When I was in school, I remember having to play sports in class, and I hated it; it made the class almost unbearable. I remember having to play baseball, and I never wanted to pay attention, so I would just stand in the field and stare at the sky, hoping the ball wouldn’t come my way. One day, I was batting, and I actually hit the ball. I was about to run, and someone caught it. For someone like me, that was the only time I hit the ball.
So when sports are mandatory for the student who hates sports or just is not good at them, like me, you are never excited to go to class. It causes anxiety to know that you have to play a sport that you either dislike or are not good at.
Sports should not be mandatory because it’s not fair to other students, I mean it sets some up for failure and maybe even being made fun of. No child wants to be laughed at because they couldn’t hit a ball. Some might even be bullied because they made their team lose the game, and that’s just not right or fair.
I did have two sports that I was good at, Volleyball and Pickleball(and square dancing, if that counts). I just think that P.E should be free to do what you want. If you want to walk around the track, if you want to shoot hoops by yourself, or, in my case, on free days, I played Dance Dance Revolution. I think it would make kids less anxious about going to class.
They should also make it similar to a health class, teach the importance of physical health, stay fit, and stay active but sports are not a necessity to stay fit. You can take walks, ride a bike, or go rollerblading. I think schools just lost the real meaning of physical education and are focused on winning and not worrying about kids who really need to get fit.
Let’s make P.E about students. Not sports.
