Sports are fun, but playing school and travel sports come with different standards. Due to those standards, students have a preference as to which one they prefer playing.
Travel and school sports can be played year-round. Participating in a travel sport costs more than school sports on average, costing from $659 up to $5,000 just for the summer. Although playing a travel sport costs more, it’s more fun for most people because they can experience traveling.
In a school season, students have to maintain at least a 2.3 GPA or higher to play a sport, and their record should be in good standing. This requires minimal disciplinary action against the student. Some athletes choose travel sports over school sports because of the lack of these academic requirements.
However, in some travel sports, the eligibility is based on grades. On the Sports Recruits website, the NCAA GPA Requirements say, “If you want to play for an NCAA Division 1 program, you need a 2.3 GPA or higher in your core courses.” So even though people are playing a travel sport, some still have to focus on their grades because if they want to go further than high school with sports they have to stay on top of them.
Sophomore Lea Harrison likes both school and travel basketball, but she prefers travel ball.
“I like to travel and play basketball,” said Harrison. “I also like playing more than one game in a day because when you play just one game, it kind of feels like you’re just in and out. I like playing more than one game, and I feel like it’s way faster than school ball and I like that.”
Sophomore Jordyn Ivy also plays basketball and she agrees with Harrison, also believing that travel sports are better than school sports.
“Travel sports are better because in a travel sport, you get to experience more stuff. You get a lot more exposure. You get to play a variety of teams, and there is a lot more competition,” said Ivy.
Another reason travel sports are preferred versus school sports is because of the way it makes athletes feel about their team. For instance, Ivy feels much closer to her travel teammates than those she plays with at school.
“You make a lot more friends in a travel sport, and you’re a lot closer with your travel team than you are with your school team,” said Ivy.
