Dear Principal,

You could not be more correct in stating that all students must maintain a grade B average to participate in athletics. All schools provide learning experiences to even the best athletes in the nation. They must learn and do well in school even if they have a future in their sport. Sports are also a privilege; students must be competent in their studies in order to be able to be allowed to play their sport.

There have been people who have excelled in their sport and had a bright future ahead of them until they faced a career ending injury to disable them from playing again. Habits start in middle school. You must have a good work ethic to focus on schoolwork along with athletics. This prepares you for high school and college, where the schools are much more serious about maintaining a good grade. Players are suspended often in sports, especially college basketball, for being unsatisfactory in their work. Yet again, the students might have a bright future, but one little slip can ruin a whole sports career. You need something to back that up. For example, Greg Oden, an NBA player, is injured very badly and has only played in about five games in two seasons. The team he is on might let him go and he will not have a good job because he does not have a degree from college. He should have thought about his grades more. They are important even though he thought that he had a star career ahead of him.

Sports are a privilege, not a requirement. Students are in school not only learn the raw material such as math and reading, but they learn values, qualities and sportsmanship. Failure to comply with the rules of the school must mean the player may not comply with the rules of his or her team. Disrespect and unsportsmanlike qualities can give a bad impression to other schools. Teams are the face of the school. They are what other people see. If these people see the players on their teams fooling around and causing trouble, they will think less of the school. That is not what we want our school to be looked at as.

I would like our school to have quality athletic programs, but I also want our students to go pro in something other than sports too. Maintaining a grade B average will allow our students to be a level above the rest.

Sincerely,

STUDENT_NAME