Many students participate in sports during the school year, either joining a school sport or a recreational sport. This division of sport might not seem different from in-school extracurriculars, but they are.

There are many factors that make school sports different from recreational sports. For a school sport, students commit a greater amount of time into the sport they play, mainly focusing on improvement. The concentration on improving causes students to try to become the best they can, resulting in school sports having a more competitive environment. In fact, a scholarship can be rewarded by a recruiter if an athlete’s performance is greater than average.

Due to the hefty time commitment, a school sport could interfere with school-work or outside activities. The amount of competition and time commitment may put a great amount of pressure on a student. For example, most school sports require students to try out, causing competition for a spot on a team. The amount of play-time a student will have depends on how well they perform. If someone doesn’t perform well, it could lead to less time playing.

Recreational sports, instead of prioritizing improvement, focus more on having fun. Depending on the person, there may still be a desire for improvement, but not as encouraged as school sports. The environment of a recreational sport is more relaxed, needing less time to be committed. Recreational sports allow anyone to join, not requiring team tryouts. The cost of recreational sports vary, depending on if there is an initial fee to join and if equipment needs to be bought by the player. Although some significant pros, recreational sports lack opportunities for a student to pursue a career as an athlete.

Both types of sports have many things in common and also many differences, such as competitiveness, amount of time committed and opportunities a student could have after graduation. Overall, school sports give students better opportunities following high school and more improvement for an athlete.