Sports play a huge role in everyone’s lives, whether that’s playing or watching. Many people find a community within the sports world and can create unforgettable memories within that community. But an ongoing debate is whether watching sports or playing sports is better.

Playing sports is such a common thing for high school students to do because it gives them a community to be a part of. It also is a way to meet new people and make lifelong friends that you can bond with during a practice or game.

But watching sports can have a similar effect, you can create bonds and friendships by being fans of the same teams and going to watch games together. Watching sports can allow for people to come together and have fun supporting something they love.

At Wilsonville, the sides people are taking on this matter are quite skewed. Most students said they prefer playing the sport as opposed to watching. But the reasons they prefer one over the other are varied. 

Senior Joel Thiessen says that he prefers playing sports because of “the adrenaline rush I get in the moment.” When you are competing and the adrenaline kicks in, the feeling you get isn’t able to be compared to anything.

Similarly, senior Kiera Easterly says she prefers playing the sports because “of the adrenaline that pushes you to do your best and finish strong.” 

Community and connections are another reason people play sports. Senior Diego Macoco says that he has “made lifelong connections” with the people he plays sports with. Macoco also says “the people are why I show up every day” seeing the people you play with is such a big motivator for athletes.

On the other hand, while it might not be the majority’s choice, watching sports has its benefits and has tons of meaning to people. Macoco also states that “watching sports is sometimes better because I can watch every player.” He then says, “When playing sports it’s hard to pay attention to everyone.” So watching sports has its advantages when it comes to supporting everyone and being able to see everything.

Overall the students at WHS prefer playing sports over watching them, but realistically both options have their advantages and both bring people closer and create a positive environment. Is one better than the other? We may never know which is truly better.