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Sports

Learn more about student sports in and out of schools, including how athletics affect students’ health, well-being, and academic achievement

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Sports balls overlayed with data charts.
Statistics on School Sports: How Many Students Play Sports? Which Sports Do They Play?
Browse key data on school sports, including how often girls and boys are participating and which ones they are choosing to play.
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Anjali Verma, 18, takes an online calculus class after her occupational therapy appointment at the Doylestown Library in Doylestown, Pa., on Dec. 5, 2024.
Anjali Verma, 18, takes an online calculus class after her occupational therapy appointment at the Doylestown Library in Doylestown, Pa., on Dec. 5, 2024.
Michelle Gustafson for °ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳
Student Well-Being What Do Schools Owe Students With Traumatic Brain Injuries?
Physicians say students with traumatic brain injuries can fall through the cracks when returning to school.
Brooke Schultz, December 16, 2024
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8 min read
Transgenders rights supporters rally outside of the Supreme Court, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington.
Transgender rights supporters rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 4 as the court weighed a Tennessee law that restricts certain medical treatments for transgender minors.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Case on Medical Care for Trans Youth Could Impact School Sports
The justices weigh a Tennessee law that bars certain medical treatments for transgender minors, with school issues bubbling around the case.
Mark Walsh, December 4, 2024
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8 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Student Well-Being Opinion Can Athletic Coaches Help Students Learn More in the Classroom?
School sports can provide an opportunity for mentorship.
Rick Hess, October 22, 2024
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8 min read
Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, left, a Republican, takes the ceremonial oath of office from Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel, right, as wife Carmen Horne, middle, holds the bible in the public inauguration ceremony at the state Capitol in Phoenix, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.
Arizona schools chief Tom Horne, left, takes the ceremonial oath of office at the state Capitol in Phoenix in January 2023. The Republican is the lead defendant in a lawsuit filed by two transgender girls challenging the Save Women's Sports Act, which bars transgender women and girls from female sports.
Ross D. Franklin/AP
Law & Courts Court Upholds Injunction on Arizona Transgender Sports Ban for Young Athletes
A federal appeals court upholds an injunction against an Arizona law, allowing two transgender girls to compete on female teams.
Mark Walsh, September 9, 2024
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3 min read
Benjamin C. Ingman, center, former student of Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is joined on stage by former members of the Mankato West High School football team during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago.
Benjamin C. Ingman, center, a former student of Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, is joined on stage by former members of the Mankato West High School football team during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal ‘Coaching and Politics’: What Coaches See in Tim Walz's VP Candidacy
Tim Walz's experience as a football coach is viewed by fellow coaches as good preparation for national politics.
Mark Walsh, August 29, 2024
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7 min read
Image of athletes in a team huddle.
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Student Well-Being 6 Ways for Schools to Promote Student-Athletes' Well-Being
Student-athletes may want to further their athletic careers after graduation, and educators can support them both academically and mentally.
Isaiah Hayes, August 12, 2024
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6 min read
Pittsburg quarterback Jaden Rashada (5) is pressured by Liberty's Grant Buckey (72) during the second quarter of the 2022 CIF State Football Championship Division 1-A game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., on Dec. 10, 2022. Florida has granted Rashada a release from his national letter of intent. It comes three days after he requested to be let go because the Gator Collective failed to honor a four-year name, image and likeness deal worth more than $13 million.
Quarterback Jaden Rashada plays during the 2022 CIF state football championship Division 1-A game in Mission Viejo, Calif., on Dec. 10, 2022. Rashada is said to be the first high school football player to profit from endorsements with a name, image, and likeness deal. Those deals are now available to high school students in at least 39 states.
Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP
School & District Management High School Athletes Can Profit From Brand Deals. What That Means for Schools
Student-athletes in most states can cash in on their name, image, and likeness while still in high school.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 6, 2024
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7 min read
Collaged photo illustration of Simone Biles overcoming mental health challenges, Olympic achievement, leadership, sportsmanship, triumph over adversity + photos by Francisco Seco/AP, Abbie Parr/AP, Gregory Bull/AP
Vanessa Solis/°ÄÃÅÅܹ·ÂÛ̳ + AP/Photos + Getty
School & District Management Opinion Simone Biles Has a Lot to Teach Women Education Leaders
The Olympic gold medalist’s honesty about her own mental health concerns is a meaningful reminder to educators.
Julia Rafal-Baer, August 6, 2024
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4 min read
LaFond puts her best foot forward in the women’s triple jump at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 3, 2024.
Thea LaFond puts her best foot forward in the women’s triple jump at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 3, 2024. She's one of several current or former educators competing in the summer Olympics or Paralympics.
Bernat Armangue/AP
Teaching Profession From Grade Books to Gold Medals: These Teachers Are Olympians and Paralympians
American teachers are among the athletes competing in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
Evie Blad, July 22, 2024
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6 min read
Colin Prater hits his tee shot on the 10th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament on June 12, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C.
Colin Prater hits his tee shot on the 10th hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament on June 12, 2024, in Pinehurst, N.C.
Frank Franklin II/AP
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words How This 'Goofy Science Teacher' Made It to the U.S. Open in Golf
High school science teacher and golf coach Colin Prater just played in one of the world's most prestigious golf tournaments.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 9, 2024
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6 min read
AA studio shot of a Mario Kart diecast vehicle from the video and animated Nintendo series.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being How Video Games Can Combat Chronic Absenteeism (Yes, Really)
In one district, middle school esports clubs are helping to boost attendance and student engagement.
Alyson Klein, July 2, 2024
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5 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Student Well-Being Opinion Youth Sports Are About More than Just Winning
A good athletics program introduces students to life lessons, and a good coach understands his or her impact.
Rick Hess, June 18, 2024
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4 min read
Connor Allen, of Cranberry, Pa. picks his character before a round of "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" during the Steel City Showdown esports tournament at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, on May 11, 2019 in Pittsburgh.
Students get ready before an esports tournament at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, on May 11, 2019 in Pittsburgh.
Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
School Climate & Safety Gaming Is Part of Teen Life. These Districts Use It for Better Student Outcomes
Scholastic esports is attracting students who would otherwise not participate in extracurricular activities.
Lauraine Langreo, June 7, 2024
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4 min read
Demonstrators advocating for transgender rights and healthcare stand outside of the Ohio Statehouse on Jan. 24, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday, April19, 2024, by the Biden administration. Notably absent from Biden’s policy, however, is any mention of transgender athletes.
Demonstrators advocating for transgender rights and healthcare stand outside of the Ohio Statehouse on Jan. 24, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday, April19, 2024, by the Biden administration. Notably absent from Biden’s policy, however, is any mention of transgender athletes.
Patrick Orsagos/AP
Federal New Title IX Rule Has Explicit Ban on Discrimination of LGBTQ+ Students
The new rule, while long awaited, stops short of addressing the thorny issue of transgender athletes' participation in sports.
Libby Stanford, April 19, 2024
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6 min read
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