A sports program that has been carefully adapted to suit the physical needs of middle school students improves motor skills and general levels of physical fitness. This is particularly important in an age where many students spend much of their spare time indulging in activities that require no physical effort, such as playing games on consoles or computers. However, a sports program that pushes the physical capabilities of a student too far causes physical discomfort in developing bodies, especially during growth spurts.
Sports help students to build communication level and to understand the importance of teamwork. These skills transfer to other schoolroom activities and over the longer-term, the ethics of teamwork help in a wider range of social and employment situations. For others, sport gives the chance to develop leadership skills. Sadly, poor performers experience a reversal in fortunes. They become withdrawn during sporting activity and become isolated from the main group. This isolation frequently spreads to other activities, both inside and outside school.
For many pupils, the physical exertion of sports has a positive effect on their academic performance. As the body works to compete, the bloodstream oxygenates to make students more alert. The release of endorphins and adrenaline make moods more stable, and feelings of sadness decrease. However, some students focus all their energy into sports in the hope of fulfilling long-term aspirations of playing at a professional level, and they often find themselves falling behind the peers in terms of academic performance.
Middle school students with a strong sporting ethic often enjoy popularity among their peers. This increases levels of self-esteem and self-perception and results in feelings of psychological well-being. Unfortunately, children of middle school age physically develop at different rates and growth spurts can affect key sporting skills such as co-ordination and stamina. Pupils with a particularly poor record of sporting performance often become the subject of jokes, embarrassing comments and increased peer pressure to perform better.
Middle school students who excel in sports often develop a love for physical activity that lasts a lifetime. As they grow, a commitment to a healthy lifestyle occurs and the risk of heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure decrease significantly. Some pupils who perform poorly in middle school end up avoiding sporting activity, particularly in group situations, and this affects their physical well-being over the longer term.