Minutes to Hours, Why Athletes Don't Need Gym

The typical high school practice can vary in length based on what sport is being taken in.  Most sports hold practice for anywhere between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours.  Track holds its practices slightly less on most days, based on the fact that track and field members spend the entire time working without break.  Every other high school practice demands extensive physical output from each player throughout its occurrence with few breaks.  As a result, high school athletes can exercise for tremendous amounts of time after school each day throughout and prior to the season.  They are often swamped with schoolwork due to the minimal time they are given for its completion and, therefore, athletes should not be forced to take gym.    

As a member of the Brien McMahon football team, I’ve tallied up that our players typically spend at least 15 hours a week practicing along with a 3-hour game.  At our school a typical period lasts 47 minutes so, in essence, one gym class lasts 47 minutes.  The bulk of actual exercise outputted during a class would total approximately 30 minutes thanks for elapsed time for changing and attendance.  A full year of gym, the requirement, would then total as about 5,400 minutes of exercise, or 90 hours.  Ninety hours is chump-change for athletes, many of which could work for 60-75 hours within a single season.  Offseason workouts could add to this number and one could easily make the inference that an athlete’s physical output for his/her sport far exceeds the physical output for the entire physical education credit.  This is based solely on time, assuming that an athlete would work just as hard in gym class as on the field after school.  This assumption couldn’t be more wrong.  

Ask anyone the question: “Would you rather have an ‘A’ in gym class or the starting position on your sports team?” and they will surely answer the latter.  A starting position brings forth pride and a sense of accomplishment while acquiring an ‘A’ in gym is merely unimportant and expected in terms of society’s views.  As a result, only imbeciles could possibly conjure the thought that an athlete works harder in gym class than his/her own sport.  The idea is simply ignorant and infuriating.

The time left to athletes following their practice and school day also plays a major role in why athletes shouldn’t be forced to take gym.  A student-athlete is a student first and an athlete second.  For some athletes, especially those taking Honors or Advanced Placement classes, a simple 47 minutes here or there is vastly treasured and appreciated.  Why would it be necessary to force a typical student-athlete to waste his/her time taking gym when they could be making educational advancements?  The exercise is there.  It is after school each and every day and, therefore, it seems extremely unnecessary to force the average high school athlete to waste his/her time, time that could be put to better use.    

More time for athletes could definitely result in higher academic and athletic achievement as well as better, less stressful lifestyles.  Constant physical output can really drain the average athlete and, as a result could deprive them of necessary energy and sleep.  Many athletes would much rather start their homework in study hall than wait to get started at 6:00 pm after school when they get home.  The burden of physicality on athletes is already high, why add the mental pressure by putting them into situations where sleep deprivation and mental hardship could occur?         

Toulmin Analysis

Claim: Athletes should not be forced to take Physical Education in high school in order to graduate

In my blog, “Wear and Tear Bares a Scare”, I stress how athletes shouldn’t be forced to take a mandatory physical education class.  This claim is the claim I’ve constantly been using for my social change blogs.  

Qualifier: Only high school athletes would be exempt from taking a gym class.

In the claim is the main qualifier “high school athletes”.  My blog focuses entirely on why athletes in particular shouldn’t have to take gym, not everyone else’s reasons.  By focusing it specifically on high school athletes I intend to set a specific audience and listeners.

Good Reasons: Many athletes are kept up late at night finishing homework because they come home late from their sport.  The hours of sleep they get are crucial and saving energy is vastly appreciated.

I can be the first one to say  being tired at the end of every day is the worst feeling ever.  To be honest it gets quite depressing having the same routine every day thanks to your sport and necessary schoolwork.  Sleep deprivation and lack of energy can not only hinder an athlete on the field, but also in the classroom.  I’ve felt this experience hands on.

Further exercising an already-exhausted body can risk injury.

The more one stressed certain muscles in their body the more susceptible the person will be to muscle injuries.  With intense exercise one’s muscle layers slightly tear and reform over night.  This is how muscle layers are formed and one of the main reasons why being sore.

 

Having study hall instead of physical education could greatly benefit an athlete’s already tight schedule, allowing him or her valuable time to relax or get proactive with schoolwork.

A study hall  could be very beneficial when it comes to taking a nap, going to the guidance office, meeting a teach, or just plain simply doing your homework.  No one wants to come home straight from a tough practice just to work on homework.  As stated prior, a study hall could efficiently save time for the athlete and provide them with a less depressing night following school.

Warrant: No one wants to be rushing from one activity to the next with little downtime to relax.  No one wants to risk injury  unneededly.  

It is human nature to look after yourself and your well being.  Its very tough to analyze this warrant.

Backing: Imagine feeling rusted over every morning when you wake up, unable to move freely.  Tight. This is something athletes become accustomed to every day.  

The language used in the blog this Toulmin Analysis is based upon relies heavily on pathos to alter the point of view of the readers.  By adding significant emotion to the backing you can clearly define the warrant.  And lastly if you can easily deliver your warrant than the argument is more than likely on point.

Evan Collins pushed his body too far while running the pacer test, a mandatory state requirement, and ended up hospitalized for a few weeks.  This activity in gym sparked up the aftermath of his Chrone’s Disease.     

Here is one example of the use of pathos to spur a change in the audience’s thinking.  This provides emotional support for the warrant so it could efficiently connect the major claim and its reasons/data.  

Rebuttal: No Rebuttal

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Audience Analysis

A... 1. High School Athletes 2. Physical Education Students 3. Physical Education Teachers 4. High School Coaches 5. Athletic Director 6. Administrators/Board of Education 7. Parents

B... Writing to administrators of the board of education can be very beneficial because they have the power to decide whether or not requirements for gym should be imposed on the schools within their districts. Unfortunately, these high ranking officials in terms of schooling may not recognize the authenticity of a single student's viewpoint.

Athletic Directors, like the one at Brien McMahon High School, are often very busy in terms of running sporting activities, contacting other directors, field advisors, etc. Joe Maddafarri, our athletic director also runs several gym classes throughout the day. Though one's voice may be quite higher to him than an administrator, you could still be stomped by your low amount of power in the educational system.

High School Athletes share the same role as I in this high school athletic food chain. Since they are abundant and more apt to listen to one another, they may be key supporters of this idea. With the proper amount of support and persuasion, it is possible to alter this group's overall opinion on physical education and, therefore, gain a stronger voice in this overwhelming food-chain.

C... I choose to appeal to other high school athletes.