Highly valued by many students, athletics and the surronding sports culture take top priority in their lives. Due in part to this intensity, making cuts on sports teams is necessary to mantain the competition in high school sports.

I’m not a diehard sports fanatic or the most competitive athlete; in fact, I’ve experienced the disappointment that results from being denied a spot on a team. Despite this, I realize the purpose for cuts and accept the fact that not everyone can play on a competitive sports team even though it may be “fair.” Everyone should be given a chance to play the sport they love and improve their athletic abilities, but there are ways to do that without participating on a high school level team.

Some people aren’t meant to be on a sports team, whether they don’t have the right attitude, struggle to be team players, only care about the apparel, or simply aren’t athletic. While many hard-working, dedicated students get cut from sports teams, so do students who clearly only went to try-outs for the social aspect.

It’s a common experience for student to be part of a sports teams with teammates that don’t have the drive or prior experience. They skip practice or disrespect the coach and their teammates. They make it clear that they would rather be at the beach or at home taking a nap than working with their teammates on the field. This is unfair to those who take their sport seriously and strive to be successful.

This attitude is most apparent in some at the very beginning of the season. Often, coaches can sense the unwillingness and negativity coming from the slacking players and know that in order to benefit the rest of the team, particular people need to be cut. With an anti-cut policy, that ability would be taken away. To put those students on the same team as an athlete who takes the sport seriously and is willing to put in the effort to create a successful season is unjust.

It might seem unfair for people to not have a chance on a high school sports team, but a basketball team of twenty kids who only recieve a few minutes of playing time per game is equally if not more more unreasonable.

Being the daughter of a varsity basketball coach, I’ve seen first-hand the effects that cutting someone from a team has on the enforcer. It’s not as though my father looks forward to telling someone they can’t play; he hates it just as much as the athlete, but it has to be done. There should be an opportunity for everyone to play a sport, but competitive high school level sports teams should not be everyone’s outlet.

Whether cuts occur or not, the results of tryouts will cause a furor among students. There are always those people angered by making a team of a lower rank than expected, there will always be an athlete who is unhappy with his teammates, and someone will always have a bone to pick with the coaching staff. Students need to realize that pleasing everyone during the process of tryouts and team placement is flat-out impossible.

Cuts or no-cuts, disappointment is inevitable. Getting rid of cuts on high school level teams to please everyone and create a more inclusive sports environment is an unrealistic goal. As long as sports supply a sense of accomplishment to players, they will also be the cause of dismay. Cutting people from sports is necessary in order to develop a successful, hard working team.