FEATURES Academic Comparison of Athletes And Non-Athletes in a Rural

This study compares academic performance, behavior, and commitment of basketball and volleyball athletes and non-athletes in a rural Canadian high school. It compares mid-term and final grades in each school discipline; visits to an administrator for disciplinary visits; and demerit points for improper behavior; and estimates the mean weekly time commitment for athletes in each sport. The study provides sup-port for the benefits of athletic programs at the high school level. any believe that athletics in school is contrary to values that pro-/ / mote learning and academic performance. Carlson (1993) Mdescribes an urban high school noted for producing civic, educa-tional, and business leaders. As the school rose to prominence in athletics, it declined in academic performance. Instead of graduating and boasting of strong community and business leaders, the school now boasts of students who have been drafted and play in professional sports. Other studies found conflicting results. Haynes (1990) cites a study of 58,000 high school juniors and seniors that found athletes were general-ly better students except for the two &dquo;big&dquo; sports, football and basketball. Maloney and McCormick (1993) support the finding that athletes in revenue sports do not, on average, perform as well in the classroom as their non-athlete peers. Athletes in the non-revenue sports had no difference in grades with non-athletes. Hood, Craig, and Ferguson (1992) reported tha