Why play in college
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| The question is probably more about “is all this travel/time/stress worth it” than actually about playing in college. The answer is kid-driven. If your kid wants more more more, intrinsically, then it is worth it because that’s how the kid is choosing to spend their time, whether college playing (or pro playing) is at the end of the road or not. Around here, people do steer their kids towards the extrinsic rewards “looks good on a college application!” — if the kid expresses reluctance, then they don’t have the intrinsic drive (the evidence of “love it”), and they may want to dial it down. |
Anonymous
| To add that one bullet point at the bottom of your resume that no one ends up looking at |
Anonymous
|
This is a legitimate question for families where sports was practically nonexistent growing up. I’m an immigrant and the focus growing up was to excel in academics. I played a sport in high school and my parents never watched a game which was fine with me; I was not a superstar like I was in academics and I did not need any support to essentially move my body.
I have one DS who is talented and very competitive and all his friends talk about playing in college as the next step. If DS wants to, we’d support it but I’d prefer if he just sticks to academics and play club in college. It’ll all depend I suppose on the colleges where he wants to go and also which colleges will take an interest in him. |
Anonymous
What do you look at on a resume since the athletic thing at the bottom means nothing? |
Anonymous
| The response I see a lot of times when this question comes up is for the experience. But the experience is changing and it's changing quickly with these changes to the NCAA, collegiate athletics over the next few years won't be like how they were. |
Anonymous
| Well I can tell you why my son wants to play in college. Soccer is the only activity he really enjoys. He would play every day if he could. He thinks it will make college more enjoyable and help him build friendships. He knows he isn’t going pro but he can still dream and hopes to coach as an adult. He works hard academically but he isn’t a superstar or even close to it. What keeps him motivated academically is the thought of playing college soccer so I am happy to encourage it. |
Anonymous
Finally. Someone who doesn't sound like a total Richard with their answer. Good for your son, and for you. I hope he keeps it up and ends up getting to play in college, even if it is at "No Name U" aka 95% of the colleges and Universities in the country according to some here (where they likely went also). I sincerely hope he makes it, has fun, graduates and finds a job that isn't a slog for the rest of his working life. |
Anonymous
| All of which will still be fully attainable via club sports at each college if the future of the NCAA goes the way people are thinking. |
Anonymous
Why does this have to be the goal post that measures the interest in playing in college? Perhaps a student still enjoys their sport and wants to continue at a high level. Perhaps it's a great way to stay in shape and develop a community of like-mind people at college. Perhaps they find it helps them mentally and with time management. I just don't understand this obsession with "it has to be pro" or nothing. Also absolutely nothing wrong with coaching. I doubt that most of the students playing college in soccer see it as a career. They do it because they enjoy the sport. |
Anonymous
This is not how to look at this. What a college athlete has going for them is not "I played soccer" bullet point, but what playing soccer has provided them from a skills perspective. A high-performing athlete is going to be good under pressure, they are going to know how to work together in a team, they are going to know how to persevere when things are tough, they know how to manage their time. An employer will know that and realize they have proven skills that others don't. |
Anonymous
Were you not good enough to play college sports or did you have a bad experience? |
Anonymous
College soccer is going nowhere. On the women's side I can say that as an absolute. But most likely on the men's side as well. While there could be changes -- all will be navigated. Schools do not want to give up sports. Title IX will also still require women's sports to match men's. |
Anonymous
Define going nowhere. Pro? What percentage of college players also have the ambition to play pro? Club sports can be high performing, but not all schools have club sports that are. I think a player that is good enough for college would be bored/unmotivated by a vast majority of club soccer programs. Again the common theme I am seeing is that folks feel like there is only one pathway or one reason to continue playing in college. For those interested in the pro route, then yes college soccer might not be the best pathway. But it should be noted that there are MANY reasons to play in college. It should also be noted what pathway you are talking about when you say college soccer isn't going anywhere. Clarity here is key. |
Anonymous
|
Reasons to Play College Soccer
1. Love of the game 2. Scholarship money (although a lot less than most people think) 3. Admissions boost for prestigious schools (more than most people think) 4. Priority registration, free tutors, VIP treatment |
Anonymous
| I played soccer for my fraternity, does that count? We were IM champions. |