What is the point of being a college athlete?
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Anonymous
Why are you answering (and such a long diatribe at that)? You don't have an athlete in college. |
Anonymous
That is simply wrong Dorm life for athletes is really based on where the athletic facilities are for that particular team. Getting in a dorm that would mean an extra 20 minute walk each way adds 40 minutes of time. You live in the dorm (and as a freshman) so you can be close to the training facilities. Also - you live in the dorm that services athletes so that you have longer cafeteria hours. If the school has cafeterias based on dorms. Practice often ends after regular cafeteria hours are done. You can get into classes and you do typically schedule first. But, that does not mean you can take classes you want. The class actually has to be offered during the times when you have available, and the class has to allow for missing it when the team is on the road. Lots of classes dont monitor attendance. Lab classes and classes with required group activities are not workable during the season. You have to be able to do the work on the road. Not a problem for most, but you won't be practicing an instrument or doing an art project on the road. And, of course, the big deal is when you hit Junior and Senoir level courses. They are typically sequenced so you do not take Mgmt 430 until you have completed Mgmt 225 and Stats 330. But, you can't take Stats 330 until next Spring, and you you need Mgmt 430 this term or you will be staying over until next Fall. Oops. The sequenced class thing absolutely kills athletes working toward degrees. Payments - some schools do have some payment plan to help students. In the 2 Big 10 schools that I am familiar with this is 100 a month when in school. Free food is the same as every student who is living in a dorm. But, most students and most athletes do not live in the dorm beyond Sophomore year. Food can be obtained on campus in dorms.\\ Non-sports season team travel -- can be a thing but mostly is not. Title IX kicks in. Schools do not like the extra issues associated with it. Tutors and study halls - you can make use of tutors who are typically the same ones every larger college offers students though the required study hall time does mean that they will have someone there rather than in say the student library. For freshman, study table as it is called is typically required and time is tracked. Once you establish a minimum GPA (say 3.0) then it is not required.]] The primary benefit my kid liked was laundry service. You ever wondered why athletes at your school wore team gear around? Showing off maybe? Mostly it was because team gear could be washed by the laundry service. Put it in your laundry bag and toss in the cart. A day or two later it would be back in your locker. Not pretty. Not flattering. But, you did not have to wash it. |
Anonymous
As to the two PPs, this is all HIGHLY dependent on the school, the sport, etc. |
Anonymous
This is 100% accurate. My DS played tennis at an ACC school and he wanted to major in CS and minor in music but it was not possible do play sport and academic at a D1 school. He left tennis after his freshman year to focus entirely on academic. As the PP pointed out, you get priority in signing up for classes but it is useless if you can't take the classes you wanted due to the athlete schedule. Be careful what you wish for. |
Anonymous
| In this area, it’s so you can brag about the great school your kid got into. |
Anonymous
| I personally don’t see a point. My kids is planning to go pro and will likely finish high school online. He can go to college when he’s done pursuing his dream. And yes, he has a college fund we contribute to. But I also wasn’t raised here and didn’t grow up with college sports being a big deal (it’s a very American thing I think!). College is for academics and fortunately he is very intelligent smart kid too and has completely separate academic goals/plans for college that does not involve his sport. |
Anonymous
Sure dude |
Anonymous
That’s not unusual in sports other than football and basketball. Still - colleges are a good place for kids to mature while still working on their sport. So, for example, you see the shift in baseball players from going pro out of high school to going pro after doing some college. Good College programs give kids a chance to physically mature and get in shape correctly. Frankly, the physio/medical staffing at a major college is better than all but the top level professional organizations. That aspect flows through beyond football and basketball. Soccer would be an iffy thing. Going to a solid club with a good history of handling young players correctly - go for it. Money is a factor though. I would be curious what kind of NIL deal a top young men’s soccer player could get versus what they could get for playing. For me - I think I would be looking at the physical issues mostly. But obviously money is a big factor. Got a seven figure deal? Go for it. Got a deal that basically pays living expenses- then college is looking much better - particularly if you can find some good NIL money. |
Anonymous
VERY very few families look at this way. I’d say probably <1% of families are savvy gunners using it to get into a super selective college. Majority just want to brag their kid “plays at the next level” and will go to crappy colleges they’d never otherwise consider to make it happen. Dumb as hell. |
Anonymous
Or, like us, you want your sports-obsessed child to actually go to college so they have a good chance of making a living wage and being independent, and the only way that child can envision slogging through four more years of academics is if they also get to play the sport they love. So going to a less selective school and playing is desirable, whereas going to a more selective school and quitting is not. But go ahead and be snarky and snooty about it if that’ll make you feel good. |
Anonymous
I think NILs are great but I just don't see it being a thing for soccer though. It's more common to just attempt to go pro in high school or post high school than play in college. Of course it can be done, there is still the MLS draft. But a kid that really wants to go pro and is among the best by high school will not consider college at all. So I'm not sure an NIL would work for a college soccer when college soccer is not the hotbed of US soccer stars. |
Anonymous
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The biggest benefit is jobs for life for Div I athletes. It does not matter your major or GPA. If you played Lady Gator Volleyball, Lady Gator Gymnastics, Gator Football, Gator Basketball etc you will have no problem with employment in the state of Florida. New modern state of the art dorms. Free tutoring. Better food/dining halls. |
Anonymous
This. D1 athletes, both men and women, will always be employed in the geographical regions that they played in. The boosters really go out of their way to hire athletes. |
Anonymous
I agree with this, but the majority don't make it. My kid is very academic so always wanted to go to college--and he's seen now that many college players are heading pro during college. In fact, some colleges lose half their team as players leave overseas or for the MLS and many colleges will allow the kids to finish the degree. This is a very big change from the past. Making it as a pro-player outside of the US is a one in a million chance, Even the players from the REAL European academies from young ages have only 1-2 players out of that large group ever make a first team And, salaries in the MLS are low and playing window is small so you are going to need a day job when all is said and done. |
Anonymous
Agree with this. The NIL money for soccer is now and mostly will continue to be a factor for women players (especially ones who are attractive as well as talented). |