I was at a high school assembly the other day, and as I stood in the lobby waiting for it to begin, a student walked by with his hood up and his pants about six inches lower than what's allowed in any public place.

The principal was standing at the door and barked to the student, "Please take your hood down and pull your pants up."

The student scoffed at the idea, lowered his hood just so that his forehead was showing and tugged at his pants in a pathetic effort to remedy the situation.

My first thought was if that kid played on the football team, there's no way he'd have reacted like that. In fact, he wouldn’t have had his hood up and his pants dropped in the first place. High school athletes for the most part just don’t act that way. Why? Because they know there are repercussions.

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When my wife, who's a teacher at the local high school, has a problem with a student-athlete in her class for any reason, it takes just one email to the head coach to fix it. 

This incident reminded me once again of why my wife and I do whatever we can to have our kids involved in sports. As the oldest heads to middle school next year, and the other won’t be far behind, I know it’s the early teen years when kids often decide to stop playing the sports they’ve been part of since before kindergarten. Deciding not to play can happen for a variety of reasons: loss of interest, lacking talent, or it's no longer the “cool” thing to do in their new clique. 

I’m not saying a kid won’t behave if they aren't a high school athlete. I’m saying being a high school athlete brings with it certain responsibilities, including good grades to stay eligible and respectful behavior in school (and out) to remain on the team.

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Watching that encounter between a principal and a student who wasn't on a sports team before the assembly reminded me there are many good reasons to have your kids involved in sports. The fact coaches require good behavior in school is just one of them. 

Jon Buzby has been involved in and writing about youth sports for the past 30 years, originally as a coach and board member with his now-adult son and most recently "just as a dad" with his 8- and 10-year-old sons. He is an award-winning writer, and his latest book, “Coaching Kids Made Easier,” is available on Amazon. Send comments or future blog topics you'd like to see to JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow him @YouthSportsBuzz on Twitter.