High School Participation In Sports Translates To Success In Life – Dave’s Diary

 The seniors will be graduating soon making room for the incoming freshmen and the next crop of high school athletes.  It would seem that playing a high school sport means more than getting easy A’s and a date with the homecoming queen. Playing high school sports could be the key to adult success.A Harris Poll did the legwork and discovered youth who participate in school sports not only are more likely to go to college, but also earn more money as working adults, whether they played on the football team or faced opponents one-on-one on the tennis court. Participating in school sports appears to have long-lasting benefits well into adulthood.

Wait, so you are saying the dumb jocks aren’t really dumb?  Exactly!  64 percent of those who participated in high school sports went on to some form of higher education, compared with just 45 percent of those who were not on a sports team. In addition, high school athletes are more likely to have capped off their education with a four-year college degree (20 percent vs. 14 percent), compared with those who didn't participate and are also twice as likely to have some form of post-graduate education (12 percent vs. 6 percent).

Not every successful high school jock goes on to earn pro player paychecks, but participation in athletics is also associated with higher incomes. Fifteen percent of adults who participated in athletics have a personal income greater than $100,000, compared with just 9 percent of those who did not participate. The same is true for household income levels. Twenty-eight percent of those who participated in high school sports have a household income over $100,000, compared with just 15 percent of those who did not.

I played high school sports so I’m living proof that it doesn’t always work.