Niche sports and rich-kid affirmative action: The Atlantic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What really stands out is that some poor kid from the inner city who fills out his college applications doesn't actually know that he's not competing with Fred. He's competing with Fred's mom who has an MA, and Fred's Dad, and a nanny who does research, and a coach who works for the family and a college admissions consultant and the pilot of the private plane, and some kind of sports strategist, a couple of regular tutors as well as the tutor who 'helped' write the essay. Also, a couple of psychologists, and the staff of the pricey summer camp, etc.

What stands out to me in all these stories is that this is a kid who is being produced by a team. It's not really fair that individuals have to compete with conglomerates.

That's a great way of putting it. And you'd like to think that admissions officers would take this into account, but I think that it can become invisible to them, or that they know it in an intellectual sense but not deep down enough that it's internalized, so they can't help but be more impressed by the more polished and accomplished-looking kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What really stands out is that some poor kid from the inner city who fills out his college applications doesn't actually know that he's not competing with Fred. He's competing with Fred's mom who has an MA, and Fred's Dad, and a nanny who does research, and a coach who works for the family and a college admissions consultant and the pilot of the private plane, and some kind of sports strategist, a couple of regular tutors as well as the tutor who 'helped' write the essay. Also, a couple of psychologists, and the staff of the pricey summer camp, etc.

What stands out to me in all these stories is that this is a kid who is being produced by a team. It's not really fair that individuals have to compete with conglomerates.

The inner city kid has a team too. And if you feel bad, you can contribute towards teams that help inner city kids so that their teams can improve.

[Anonymous]

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/920339.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What really stands out is that some poor kid from the inner city who fills out his college applications doesn't actually know that he's not competing with Fred. He's competing with Fred's mom who has an MA, and Fred's Dad, and a nanny who does research, and a coach who works for the family and a college admissions consultant and the pilot of the private plane, and some kind of sports strategist, a couple of regular tutors as well as the tutor who 'helped' write the essay. Also, a couple of psychologists, and the staff of the pricey summer camp, etc.

What stands out to me in all these stories is that this is a kid who is being produced by a team. It's not really fair that individuals have to compete with conglomerates.

That's a great way of putting it. And you'd like to think that admissions officers would take this into account, but I think that it can become invisible to them, or that they know it in an intellectual sense but not deep down enough that it's internalized, so they can't help but be more impressed by the more polished and accomplished-looking kid.

Colleges are business too. People keep forgetting that. They will admit kids who will make their college look good, respected, selective, elite.. whatever you may want to call it. Admitting a kid who they know is already going places only makes them look good and competitive. They have no need to admit regular kids. Sucks but that's how I have come to understand this crap shoot game of college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What really stands out is that some poor kid from the inner city who fills out his college applications doesn't actually know that he's not competing with Fred. He's competing with Fred's mom who has an MA, and Fred's Dad, and a nanny who does research, and a coach who works for the family and a college admissions consultant and the pilot of the private plane, and some kind of sports strategist, a couple of regular tutors as well as the tutor who 'helped' write the essay. Also, a couple of psychologists, and the staff of the pricey summer camp, etc.

What stands out to me in all these stories is that this is a kid who is being produced by a team. It's not really fair that individuals have to compete with conglomerates.

My son has participated in three of these sports. Two of them are free or very low cost to inner city students where I live- rowing and squash.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What really stands out is that some poor kid from the inner city who fills out his college applications doesn't actually know that he's not competing with Fred. He's competing with Fred's mom who has an MA, and Fred's Dad, and a nanny who does research, and a coach who works for the family and a college admissions consultant and the pilot of the private plane, and some kind of sports strategist, a couple of regular tutors as well as the tutor who 'helped' write the essay. Also, a couple of psychologists, and the staff of the pricey summer camp, etc.

What stands out to me in all these stories is that this is a kid who is being produced by a team. It's not really fair that individuals have to compete with conglomerates.

My son has participated in three of these sports. Two of them are free or very low cost to inner city students where I live- rowing and squash.

Well, that makes all the difference.
Does the free or low cost rowing and squash come with world class coaches who move into the guest house? How about oppo research dossiers on opponents so the live in coach can devise strategies targeted to each opponent? How about the sports psychologist, and the national international tournament and showcase play to ensure the kid taking advantage of the free programs gets much needed time with recruiting coaches at top flight universities? Did you even READ the article?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good. I am an immigrant and cannot understand the obsession with sports in this country. I think sports are great for physical fitness and to learn a few important social skills - but I don't think sports should play any role at all into college admission.

My kids only do sports for recreational purposes and I refuse to get drawn into those travel teams that costs thousands per year plus all that time commitment. No way. Unless a child has a really remarkable talent and loves it, it is not worthy it.

As an American who went to an Ivy and played a sport and never was really that good and now has a non-sports job and family --

The experience I had of competition on a team, of working hard to get better, and knowing how to be a good winner and loser, was super valuable for my adult life. (Not saying it needs to be a varsity scholarship sport, though.)

Also, learning to trash-talk weak cowardly white men who thought they were god's gift and wanted to cheap shot you to get ahead was also extremely valuable. Kick their butts on the field, hit them back if they hit you, and they fold like a house of cards.

If only our namby-pamby White House correspondents corps had played sports and learned to do this, we'd all be much better off today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What really stands out is that some poor kid from the inner city who fills out his college applications doesn't actually know that he's not competing with Fred. He's competing with Fred's mom who has an MA, and Fred's Dad, and a nanny who does research, and a coach who works for the family and a college admissions consultant and the pilot of the private plane, and some kind of sports strategist, a couple of regular tutors as well as the tutor who 'helped' write the essay. Also, a couple of psychologists, and the staff of the pricey summer camp, etc.

What stands out to me in all these stories is that this is a kid who is being produced by a team. It's not really fair that individuals have to compete with conglomerates.

My son has participated in three of these sports. Two of them are free or very low cost to inner city students where I live- rowing and squash.

Hahahaha you didn't read the article. You're one of the perpetrators they're writing about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What really stands out is that some poor kid from the inner city who fills out his college applications doesn't actually know that he's not competing with Fred. He's competing with Fred's mom who has an MA, and Fred's Dad, and a nanny who does research, and a coach who works for the family and a college admissions consultant and the pilot of the private plane, and some kind of sports strategist, a couple of regular tutors as well as the tutor who 'helped' write the essay. Also, a couple of psychologists, and the staff of the pricey summer camp, etc.

What stands out to me in all these stories is that this is a kid who is being produced by a team. It's not really fair that individuals have to compete with conglomerates.

My son has participated in three of these sports. Two of them are free or very low cost to inner city students where I live- rowing and squash.

Well, that makes all the difference.
Does the free or low cost rowing and squash come with world class coaches who move into the guest house? How about oppo research dossiers on opponents so the live in coach can devise strategies targeted to each opponent? How about the sports psychologist, and the national international tournament and showcase play to ensure the kid taking advantage of the free programs gets much needed time with recruiting coaches at top flight universities? Did you even READ the article?

They got free tutoring and free SAT/ACT tutoring. Many got scholarships. Isn't that the end result? Boom!

[Anonymous]

I get the impression that most of the previous commenters didn’t actually read the article. The point is that, between the increasing numbers of kids playing these niche sports, and the colleges’ increasing level of discomfort with the fact that they serve only to benefit the admission chances of rich, “overserved” students, they aren’t the golden ticket they used to be. COVID has given colleges the perfect excuse to eliminate these sports, and many are doing it.

Having a kid in a DC private school, none of this was news, but it was fascinating to me how many coaches they got to go on the record with their unflattering (at best) descriptions of this world and the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What really stands out is that some poor kid from the inner city who fills out his college applications doesn't actually know that he's not competing with Fred. He's competing with Fred's mom who has an MA, and Fred's Dad, and a nanny who does research, and a coach who works for the family and a college admissions consultant and the pilot of the private plane, and some kind of sports strategist, a couple of regular tutors as well as the tutor who 'helped' write the essay. Also, a couple of psychologists, and the staff of the pricey summer camp, etc.

What stands out to me in all these stories is that this is a kid who is being produced by a team. It's not really fair that individuals have to compete with conglomerates.

My son has participated in three of these sports. Two of them are free or very low cost to inner city students where I live- rowing and squash.

Well, that makes all the difference.
Does the free or low cost rowing and squash come with world class coaches who move into the guest house? How about oppo research dossiers on opponents so the live in coach can devise strategies targeted to each opponent? How about the sports psychologist, and the national international tournament and showcase play to ensure the kid taking advantage of the free programs gets much needed time with recruiting coaches at top flight universities? Did you even READ the article?

They got free tutoring and free SAT/ACT tutoring. Many got scholarships. Isn't that the end result? Boom!

You obviously didn’t read the article. The lack of results shown by these programs was discussed. How can a kid who plays with a group once a week compete with a kid with a private court at their home and a former world-ranked professional live-in coach?

[Anonymous]

Bread and circuses, these supposed "rich" are not really that wealthy else they would simply donate 7, 8+ figures behind the scenes, need to keep the masses occupied on mindless pursuits particularly if they can potentially break into the important "stuff"...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bread and circuses, these supposed "rich" are not really that wealthy else they would simply donate 7, 8+ figures behind the scenes, need to keep the masses occupied on mindless pursuits particularly if they can potentially break into the important "stuff"...

You obviously didn’t read the article — at least two billionaires were called out by name. It did occur to me that the billionaire’s kid doesn’t need the sport for a hook. I think it’s more a result of someone who has reached that level is going to be competitive about everything they do, even parenting. Plus, providing the live-in private coach is just a drop in the bucket for them, so why not?

It is sort of sad (although I can’t feel too badly for them) when the “normal rich” try to compete with the billionaires’ kids in the more expensive sports. You really see it in the equestrian world. Town & Country once did a list of the top equestriennes in the world and Bruce Springsteen’s daughter was the poorest one on the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What really stands out is that some poor kid from the inner city who fills out his college applications doesn't actually know that he's not competing with Fred. He's competing with Fred's mom who has an MA, and Fred's Dad, and a nanny who does research, and a coach who works for the family and a college admissions consultant and the pilot of the private plane, and some kind of sports strategist, a couple of regular tutors as well as the tutor who 'helped' write the essay. Also, a couple of psychologists, and the staff of the pricey summer camp, etc.

What stands out to me in all these stories is that this is a kid who is being produced by a team. It's not really fair that individuals have to compete with conglomerates.

My son has participated in three of these sports. Two of them are free or very low cost to inner city students where I live- rowing and squash.

Well, that makes all the difference.
Does the free or low cost rowing and squash come with world class coaches who move into the guest house? How about oppo research dossiers on opponents so the live in coach can devise strategies targeted to each opponent? How about the sports psychologist, and the national international tournament and showcase play to ensure the kid taking advantage of the free programs gets much needed time with recruiting coaches at top flight universities? Did you even READ the article?

They got free tutoring and free SAT/ACT tutoring. Many got scholarships. Isn't that the end result? Boom!

You obviously didn’t read the article. The lack of results shown by these programs was discussed. How can a kid who plays with a group once a week compete with a kid with a private court at their home and a former world-ranked professional live-in coach?

I did read the article. The rowers earned college scholarships because they rowed 3 seasons a year plus did cross-training in the winter. They rowed 5 days a week. It was an intense program. It worked out well for them.

[Anonymous]

Also, the point of the article is that niche sports angle isn’t working anymore. Because in a new global applicant pool there is always a beast somewhere.

You can see this around here too if you’re a swim parent. The ones who will swim in college don’t get blown out of the water by the triallists. There aren’t that many of those even in PVS.