Imagine being a tiny freshman on your first day of gym class. The class consists of a handful of freshmen and sophomore, and multiple senior boys on the football team who all seem to know each other. Oh great. Today is soccer. They will pass the ball amongst themselves and forget about the freshmen, who will be cowering on the sidelines, wondering if they will ever make it out of gym class. 

 While some people like having sports as a part of gym class, others, including myself, hate it. To begin with, gym classes are not divided by grade, so if you get stuck with half the football team, you can bet on never being passed the ball. I mean why would they? The only important thing about gym sports is winning of course. Can you imagine actually including the timid people on the sidelines? 

Gym class should be fun for everyone, and not the most dreaded class of the day. Giving the people who dislike sports an alternative, as simple as walking laps, would help give them peace of mind. They would be more comfortable, and get a better grade for the day. 

Another problem with team sports is the competitive aspect. Students on the football team tend to be more aggressive when it comes to sports because they are used to sports being played that way. They might get upset if you miss a basket, goal or any other form of a point. If you make a mistake in the game, it makes them less likely to pass you the ball again. This experience makes the sport less of a team sport, and more of a one-person show.

Team sports rely too much on other people affecting your grade. It might look like a student is not participating on the sidelines. But in reality, no one is passing them the ball, even if they are open every time. Their grade for the period could be lowered because they are quiet, bad at sports and no one passed them the ball. Things that they really can’t control. No other gym activities are like this. Spin room, walking laps and doing cardio all rely on the student to get a good grade. They rely on just the student, instead of the student and half of the people in their gym class. 

Gym class is supposed to be a way to encourage students to be physically active, and healthier. Having things like team sports in the schedule makes people uncomfortable, and less likely to participate. There should always be an alternative for people who would rather do anything other than sports. Giving students that option would make everyone satisfied, and help them to enjoy gym class more.