Why is 50% a passing grade in school, but in sports you need 100%?

Picture this: in school you show up for a test, doodle a bit, maybe snack on a cookie while writing three lines, and boom — 50%! Congrats, you passed! But on the court?

Imagine playing basketball at 50%. You dribble halfway down, then stop: “Okay, I’ve done my part, that’s enough.”

Or you run half of a race and at the finish line you raise your hand: “I did 50%, can I have a small medal now?”

In school, 50% just proves you weren’t asleep the entire semester. But in sports, halves don’t exist. The body doesn’t work on “partial oxygen,” the ball doesn’t go “halfway in,” and opponents don’t defend “half of the time.” Sports is an ecosystem where every percent counts. If you give 80% but the others give 100%, the difference is obvious.

School asks you not to fall below the line. Sports ask you to jump above it. Every single time.

So tell me honestly: at practice, do you give 100% — or are you playing just for the passing grade?