People throw around the term Prep Sports all the time. What exactly are they talking about with that term? Initially, the term “prep” conjures up images of elite schools with funny headmasters that sip tea in argyle sweaters. Judge Smails quickly comes up or maybe the Omega Theta Pi house from Animal House. We’re talking smoking jackets and excessive use of the word “phenomenal”. That’s not what the mean by prep but it’s fun talking about. So if it’s not preppy jerks in collared shirts, what is prep sports.

Prep stands for “preparatory” and what they’re preparing for would have to the pro’s. Essentially, prep sport means anything but pro’s and goes back to when high school and college education was considered “preparatory” for life. It does include high school and college which is interesting. Look, most athletes are not going pro but the name stuck and it now refers to some of the best sports action around. As much as we like the pro’s, nothing has the raw energy of high school sports or the frenetic power of college sports. They’re not getting paid to play..they’re doing it for the love the game and a drive to compete. Let’s first look at High School sports.

High Schools sports is something close to most of our hearts and for people who love sports, that’s probably where the love starts. Age 14-18 is a pretty special period of time in any person’s life. Of course you don’t really realize what you’re in the middle of until after the fact. You look back on the Friday night football games that were THE event of the year. For many high schoolers, the friendships and memories the make on the field, court, or in the locker room are the best ones they have. There’s also something to be said for many high school sport athletes having their time occupied. There’s nothing more dangerous than a 16 year old person with time on his or her time. For a lot of athletes, the structure of practice and games keep them out of juvenile hall. We all know those kids. Without high school football, they probably wouldn’t be there at school. It keeps them grounded and in school.

The next level of prep sports is a little different. College ball gets serious. Players aren’t paid to play but that isn’t to say there isn’t a lot of money riding on the athletic departments at these schools. For some prep sport players at the college level, college is just a proving ground or way station for the pro’s. That’s a small fraction of all the players at that level. For the majority of players, collegiate sports is a way to get into and pay for college. This is a pretty important aspect as it helps to round out the collegiate field of students and gives opportunities to many who would not be able to attend college without athletic scholarships. Everyone has different gifts and being athletic should count as much as being technical, literary, or bright. Prep sports at the college level takes everything up a notch. Have you been to a college football game lately or NCAA basketball tourney?

We all get excited about prep sports whether at the high school or college level. There’s something visceral about sports and nothing brings that home than when it involves our friends, kids, and neighborhood community.

Author Bio: Dennis Jarvis writes about the world of Prep Sports including high school sports such as high school football, basketball, and baseball.

Category: Sports
Keywords: prep sports, prep football, prep basketball, high school sports