Often in sports, the people who get the most attention are the stars players, for obvious reasons. However there are great players who sometimes quit a sport–isn’t it important to understand why an athlete would do this? Shouldn’t this also garner attention? 

I’ve always felt that if someone quits a sport, it does not automatically mean this person is a ‘quitter’. Some people consider quitting as a bad thing, but for some people in certain circumstances, it may be a good decision to drop one passion in pursuit of another. For example, senior Andrew Bitautus quit basketball his senior year, and chose to play drums as his new passion.

“I enjoyed playing basketball my whole life,” Bitautus said. “But this year I felt I wanted to spend my time doing something I could continue to practice my whole life.”

This idea is a striking argument when it comes to high school sports. On one hand, sports create great memories that people will cherish forever, but on the other hand, those memories are something players will never get back. Most athletes agree that they rarely continue to play the same sport all their lives. 

Other people quit their sports in order to simply pursue another sport that is perhaps more important to them. Senior James Hagen stopped playing lacrosse his junior year in order to focus on playing hockey. “I’ve been playing hockey my whole life, and I wanted to end my career being the best player I could be.”

This motive is likewise a legitimate reason to quit a sport, because for Hagen lacrosse was just a hobby, while hockey was a passion. Some people may believe that students like him are giving up by quitting a sport, but in reality he is aiming for a higher goal.

Many students in high school quit certain sports throughout their career, and each student has their own reason. Most people assume that these students are quitting because they are either lazy or unmotivated, however I disagree. I have came to the conclusion that no matter the circumstances, the student is likely making the best decision for his or herself. Sports require a lot of commitment in high school, and it takes just as much heart to play in a game as it does to know you need to walk away from something you love.