Is playing a sport in college "worth it"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The scholarship money was definitely worth it.

But these days, parents spend way more on the sport than the scholarship gives them. I have a friend whose son got a partial scholarship to a college but she said she spend way more on camps, private lessons, equipment, travel, etc. What's the point unless your kid gets a full scholarship?

The point is to get your kid into a better school than they could have gotten admitted to without sports on their resume.

Most of the kids I know ended up at colleges I've never heard of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College is very challenging and athletics are very time consuming.

Consume every bit of knowledge you can while you are there.

Most people cannot afford to take that much time away from the primary reason they are in college - to get a great education.

If you are deeply truly passionate about a sport no one will be able to stop you from playing it, but if your dedication to the sport is anything less than enormous but prudent with your time and concentrate entirely on your academics.

College is very difficult - 50% of those who enter fail to graduate with a Bachelors Degree or higher. Don't risk your GPA or not graduating from college because you spent too many hours in the weight room during your freshman and sophomore years. Imagine the loss and waste one would feel if they played sports in college and that it caused them to never graduate. To have played college sports but to have failed to graduate with a BA would be very humbling. To have played college ball but being unable to put on your resume that you have BA would be very humbling. To have played sports in college but being uncomfortable talking about it because you never graduated would be very humbling.

Go to college, get a great education, get a great job and live a wonderful life.

You might be a lunatic. Seek help.

Love it when the trolls fail to argue their case and resort to ad hominem attacks. It's sad to see a troll who was injured too many times playing sports in college and did not graduate struggle to support their thesis on DCUM. They say Twitter is ideal for individuals who have limited knowledge and arguments limited to 144 characters.

[Anonymous]

Oh no ... I someone on DCUM said I'm a Weirdo!

He also thinks the world is flat and elephants are just big peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Let's hope he's the GOAT of ring toss because his SATs are never going to get him into college.

[Anonymous]

If the kid truly loves it enough to prioritize it over all the possibilities, yes. Unfortunately, they won't know that because sports at any level doesn't
Permit time to explore. So IMO, it makes sense for the gifted few. Other than that, no.

[Anonymous]

I know so many travel sports kids who went to random obscure colleges to play their sport and ended up quitting by the end of their 1st or 2nd year. I say let your kid go to decent college they ACTUALLY want to attend and play club or intramural sports.

[Anonymous]

Is playing a sport worth it? Much depends on the level (Div I, II or III), whether it's a scholarship sport (and does your child need the scholarship in order to go to college), and the sport.

Speaking only for the high academics, it was worth it for our two football sons. They both were admitted to schools that they would NOT have gotten into but for football. For different reasons, they both walked away from their sport before senior year. No matter, they formed close bonds with their teammates, received good internships, and most importantly, used their sport to get into difficult schools. Mind you, neither was on an athletic scholarship (and therefore when they walked away, they were not giving up any financial assistance).

The recruiting process was long and arduous, and we hope our third son can follow in their footsteps (lacrosse, most likely). Two observations from our experience with the older two:

1. Absolutely, do NOT pick a school in order to play your sport. I agree with the posts about attending obscure schools (esp. at the Division III level) just to play your sports. Your sport is not the end, it is a means to an end. The end is receiving an education at a school that you enjoy and will thrive at. On this point, I think many club and high school coaches could do a better job educating kids about these choices.

2. If your child does not have a hook (not a URM, not a legacy, Daddy is not Jared Kushner's dad), and wants to attend an elite school, athletics is the best way to get accepted at these schools. For example, the NESCACs and the Ivies field teams in virtually every sport, and each year, recruited athletes get preferential treatment with coach support in the admissions offices. At some of these schools, athletes make up 25% to 33% of the incoming class. It's worth exploring if your child has those aspirations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh no ... I someone on DCUM said I'm a Weirdo!

He also thinks the world is flat and elephants are just big peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Let's hope he's the GOAT of ring toss because his SATs are never going to get him into college.

Sarcasm is the first word you should look up.

Agree with the many posters who’ve written that the sport shouldn’t dictate the school. But what one person thinks “obscure” is to someone else the perfect choice and not necessarily the cart before the horse. We weren’t familiar with Kenyon before the recruiting process (I know, shame on us) but my daughter fell in love the minute she got to campus. Her interest in sports and the strange path of recruiting led her there but she still chose it for the right reasons.

[Anonymous]

I played Div 1 football -- or should I say I was recruited for Div 1 football. I also wanted to major in a hard major (Physics). The problem with Div 1 football (at least), is it has to be the most important thing in your life.

In my freshman year, we were playing a game on Thursday night (nationally televised); it was a home game. I had a calc III mid-term the next day, and was shown (on TV) studying rather than following the game. There was no way I was going to be in the game. And I wanted a good grade on the exam.

The next day, I was called into the coaches office and told that I was an embarrassment to the team because my focus was on athletics. I was suspended, lost my scholarship, etc. Fortunately, my UMC parents could afford my tuition.

[Anonymous]

My DS graduated from a SLAC and was a D3 athlete for all 4 years. This was totally his choice. To me, the advantages were an immediate group of friends with a common bond. From this bond, I saw my DS become a leader and a mentor for the younger student athletes. At his D3 school, he also was on the board of some general athletic committee and was an RA. Overall, being an athlete was a great experience for him. A sport can be a resume builder, as well as a network builder. Alumni often show up to an alumni meet/game etc reliving the good old days. The alumni connection can often lead to an internship experience. As a parent, you need to be supportive, but remind them them that school is the main priority then the sport. Finally, my DS is in his final year of medical school, but has a group of college friends (also athletes) are equally successful.

[Anonymous]

D1 full ride scholarships are SUPER rare. Most swim, field hockey, lax, etc. are only on tuition or more than likely PARTIAL tuition scholarships. Tuition at a state school is only like $12k-16k a year. So 10+ years of travel sports and squandering all your weekends and after-school carpooling for 50 grand? Dumb.

What's dumber than that? Letting your kid go to some sh*thole private school in the middle of nowhere so they can keep their silly dream alive. A dream they have a 90% chance of quitting once they ride the bench and discover partying & casual hookups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS graduated from a SLAC and was a D3 athlete for all 4 years. This was totally his choice. To me, the advantages were an immediate group of friends with a common bond. From this bond, I saw my DS become a leader and a mentor for the younger student athletes. At his D3 school, he also was on the board of some general athletic committee and was an RA. Overall, being an athlete was a great experience for him. A sport can be a resume builder, as well as a network builder. Alumni often show up to an alumni meet/game etc reliving the good old days. The alumni connection can often lead to an internship experience. As a parent, you need to be supportive, but remind them them that school is the main priority then the sport. Finally, my DS is in his final year of medical school, but has a group of college friends (also athletes) are equally successful.

Glad it worked out nicely for your son. Not everyone is quite as fortunate. Congratulations on medical school too. Your son is clearly an extrodinary young man. You are justifiied to be proud of his accomplishments

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh no ... I someone on DCUM said I'm a Weirdo!

He also thinks the world is flat and elephants are just big peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Let's hope he's the GOAT of ring toss because his SATs are never going to get him into college.

Sarcasm is the first word you should look up.

Agree with the many posters who’ve written that the sport shouldn’t dictate the school. But what one person thinks “obscure” is to someone else the perfect choice and not necessarily the cart before the horse. We weren’t familiar with Kenyon before the recruiting process (I know, shame on us) but my daughter fell in love the minute she got to campus. Her interest in sports and the strange path of recruiting led her there but she still chose it for the right reasons.

This is a blog not a scavenger hunt. Why are you telling people to go searching for words? By custom a person makes a statement and provides informaion supporting that statement. To simply say go look up a word without any supporting evidence doesn't make any sense.

Glad Kenyon is working out nicely for your daughter. Only 25-30% have a bachelor's degree or higher. Graduation will immediately place her above 70% of of other applicants in the job market today.

[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?

And the concussions aren’t great for having long term analytical and academic skills.
Maybe if you’re going to work in the business world the connections are worth it though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:D1 full ride scholarships are SUPER rare. Most swim, field hockey, lax, etc. are only on tuition or more than likely PARTIAL tuition scholarships. Tuition at a state school is only like $12k-16k a year. So 10+ years of travel sports and squandering all your weekends and after-school carpooling for 50 grand? Dumb.

What's dumber than that? Letting your kid go to some sh*thole private school in the middle of nowhere so they can keep their silly dream alive. A dream they have a 90% chance of quitting once they ride the bench and discover partying & casual hookups.

Judge much? My DD quit sports by high school (for academics) but I enjoyed taking her to her travel games and practices for a few years.
It was fun to watch them play, taught her hard work and some social skills and I enjoyed socializing with the other families

For some people, especially those who aren’t geniuses in school, sports might be a great career path for them. Maybe that obscure private school will be great for them.

[Anonymous]

So much ignorance on this thread. My DC is a recruited athlete at a top NESCAC and is having an excellent time playing sports with an awesome group of young adults. DC has a 3.8, is pursuing a double major, plans on writing a thesis, has a very active social life. And obviously there is no aid of any kind. It really isn’t that hard at the D3 level.