Studying sport at school can be a great choice, especially if you want to pursue a career in the sporting field.
But, before you jump into a decision it’s worth noting the benefits and drawbacks of studying sport.
Picking specified subject choices for GCSEs or further education can put students under a lot of pressure.
Many young people don’t know what career path they want to follow when making subject choices, and sometimes can feel pressured by teachers or parents when choosing.
When it comes to sports studies and sciences, they often have a bad reputation, mainly due to misconceptions over potentially poor career prospects.
Getting education legal advice can make a real difference in supporting you with making these choices.
After all, no subject should be shied away from if it’s truly what you want.
The question is, is sports studies and sciences a good choice to make?
Well, the truth is that studying sport at school isn’t just great for your future career path; it can also have many other benefits that positively affect your mind and body.
Let’s take a look at some of these benefits and drawbacks…
What Are the Benefits of Studying Sport at School?
Most people know that the obvious benefit of studying sport at school is the exercise that it gives you. But, what you might not know about are the other skills and opportunities it can help you achieve…
Exercise Keeps the Body Active
Child obesity is on the rise, and the excessive eating of junk food and neglecting to exercise the body outside of school can, and has already, become a problem in children across the world.
Thankfully, physical education is a requirement in UK schools, whether you are studying sport or not. The great thing about studying sport is that it provides you with further exercise time.
Helps Create a Sporting Career
There are many different career options surrounding sport, and studying sport at school will provide you with the qualifications needed, as well as learning valuable skills. Some of the job options include:
• Personal trainer
• Nutritionist
• Primary school teacher
• Secondary school teacher
• Sports coach
This is only a handful of prospects available; studying sports can enable many career opportunities.
Desirable Life Skills
Even if sport isn’t the career route you want to pursue, it can still provide a number of desirable skills which every employer looks for on a CV.
After all, you can’t deny that it has many transferable skills which are perfect for other jobs, including teamwork, determination, and resilience.
Teamwork
Many sports played whilst studying sport at school are done as a team rather than independently.
This means that young people will learn how to work with others as a team – a skill that is often used in the workplace.
Discipline
It’s unlikely to find a sport that doesn’t have certain rules which must be followed.
If you were competing in a professional competition and didn’t follow the set rules, you would be disqualified.
Simply, life is the same. You can’t expect to break the rules and not face any repercussions.
Understanding that discipline is a part of life will help you to work better in the future, and studying and playing sport can help young people to learn this.
Leadership
Another notable fact about sport is the leadership role in teams. It’s a huge achievement to become a team captain, knowing that you have worked hard and show leadership skills. It helps to further create other skills such a problem-solving and decision making – all key skills sought after in the workplace.
Enjoyment of the Subject
We personally believe that this is the most important benefit of studying sport; the joy that it gives young people.
School is challenging, learning difficult subjects, five days a week, to then spend your free time studying. Sport allows young people to let loose, to enjoy studying a subject.
What Are the Drawbacks of Studying Sport at School?
Whilst we have spoken about the many benefits of studying sport in school, it is still worth considering the few drawbacks of studying sport…
Can Be a Wasted Subject Choice
As we’ve seen, studying sport can be a great subject and can have amazing career opportunities.
However, many students may choose to study sport as it may appear to be a “doss” subject that will be an easy ride.
The truth is that sport, much like other school subjects, can be challenging, so shouldn’t be opted for to replace something else better suited to the individual.
Sport is a brilliant subject to study, but only if you have a genuine interest in sport or you desire to seek it as a career in the future.
Students shouldn’t be fooled into thinking this is an easy choice.
Other Academic Studies Can Be Neglected
Sometimes, other academic studies can be left behind when the sheer focus is on sport.
Having a desire to do well in sport isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you want to be able to progress through education, such as studying sport at university, they will still require academic grades, such as English and Maths.
So, make sure to aim high in your other academic studies as well as in sport.
The Benefits of Studying Sport Can Help Create Your Future Career
It’s clear to see the endless benefits that studying sport provides.
Some people might consider sport as a subject not worth studying as it isn’t considered as ‘academic’, but research proves it is a beneficial subject for young people.
It also leaves us wondering whether young people can create the same level of skills in other school subjects.
What do you think? Is sport worth studying?
(Top image Austris Augusts @austris_a https://unsplash.com/photos/52p1K0d0euM. Image 2 Jesse Orrico @jessedo81
https://unsplash.com/photos/mse1vdzZXjA)
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