are exposed to a negative aggressive playing environment ultimately take that into their job, and they will most likely struggle in life because of how aggressive they are. On the opposite side of the spectrum, if you give an athlete a positive, and a just slightly aggressive opportunity, are more optimistic and are well rounded for the business world. Ergo, I do think High School sports are important to a students well balanced education, I think that parents and coaches should learn that winning isn't always everything, and that if players work their hardest, that is always the best part of the sport.