“Sports are very important here,” says Jenny, a student who moved to the United States from South Korea. (Ripley, Amanda. “The Case against School Sports.” The Atlantic. November 4, 2013.) Well, that sure is! America's high school academic scores are lower than they've ever been, but instead of worrying, they're wondering which team will win the next big game. There are all different types of sports in schools. throughout the country. Basketball, baseball, softball, football, soccer, tennis, etc. In all these sports, in their own way, players receive special treatment. For example, Jenny says that at her high school, there are days when the teams dress up in Hawaiian clothes or pajamas just because they're on the football team! (Ripley, Amanda. “The Case against School Sports.” The Atlantic. November 4, 2013.) In Unicoi County schools, students who play sports also enjoy special privileges, whether it's not break the dress code, leave school early, academics or whatever. Teachers are more lenient with athletes, and that's not fair! There is also a policy in the student handbook that states that if you miss a day of school and do not have a legitimate excuse, you do not get your work for that day and receive a zero. Although this is strongly enforced, some teachers will give an absent athlete an extra grade or change a failing grade to a passing grade, so that zero does not affect their grade. That's why they don't care because they don't have to. Especially if they are good at sports! While there are many students who work almost every day and have to work themselves to death just to get a B average. Teachers will give an athlete that extra point for a passing grade just so that he can... middle of sheet... official. They could take the thousands and thousands of dollars they invest in team uniforms, buses, referees, coaches, food and all the other extra stuff they pay for and build a new school in Love Chapel , afford better lunches, give teachers raises, have cleaner facilities and more educated students with higher scores and fewer sports injuries. Some of our athletes suffer injuries that will affect them for the rest of their lives. There have even been cases where high school athletes have had heart attacks on the field and died. How beneficial is this? This needs to be stopped before it happens here. How would a parent feel if their child died on the field just because the coach pushed them so hard to work harder? I repeat, this must stop now! Works Cited Ripley, Amanda. “The Case Against High School Sports. The Atlantic. November 4 2013.