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Research shows that in the United States a great number of teenagers who once enjoyed sports no longer participate in middle or high school sports team. These teenagers say it’s just not worth it. Why do promising athletes walk away from middle school or high school sports, and what should you do if your athlete decides not to play team sports?

Take Madeline for example. When she was living with her family in Texas a couple of years ago, Madeline joined her middle school’s track team. She was new to the sport, but she was fast. She worked hard, and she won medals. Then one day, Madeline fell and cracked a bone in her wrist. Her track season was over.

Her coaches were upset, but probably not in the way you’d expect. Rather than comforting their promising athlete suffering from a disappointing sports injury or encouraging her to return next season, they turned their back on her. “They shunned me for the rest of the year,” recalls Madeline, who has since moved to the East Coast. “I guess because I would no longer be winning them any medals.”

“Sports lost their appeal for me,” says Madeline. “I did end up trying out for the track team last year, but I actually found myself overwhelmed with memories and emotions from my experience the previous year and ended up dropping out.”

Talk to coaches, parents and teenagers about the downside of sports, and you’ll hear the same answer: by middle school and certainly by high school, it has more often than not become a game of medals. Not the plain old fun of playing. Not the extra benefits that sports offer. But winning.

1. What happened to Madeline?

A. She got injured in the leg.

B. She missed the track season.

C. She dropped out of the track team.

D. She fell behind others in her studies.

2. What does the word “shunned” in paragraph 3 mean?

A. Stayed away from.                                                  B. Got on with.

C. Made an apology to.                                                D. Put up with.

3. Which of the following can best describe her coaches’ reaction?

A. Discouraging.                                                         B. Comforting.

C. Understandable.                                                       D. Reasonable.

4. Why do many athletes quit team sports in middle or high school?

A. Medals no longer attract them.

B. Team sports are not exciting.

C. Injuries are more likely to happen.

D. Sports are more about winning.