Evaluation Argument Essay

Evaluation Argument Essay
High school for most teenagers can be difficult or rather boring if there are activities or a purpose to keep them involved and busy. This is the prime age where students indulge in many life changing events and wrong doings in equal measure. But with proper balance and order, teens can organize themselves and enjoy a fruitful and satisfactory life (Fejgin, 96). My turning point in high school was joining the soccer team. I was just an ordinary high school kid doing what everyone does, which was boring for me because I am an enthusiastic and outgoing person. The idea of joining the soccer team was not a calculated decision but a trying out thing which came out as one of my best decisions so far. Participation in soccer and any competitive sport in school gives a student a sense of purpose and makes them relatively more responsible and disciplined.
Participating in soccer has been an incredible experience for me in almost all aspects of life. Soccer has enhanced my social life because of my hard work my name is well known, and everyone wants to be acquainted with me. This status has taught me to be considerate and careful while making some decisions because of the scrutiny that will follow. Moderation is, therefore, a very critical lesson that helps keep my public picture positive (Fejgin, 95). Soccer molds an individual that appreciates teamwork, who is not selfish in his actions and always has the best interest of the team in front of his or her personal interest.

This experience pushes a person to perform his or her part in a team and be accountable in case of failure in the specific role he is playing. This example is directly applicable in soccer during game play.
Sports instills the reason and motivation to work harder in class and improve grades, because to participation in soccer calls for the players to be performing well in class to fit into the team. The coach emphasizes the importance of good grades each and every day; this helps give a student a target and the motive to attain the set goals which comes with its privileges. Purposing to study and is an effort that keeps me focused and to keep my priorities straight most of the time in school. I have been improving since I joined soccer, despite the slow improvement, the steadiness gives me the hope of eventual success and good overall score in my grades. The integrated motivation between teammates also count for the hard work put in studies and through discussions and helping each other; the whole team gets to succeed.
Being an athlete in school demanded my discipline in the field and most importantly outside the playground (Rees et al., 307). I have learned to teach myself how to be responsible and be cautious of everything I do anytime and anywhere. Friends are always important, but they can sometimes lead astray and thus learned to associate with allies who are enlightened and have a low tendency to lead me into trouble. This insulates me from the mistakes that are incited by peer pressure that always leads to regrets later. With all this effort being involved in issues such as drug abuse or consumption of alcohol in school is minimal. The busy schedule and a sense of purpose make me occupied most of the time due to the exercise and practice in soccer. This also helps me stay healthy and improve my physique and overall self-esteem.
Researchers have analyzed and concluded on various topics relating to participation in sports, and the most notable was the one relating to socialism in relation to sports. According to Fejgin, the social aspect of sports for high school students has been approached through social research and theoretical observations (96). The analysis was in four parts but of interest was the aspect of the relationships founded in the participation of sports. Despite the negativity always associated with sports, it promotes the self-esteem and self-worth of a student and in turn, makes him or her more likely to interact and mingle. She also argued that students were instilled with basic values of contemporary American life of competition and fair play from the events and activities and rituals they participated in school.
On teamwork and joint effort, the teams that participated in team rituals and traditions were more likely to be work together and build stronger relationships in school. Researchers have argued that during initiation of new members to the team they are introduced to the beliefs of working together and this creates a sense of responsibility to the team (Rees & Roger, 24). With initiation ceremonies, I felt that I was part of the team and I needed to work harder in class to prove myself fit to be on the team because the coach was always concerned with our academic performance. Some researchers claimed that the characters of athletes were built from the sports they participated. The regulations of the sport itself regarding discipline trains the player to follow the rules and to know the consequences that follow if they are broken. This thus illustrates the reasons why many players tend to be more responsible, organized and ready to work comfortably with schedules.
Life after joining sports brought a lot of significant improvements in my life. Firstly, it provided me a platform where I was could make new friends and keep them unlike previously where conflicts between friends were common for me. Secondly, the relationship between my parents and me has improved considerably which is owed to the virtues I have gained from sports. When I am home, I am organized and follow instructions; this makes my parents satisfied and capable of trusting my decisions (Rees & Roger, 24). Lastly, my personal satisfaction and esteem have been boosted, and I am more comfortable in planning for the future with minimal doubts because I now trust my capabilities. This has given me a reason to build on my dreams and invest in them because I can clearly see what they future may provide given my current strengths and efforts I make.
In conclusion, participation in soccer in school has been an experience worth acknowledging in my life and this experience has mentored and I owe what I am to sports. In spite of all the positive outcomes mentioned, they were few holdups and shortcomings that made the struggle even harder. Soccer was demanding in its nature and needed a lot of struggle and sacrifice of personal time and effort to keep up with the competition in the team. This sacrifices sometimes led to distancing from some friends and minimal participation in other school events that are always equally important. Nonetheless, the sacrifices made me more decisive, disciplined and made me have a sense of purpose in high school.
Works Cited
Fejgin, Naomi. “Participation in high school competitive sports: A subversion of school mission or contribution to academic goals.” Contemporary issues in sociology of sport (2001): 95-108.
Rees, C. Roger, Frank M. Howell, and Andrew W. Miracle. “Do high school sports build character? A quasi-experiment on a national sample.” The Social Science Journal 27.3 (1990): 303-315.
Rees, C. Roger. “Bullying and hazing/initiation in schools: How sports and physical education can be part of the problem and part of the solution.” New Zealand Physical Educator 43.1 (2010): 24.