Why do travel sports parents ignore academics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously not all, but you know what I mean. The best case scenario is your teen is one of the top 5% (?) who will get an athletic scholarship to college. OK...well...they still have to major in something. Patrician sports parents get this, but the middle class sports -- football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, softball, swimming -- parents rarely seem to. They let the sport just consume their and their kid's life, then they get to college and can only handle communications or sociology.

The top swimmers on our summer team ended up at Duke, Williams, Cornell, Brown, and Dartmouth. I have no clue where you are getting your information from. Not all but most strong athletes learn time management skills to get their work done and excell in their sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the kids I know who are high level athletes are also outstanding students.

Bullshit. Maybe at STA or Langley, but not at an average public.

Are you concerned that kids who are talented at both athletics and academics will have an advantage over kids who have great academics but not other talents?

My guess is yes. I don't even have kids this old yet but I always wonder this when I see these kinds of post. WTF would someone care unless they are pissed that their super smart kid doesn't get "glory" but the "less than" athletes do.

[Anonymous]

They are all getting athletic scholarships! No - seriously I have coached both soccer and basketball teams and I have noticed this trend for multiple reasons: They think it is the easiest way to get a scholarship, want their child to playba sport in HS and not be nerdy, parents enjoy the entertainment and socializing, the erroneously think their kid needs to play a sport to get into a good college, they ignore academics falling for the line that their is a college for everyone and they like the status. The stories I could tell!

[Anonymous]

Some other parents are VERY unrealistic about their children but all mama crows think their baby crow is the blackest.

Just understand that much of life is a competition and that this is good for your child.

What if every other child in the United States started a lot more time studying for the SAT? Either your child does the same or his score relative to the rest of the other student would drop.

A very long winded MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are all getting athletic scholarships! No - seriously I have coached both soccer and basketball teams and I have noticed this trend for multiple reasons: They think it is the easiest way to get a scholarship, want their child to playba sport in HS and not be nerdy, parents enjoy the entertainment and socializing, the erroneously think their kid needs to play a sport to get into a good college, they ignore academics falling for the line that their is a college for everyone and they like the status. The stories I could tell!

I think it has a lot to do with inability to delay gratification. As in, it's super exciting to watch your kid win some dumb game every other weekend from age 5 to 17 ... or they can study, do some interesting clubs, etc. from age 5 to 17 and get into an unbelievable college. Simpleton parents choose the short-term highs over the long game.

[Anonymous]

You obviously don't have a child who is truly passionate about sports. I have three kids who all participate in sports and only one is truly passionate. It's very different and has nothing to do with grades. There isn't a parallel. My child is also an outstanding student, well over a 4.0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all getting athletic scholarships! No - seriously I have coached both soccer and basketball teams and I have noticed this trend for multiple reasons: They think it is the easiest way to get a scholarship, want their child to playba sport in HS and not be nerdy, parents enjoy the entertainment and socializing, the erroneously think their kid needs to play a sport to get into a good college, they ignore academics falling for the line that their is a college for everyone and they like the status. The stories I could tell!

I think it has a lot to do with inability to delay gratification. As in, it's super exciting to watch your kid win some dumb game every other weekend from age 5 to 17 ... or they can study, do some interesting clubs, etc. from age 5 to 17 and get into an unbelievable college. Simpleton parents choose the short-term highs over the long game.

There is nothing exciting about six year old baseball.

There is value in things beyond college. Learning to play a game and enjoy it, learning to work as a team, enjoying being active, having fun... that has value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all getting athletic scholarships! No - seriously I have coached both soccer and basketball teams and I have noticed this trend for multiple reasons: They think it is the easiest way to get a scholarship, want their child to playba sport in HS and not be nerdy, parents enjoy the entertainment and socializing, the erroneously think their kid needs to play a sport to get into a good college, they ignore academics falling for the line that their is a college for everyone and they like the status. The stories I could tell!

I think it has a lot to do with inability to delay gratification. As in, it's super exciting to watch your kid win some dumb game every other weekend from age 5 to 17 ... or they can study, do some interesting clubs, etc. from age 5 to 17 and get into an unbelievable college. Simpleton parents choose the short-term highs over the long game.

A kid who is talented at academics and sports has a leg up over kids who only exhibit academic talents. The kids I know who got into "unbelievable" colleges had talents and activities outside of academics. Colleges love kids who have shown the ability to get great grades and test scores while being heavily involved in non-acdemic activities that take up a lot of their time.

If your kids are still young, I'd advise you to ask your children what they would like to do after school, other than studying and academic clubs.

It is not "ignoring academics" to have your kids involved in other activities, also. It is helping your child to develop many different facets of their personalities and helping them grow up to be adults who are capable of many kinds of high achievement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Focussing on elite sports vs academics in some white families is a sign of white privilege.

DCUM is number #1 in the demo today.

Highly entertaining...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously not all, but you know what I mean. The best case scenario is your teen is one of the top 5% (?) who will get an athletic scholarship to college. OK...well...they still have to major in something. Patrician sports parents get this, but the middle class sports -- football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, softball, swimming -- parents rarely seem to. They let the sport just consume their and their kid's life, then they get to college and can only handle communications or sociology.

Can you please define patrician sports, as you view them, for us? I want to see this...giggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the kids I know who are high level athletes are also outstanding students.

""
this is the truth. People who have kids that don't play do not want to admit this. Some kids are just gifted all around. The "best" athletes I know are all honor roll too. Many play instruments as well. I have three kids, two are average one is amazing...all three have good grades and are involved in the arts. All three great at different things.

Winner, winner chicken dinner!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the kids I know who are high level athletes are also outstanding students.

""
this is the truth. People who have kids that don't play do not want to admit this. Some kids are just gifted all around. The "best" athletes I know are all honor roll too. Many play instruments as well. I have three kids, two are average one is amazing...all three have good grades and are involved in the arts. All three great at different things.

Winner, winner chicken dinner!

You left out "good looks" as well.

It burns people up when a good looking kid is incredibly smart/great student as well as great athlete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all getting athletic scholarships! No - seriously I have coached both soccer and basketball teams and I have noticed this trend for multiple reasons: They think it is the easiest way to get a scholarship, want their child to playba sport in HS and not be nerdy, parents enjoy the entertainment and socializing, the erroneously think their kid needs to play a sport to get into a good college, they ignore academics falling for the line that their is a college for everyone and they like the status. The stories I could tell!

I think it has a lot to do with inability to delay gratification. As in, it's super exciting to watch your kid win some dumb game every other weekend from age 5 to 17 ... or they can study, do some interesting clubs, etc. from age 5 to 17 and get into an unbelievable college. Simpleton parents choose the short-term highs over the long game.

Or maybe people enjoy watching their kids participate activities the kids enjoy. Sports are what some kids define as "interesting clubs" and many sports kids are also top students. You may be surprised at how many "unbelievable colleges" like to accept students who are well rounded and not one dimensional.

[Anonymous]

The flip side is that there are a lot of parents who do not want to do things with their kids if it takes away from what they want to do. Coaching a team or being a group leader or organizing activities for kids all take time, effort and money. Lots of parents would rather focus on themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the kids I know who are high level athletes are also outstanding students.

""
this is the truth. People who have kids that don't play do not want to admit this. Some kids are just gifted all around. The "best" athletes I know are all honor roll too. Many play instruments as well. I have three kids, two are average one is amazing...all three have good grades and are involved in the arts. All three great at different things.

Winner, winner chicken dinner!

You left out "good looks" as well.

It burns people up when a good looking kid is incredibly smart/great student as well as great athlete.

I don't really see this in my DD's friends. Some kids are just smarter than their peers. They understand things more deeply and just produce higher quality work. Other kids care about their sport and their whole family seems to enjoy the time put into it. Others appear to be musically talented or whatnot. I am sure they exist but I think the number of kids that excel at "everything" is very small. Maybe you haven't actually seen a truly smart kid? Or a truly amazing athlete? I do think it's possible to be well-rounded and certainly some kids have that going for them