Does anyone else focus on sports for other reasons than college recruitment?

[Anonymous]

College sports aren’t even on my radar for them. I encourage sports so they have less screen time, are social, and have an outlet for exercise that they enjoy and continue lifelong. Obesity runs on both sides of our family, so keeping them active now and giving them the skills to play recreationally in college and adults will hopefully set them up for a lifetime of good health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did it to go to college. My father abandoned us and my mother was a severe addict. The sport was not lucrative but I was rated top 3 nationally and did receive a full scholarship. Given the poor odds in hindsight the scholarship route in some respects was not rational but I was good enough in 10th grade to make it realistic. I am not sure I enjoyed it. I had reasons to be intensely competitive and viewed every competition as a zero sum game. My parents did not go to college and unlike them I was a very good student with high grades, AP courses and high scores. On my own since age 18 and I never get used to DCUM parents and how involved they are in their kids’ lives. I did whatever I wanted to at 18 and because accountability was so important never drank or did drugs or neglected studies and was cautious around women. No safety nets for poor kids.

You realize that you were very lucky, right? Things very easily could have gone the other way.

Yes I think I was genetically lucky in a number of ways, including no attraction to alcohol or drugs. And the athletic talent was lucky too, although I knew I had talent limits. Thanks - and I mean it - for reminding me of how lucky I am.

I do take credit for being extremely respectful of women and treating them with respect. I was sensitive to being kind to others given my awful experiences. It looked like I was avoiding trouble which was true but I really did believe in being kind and respectful. This having been said it was likely a bit of a genetic trait, too.

[Anonymous]

There is no way to put in the work and effort that is necessary to get recruited unless your kid truly enjoys their sport.
Sports kept our kids busy and out of trouble during HS, created a social network and especially for our DS provided peer validation.
Both played D1, which required a huge commitment. However, it has created strong friendships and was extremely helpful for their subsequent academic and professional careers. Yet, again, this was the byproduct of, not the main motivator.

[Anonymous]

For autism.

Hear me out. DS would stay by himself and not meet or interact with other kids at all. Team sports put his focus on learning to work/interact with other kids and work towards a shared goal. Also, he doesn’t have to really hold long conversations with the kids. They all smile and say hi and start playing their game. Nobody has even picked up on the autism because they aren’t around as much as the school kids. Sports is also an outlet for the repetitive stuff he likes to do. Win win.

[Anonymous]

Yes.
Fun.
Teamwork
Commitment
Exercise/Physical Health
Mental Health
Fun
Fun
Fun

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For autism.

Hear me out. DS would stay by himself and not meet or interact with other kids at all. Team sports put his focus on learning to work/interact with other kids and work towards a shared goal. Also, he doesn’t have to really hold long conversations with the kids. They all smile and say hi and start playing their game. Nobody has even picked up on the autism because they aren’t around as much as the school kids. Sports is also an outlet for the repetitive stuff he likes to do. Win win.

This sounds awesome! Good for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Yes, one of my kid's sports is not an NCAA sport, but we still spend a lot of time and money supporting them. They love it, work hard, and are learning what it takes to chase a dream, and we can easily afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. 95% of parents fall into this category it is just that the other 5% are over-represented on this forum.

So agree with this!

My DS is not a kid who likes school--he has adhd and he finds schoolwork boring and tough (but not in an intellectually challenging way). He needs exercise and positive experiences, he is social and need friends, I don't like him to sit around on his phone/screens, and I love that he's learning mentorship, team-dynamics, and sportmanship.

My DS is not going to set any varsity records, he's not going to be recruited, he's just a happy kid enjoying his team sports.

[Anonymous]

Of course. Because it's fun! Because it lets out energy, because it can be creative, because it's a way to channel anger and sadness in a healthy way, because it's a way to make friends outside of school, need I go on?

[Anonymous]

I grew up playing sports, never occurred to me kids wouldn’t. Didn’t have anything to do with college.

Both parents did D3 sports, but things were so different then, college sports really wasn’t on the radar for our kids.

Until…
It became apparent our kid had D1 talent, kid wanted D1 level, kid was recruited, kid is on a SEC team.

[Anonymous]

Yes, 2028 LA Olympics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up playing sports, never occurred to me kids wouldn’t. Didn’t have anything to do with college.

Both parents did D3 sports, but things were so different then, college sports really wasn’t on the radar for our kids.

Until…
It became apparent our kid had D1 talent, kid wanted D1 level, kid was recruited, kid is on a SEC team.

What sport?