Is playing a sport in college "worth it"?

[Anonymous]

Like anything, if you're at a decent school, attractive and maintain a strong GPA, it's worth it. I know type A girls who ran cross country and played tennis in college who seemed to glide to investment banking and MBB (McKinsey, BCG and Bain) consulting. Those are crème de la crème gigs that pay $100k-120k out of college.

But is that typical? I don't think so. Most are better served pumping up their gpa and joining the right clubs.

[Anonymous]

College is for education not athletics.

Congratulations to those who have been enriched by athletics in college. Unfortunately, there are many like a former Redskin who have been exploited by the NCAA.

Too many kids get permanent debilitating injuries. They spend too much time in the gym and not enough time in the classroom. There was a tragedy at Maryland this summer.

Spend the prime of your life living, learning, and loving. Not as a college gladiator in some arena hungry for the approval of the roaring crowd.

As for us we'll pay our way, crush your grapes and enjoy long healthy lives drinking fine wines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Team -- A Social Life -- Academics Choose 2

there's only time for 2

I wouldn't go that far. But the kids who can do all three are few and far. And you really have no idea what your kid will do once they're out of the next.

[Anonymous]

D3 without a doubt unless you are picking a school that sucks.

Admissions bump and you can quit any time.

"Merit" scholarships that are not connected to playing, you can quit any time.

Tutors

Preferential scheduling

Internships and mentors (if you are a business major)

Less intense sports schedule that allows for "other" college oriented activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Team -- A Social Life -- Academics Choose 2

there's only time for 2

Incidentally, as a parent, you want them to choose #1 and #3.

[Anonymous]

Reminder: only about 7% of all high school athletes play a sport at the college level.

93% chance you won't have to worry about whether or not it is "worth it"!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know anyone in law or engineering that played college sports. Also, if one has goals set for mba/law/medicine/phd at a top school, how can one achieve those grades for entrance when time is spent playing sports? Are these college sports players pursuing business?

The captain of my university's D1 hockey team graduated with a BS in chemistry and was admitted to a good med school. The last I heard he had deferred his med school admission to play on the Olympic team. The team earned a silver medal that winter. I'm assuming that he started med school the next fall, but we lost touch.

That said, my brother wasted years of his life trying to make the Olympics in his sport. He spent all of college exclusively focused on that goal. He missed making an alternate for the team by one slot. He did graduate from college after 5 years, but with a crap major and a crap GPA. It's haunted home for years and now in his mid 30s he's still playing catch up. The dream of an Olympic medal was a huge bust for his life, as I'm sure it is for many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Team -- A Social Life -- Academics Choose 2

there's only time for 2

I wouldn't go that far. But the kids who can do all three are few and far. And you really have no idea what your kid will do once they're out of the next.

out of the nest*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College is for education not athletics.

Congratulations to those who have been enriched by athletics in college. Unfortunately, there are many like a former Redskin who have been exploited by the NCAA.

Too many kids get permanent debilitating injuries. They spend too much time in the gym and not enough time in the classroom. There was a tragedy at Maryland this summer.

Spend the prime of your life living, learning, and loving. Not as a college gladiator in some arena hungry for the approval of the roaring crowd.

As for us we'll pay our way, crush your grapes and enjoy long healthy lives drinking fine wines.

Care to post a link to the research that supports this claim of widespread debilitating injuries? Football is its own problem and there is a ton of emerging science that should alarm us all. But the vast majority of sports are healthy endeavors. I got hurt a lot more playing pick-up hoops in college than during my (at best mediocre) D3 baseball career. There was no crowd - I mean zero - and it didn’t matter. We played for each other and it was a fantastic experience.

OP, I have five kids. One swims in college, one isn’t good enough, my next says she has no interest, her younger sister definitely wants to and is doing the recruiting dance, and my youngest is too young to know. It’s a very personal choice. If they love playing now then there’s every possibility that they’ll love playing at the next level. Time isn’t the issue. Three hours of class a day leaves a ton of time to get the work done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know anyone in law or engineering that played college sports. Also, if one has goals set for mba/law/medicine/phd at a top school, how can one achieve those grades for entrance when time is spent playing sports? Are these college sports players pursuing business?

I'm a lawyer and I played tennis at a D3 school. Both my undergrad school and law school are ranked in the top 5 in their respective categories by US News. My sister attended the same school for undergrad and played basketball. She has an MBA, again from a top 5 school. Playing a sport in both high school and college taught me time management skills and helped me develop healthy exercise and nutrition habits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To get into an Ivy+ caliber college? Yes, worth it.

But 99% of the time I hear a kid is playing sports in college it's at some nobodyville private school or directional U in front of 10 fans. In those cases, absolutely NOT worth it.

Even D1 kids seem to wash out more often than not. You can't control a kid away at college - fact is most do not want to get up at 6am for practice anymore, ESPECIALLY if they're riding the bench as freshman.

+1. I honestly have nothing against college sports, but the vast majority of the kids I know that sought out playing in college ended up at small private colleges in the middle of nowhere.

[Anonymous]

Some kids can handle the time committment and some can't.

* If a kid can play ball and keep his or her grades up, then this can be a wonderful experience.

* If playing D3 ball means picking an easy major and avoiding academic excellence, then it is time to switch to beer league.

For most college athletes, this is the last chance to play their sport in a competetive way, so if they want to, by all means they should do so if they can.

So OP, is your kid pulling it off academically? Nothing else really matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know anyone in law or engineering that played college sports. Also, if one has goals set for mba/law/medicine/phd at a top school, how can one achieve those grades for entrance when time is spent playing sports? Are these college sports players pursuing business?

I'm a lawyer and I played tennis at a D3 school. Both my undergrad school and law school are ranked in the top 5 in their respective categories by US News. My sister attended the same school for undergrad and played basketball. She has an MBA, again from a top 5 school. Playing a sport in both high school and college taught me time management skills and helped me develop healthy exercise and nutrition habits.

I have a relative right now playing softball for a top notch adademic institution. She has nearly straight As in college. I have no doubt she will be able to become a lawyer should she choose at nearly any institution in the nation.

At my son's big ten school, the engineering school is overrepresented on the marching band. I know that band isn't a sport, but the time committment is equivalent and the kids are definitely pulling it off. Mine could not, but many do.

I have a relative with a PhD in mathematics from one of the top programs in the US/world. He did his sport for his Ivy league college and then went to the olympics.

So, to the first PP: it may turn out that there are lots of people you don't know whose backgrounds belie your experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To get into an Ivy+ caliber college? Yes, worth it.

But 99% of the time I hear a kid is playing sports in college it's at some nobodyville private school or directional U in front of 10 fans. In those cases, absolutely NOT worth it.

Even D1 kids seem to wash out more often than not. You can't control a kid away at college - fact is most do not want to get up at 6am for practice anymore, ESPECIALLY if they're riding the bench as freshman.

+1. I honestly have nothing against college sports, but the vast majority of the kids I know that sought out playing in college ended up at small private colleges in the middle of nowhere.

So, when they were getting their degrees at these schools, some of which do a great job at education people, they had something healthy to do to fill their time. I say it may have been "worth it." Really depends on the college they'd have chosen instead.

[Anonymous]

This is a blog not the New England Journal of Medicine so research reports are not required.

Players in every sport suffer from concussions except swimmers who suffer from water in their ears and wrinkly finger syndrome.