Sporty families bragging about offers and committing to awful colleges in the middle of nowhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am with OP - some of the schools are really not good and there is no reason to commit at age 14-15 to some school that has a 100% admission rate. Just saying....

Parents living through their kids athletic pursuits crave bragging about the child “playing at the next level” ... 6 months into the no-name middle of nowhere college, they’ve quietly quit the team and are begging to transfer to a state school with high school friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But, as many have said, why is this YOUR business?

You can’t constantly brag for 10 to 15 years, fishing for a stream of praise and dopamine hits, and expect nobody to critique.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you OP.

They need to justify the thousand and thousands of sunk hours and dollars.

D3 and most of D2 and even many D1 get no money for sports. People are really ignorant.

OP isn't saying sports are bad, or college sports are useless...just nothing to brag about!

I don’t know the difference between D1 and D2 and D3, I just know a crummy college when I see one. It’s really irrational to go pay big bucks for a subpar university you’d never look at or go to were it not for a roster spot on a team that plays in front of maybe 20 people.

[Anonymous]

Are these braggy families you're focused on getting $$ at these colleges or just admission and a spot on the team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know the difference between D1 and D2 and D3, I just know a crummy college when I see one. It’s really irrational to go pay big bucks for a subpar university you’d never look at or go to were it not for a roster spot on a team that plays in front of maybe 20 people.

While I may agree with your premise, your choice to broadcast and champion your ignorance is a poor choice that weakens it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know the difference between D1 and D2 and D3, I just know a crummy college when I see one. It’s really irrational to go pay big bucks for a subpar university you’d never look at or go to were it not for a roster spot on a team that plays in front of maybe 20 people.

While I may agree with your premise, your choice to broadcast and champion your ignorance is a poor choice that weakens it.

PP can detect crumminess just by seeing a college. That’s impressive.

[Anonymous]

I was a college athlete and can honestly say that in every internship or job interview I had, I was asked about sports and the lessons and qualities I learned from them. I was D1 but the things you do and learn are the same and they are valuable skills in life and the workplace. So go on and shit on these families and kids all you want—they just might be the ones eventually beating your precious Johnny out for a job one day.

[Anonymous]

Here's a shocker... maybe those awful, middle of nowhere colleges gave their kids lots of $$.

Not every kid has rich parents to pay their way, even in this area. There are tons of parents who appear rich in their $800k+ homes and their Tesela cars, but when it comes time to pay for even simple things like a busted water heater, they are SOL and splitting it on multiple credit cards.

I've worked with these kids and families. I've been present when the parents finally have to fess up and let the kids know that yeah, we take 4+ vacations each year and yeah, you drive a nice car, but no, we can't pay for your college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Facebook feed is full of this right now. Nothing we'd ever do, but if you want to brag about your child's athletic offer from D1 UVA or Michigan or using sports as a hook to get into super-selective Dartmouth, Chicago or Williams, be my guest. But those are less than 5% of sporty families. The rest boast how their 15 years of sports obsession netted their kids D3 offers from completely mediocre regional private colleges nobody has ever heard of. Or some open admit regional public commuter university they'd never entertain going to were it not for the chance to play sports. What's the mindset that drives this? Seem so irrational. After freshman year, most kids quietly quit the sport and often transfer to a bigger university their high school friends went to.


Is it ego? Do sporty parents lack the ability to cede the 15 years of sports obsession can gracefully end in 12th grade?

MYOB. Or un-friend. Are you really friends? Feels like not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you OP.

They need to justify the thousand and thousands of sunk hours and dollars.

D3 and most of D2 and even many D1 get no money for sports. People are really ignorant.

OP isn't saying sports are bad, or college sports are useless...just nothing to brag about!

Or maybe it's just for the love of sports!

[Anonymous]

God, the ignorance of these "academically focused" parents is appalling.

D2 schools typically offer 50% athletic scholarships, and will often offer at least 25% of the remainder of tuition and COA in merit aid. D2 schools are a great way for good athletes to afford a college education. Maybe PP who has never heard of these schools thinks they are awful, but the firms that hire their graduates know that they're getting smart, focused kids who were able to balance demanding academic and athletic schedules and succeed. At the end of the day, the kid's demonstrated work ethic and organizational skills matter more to many hiring managers than the name on the diploma. I'm good friends with a family that's sending several kids who otherwise couldn't afford college to school that way.

And, for all of the sour grapes parents of non-athletic kids: no parents that I know or my son played with supported their kids' travel sports teams in hopes of college scholarship. The kids enjoyed playing and they parent and community enjoyed their success. That's really all there is to it. Also, it's not like most parents are surprised by how recruiting goes for their kids. If you're going to get a D1 offer, you've likely already heard from a dozen D2 and D3 programs, and you are playing with mostly kids who are getting offers. If their kids haven't already heard from lots of D2 and D3 coaches, then parents know they aren't going to hear from D1 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am with OP - some of the schools are really not good and there is no reason to commit at age 14-15 to some school that has a 100% admission rate. Just saying....

Parents living through their kids athletic pursuits crave bragging about the child “playing at the next level” ... 6 months into the no-name middle of nowhere college, they’ve quietly quit the team and are begging to transfer to a state school with high school friends.

Parents living through their kids’ acceptance to a brand name college are doing the same. I know many kids who opt out of competitive brand name colleges after burning out in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a college athlete and can honestly say that in every internship or job interview I had, I was asked about sports and the lessons and qualities I learned from them. I was D1 but the things you do and learn are the same and they are valuable skills in life and the workplace. So go on and shit on these families and kids all you want—they just might be the ones eventually beating your precious Johnny out for a job one day.

An employer asked a college kid about the small handful of things on their thin resume? Wow, just wow.

Is it your assertion that playing a sport at an open admit 13th grade U or broke LAC in nobodyville, USA sets you up more than attending a more selective, brand name, more resources, superior faculty, better financial aid university or LAC? Because that’s a bit deluded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Facebook feed is full of this right now. Nothing we'd ever do, but if you want to brag about your child's athletic offer from D1 UVA or Michigan or using sports as a hook to get into super-selective Dartmouth, Chicago or Williams, be my guest. But those are less than 5% of sporty families. The rest boast how their 15 years of sports obsession netted their kids D3 offers from completely mediocre regional private colleges nobody has ever heard of. Or some open admit regional public commuter university they'd never entertain going to were it not for the chance to play sports. What's the mindset that drives this? Seem so irrational. After freshman year, most kids quietly quit the sport and often transfer to a bigger university their high school friends went to.


Is it ego? Do sporty parents lack the ability to cede the 15 years of sports obsession can gracefully end in 12th grade?

Why does what other people do and say bother you so much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are these braggy families you're focused on getting $$ at these colleges or just admission and a spot on the team?

Student-athlete scholarships are very rare. Not allowed period at D3. The fake discount “scholarships” are given to literally everyone admitted to crummy colleges.