The greatest advantage to playing a sport is being able to play it your whole life. Many athletes at FHC and across the world have opportunities to play after high school. College sports are very valuable to an athlete’s career in their sport. The option to play at the collegiate level can be tough to achieve but is also very worth it. There are several benefits to playing the sport you love after the many years you have been participating in it. Some look at the side of saving money, division 2 colleges award athletes with scholarships which can lessen the hefty amount of money and debt that can drag along in college. Other ways people look at playing college sports is to continue to play the sport. Going into college as a freshman, being on a team can lead to easy friendships and help the adjustment to a new school.

After a lifetime of playing one specific sport, who would want to just stop after high school? As some people do stop after high school because of injuries or they’re unsatisfied with a sport, the remainder of the athletes pursue it. There is a lot of commitment that comes with playing a college sport. The student-athlete has to learn to balance school, work, and the sport they are participating in. After college, when the student-athlete is looking to find a job, most businesses look for students who have played a sport at the collegiate level. This shows the business that the student is well rounded, knows how to work in a team environment, and can balance the workload well. If the student-athlete is succeeding in their sport, they have the chance to play even more.

Professional sports are a little different than playing in college. The athlete receives a salary which is usually much larger than any scholarship the athlete has received in college. The stadiums are bigger and there are tons of fans. But the best part is, they are still playing the sport they love. This is the main reason why sports can be so amazing. Athletes have the choice to keep playing for as long as their sports career allows them to. The opportunity is sometimes taken for granted when a gifted athlete does not take the chance to play at the next levels. But as retired professional basketball player Michael Jordan said, “Love is playing every game as if it’s your last.”