Almost every school in the US has included sports in the education curriculum. For centuries, sports have had an important relationship with education. This is because schools are the main places where sports are nurtured and embraced. In American schools for example, sports play an important role in academic success. Therefore, American education system has included sports in education system for the development of scholars’ social interactions, physical, emotional, and mental health, as well as for attaining academic success. According to Gems and Pfister, sports have a direct effect on academic success (172). Equally, Basch study supports the role interscholastic sports in social, cultural, and economic development (629). The value of sports in American education system is not …show more content…
Sports are important in US’ education system because they improve young learners’ physical, psychological, mental, and spiritual growth necessary for cognitive development.
Background of Sports Inclusion in American School System The inclusion of sports in American education system was influenced and modeled by Britain’s school sports rationale. The British believed that the moral principles seen in sports such as self-sacrifice, teamwork, loyalty, obedience, as well as the tumble and rough nature of sports instilled a sense of preparation to young boys for service in the military and leadership roles. British public under the guidance of athletics, thus, offered necessary training for the so called British gentleman. The British gentleman was nurtured to go out and participate, as well as fulfill a God-given right to govern inferior