It’s official! Spring sports are officially underway, and the student body has never been so thrilled. You’ve probably already seen athletes carrying around their large bags of gear and wearing their jerseys for game day. These athletes are benefiting more than they realize, as high school sports certainly supply academic and emotional benefits to all students who participate.

Once you make the team, you have an instant friend group. In just a few months, these teammates will probably become your closest friends. The commonalities between players will form bonds that will stay throughout high school. The friends that you walk into high school with are not always the ones you walk out with–even if you are set with a group of friends, it’s good to branch out and meet people from other grades, and sports are a great way to do this.

Aside from the friendships that you make, spring sports also get you into fantastic physical shape. Practices occur throughout the whole week (except on Sundays), so each player will exercise around two and a half hours each night, which is over the recommended 60 minutes a day. Developing a healthy lifestyle is beneficial to your body, and it helps relieve stress after seven hours of hard work at school. Students involved in high school sports are less likely to participate in sedentary activities, like video games and watching TV.

The most important asset of spring sports is the academic reward. University of Kansas research shows that student athletes tend to have higher GPAs, better attendance, and perform 10% higher in core subjects than non-student athletes. This may be due to the time management skills that are acquired and the mindset that the harder they work, the more they excell. Students also learn to prioritize their work, sports, and social life.