Would you support your adult children for doing this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH came to the US as a poor immigrant from Eastern Europe, and became successful financially. He was a very good athlete when he was young but did not have the opportunity to make his dream come true because of the financial situation in his family. Our DS is an athlete at a D1 school, and he will graduate in a few weeks. He wants to play professionally, but it will cost about $80K per year for travel, coaching, and accommodation. DS says he wants to do this for three years before working at a real job. My DS is very good but not at the professional level. We do have the financial means to support DS. My DH is so excited about this and is willing to support DS for the next three years because he didn't have that chance growing up. DH wants DS to experience what he missed growing up in Eastern Europe.

For me, I am not so sure. WWYD?

three years is a long time. Cousins did this for son for one year. They were downhill skiers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in my early 30s, and I personally know 3 people like this. All Olympic potential but not a chance at medaling - just close enough that if they trained full time, hard, they could maybe make the national team. Very obvious they were not going to become successful professional athletes.

One did it straight out of college like your DC, the other two did it maybe 2-4 years out of college. For the latter, it was some combination of the job doesn't give me the freedom to train the way I need to (which at this level, no job could).

Anyways, they all went to grad school in their late 20s. 1 law school, 2 bschool. Bschool loves kids like these. They all have successful jobs now.

This! American business people (men) love former professional/college athletes and someone who went to the Olympics (even if they didn’t medal).

If you can do it w/o any financial pain, I would.

In my career I worked with a couple of former athletes who definitely got preferential treatment and additional career opportunities (and not for the actual work they did at the business).

It won’t hurt their careers and is likely to help (if they stay in the US). Let them live their dream for a couple of years.

The difference is most Olympic athletes know they will never make it as a professional athlete because like only 1% of even Olympic athletes earn any real money in their sport.

Only 1% of Olympic skiers, track and field, etc athletes can make enough as an athlete (with then a future in endorsements and announcing et al) for that to be their life.

Everyone else has a plan for what happens when competing is done…because they have to have a plan.

I doubt this is OP’s kid…but who knows. It sounds like a sport that if you essentially become the equivalent of an Olympic champion, that the payday is significant.

[Anonymous]

Tennis right? It is a losing game.

[Anonymous]

A year sounds about right, and see how it goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tennis right? It is a losing game.

I think tennis is much worse than golf…I read something that like the top 10 men and women suck up like 95% of all the money, maybe another 50 men and women are able to eke out a middle class existence (like net $250k per year) and then everyone else is lucky to break even.

Of course now with social media and what not, there are some influencers who do well but mainly due to their looks…nobody cares how well they perform on the court.

[Anonymous]

I guess I am an outlier, but to me $80k to be able to be on the tennis or golf circuit or play minor league baseball or ski on some dinky tour for a year sounds like a fantastic thing to do. I would do it in a heartbeat if it’s not a hardship.

You only get so many opportunities in life to do something off the beaten path. Early twenties is your most free time. Go for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tennis right? It is a losing game.

I think tennis is much worse than golf…I read something that like the top 10 men and women suck up like 95% of all the money, maybe another 50 men and women are able to eke out a middle class existence (like net $250k per year) and then everyone else is lucky to break even.

Of course now with social media and what not, there are some influencers who do well but mainly due to their looks…nobody cares how well they perform on the court.

This is accurate. There are numerous small tournaments in Eastern Europe, offering an opportunity to rise in the rankings without traveling extensively. However, what American players find there is that the caliber of players is very high compared to those here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you truly have the means to do it and your husband and child want to do it, why wouldn’t you give them this gift? Life is a grind and you have the rest of your life to work. Why not let your kid live his dream? And your husband worked very hard to give this to your kid. I was raised LMC and we are very wealthy. But I can be frugal; I don’t waste money on clothes, cars, or luxury items. I wouldn’t think twice about saying yes to this. (Again we have plenty of money to spare, so 80k wouldn’t be an issue. This is only thing that would hold me back.)

Totally agree. If you have the means, why not?!!!! I would definitely support my DS doing this.?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tennis right? It is a losing game.

I think tennis is much worse than golf…I read something that like the top 10 men and women suck up like 95% of all the money, maybe another 50 men and women are able to eke out a middle class existence (like net $250k per year) and then everyone else is lucky to break even.

Of course now with social media and what not, there are some influencers who do well but mainly due to their looks…nobody cares how well they perform on the court.

And getting the money is what let's them improve more and have better recovery with physical conditioning trainers, psychologists etc.
The player who just had a great run at Miami open as a qualifier (looks a little like a cinderella story) was coached by Nadal's uncle. She earned it, but she was not a D1 college player who stuck with it. Danielle Collins is another story, but she has grit beyond grit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in my early 30s, and I personally know 3 people like this. All Olympic potential but not a chance at medaling - just close enough that if they trained full time, hard, they could maybe make the national team. Very obvious they were not going to become successful professional athletes.

One did it straight out of college like your DC, the other two did it maybe 2-4 years out of college. For the latter, it was some combination of the job doesn't give me the freedom to train the way I need to (which at this level, no job could).

Anyways, they all went to grad school in their late 20s. 1 law school, 2 bschool. Bschool loves kids like these. They all have successful jobs now.

This! American business people (men) love former professional/college athletes and someone who went to the Olympics (even if they didn’t medal).

If you can do it w/o any financial pain, I would.

In my career I worked with a couple of former athletes who definitely got preferential treatment and additional career opportunities (and not for the actual work they did at the business).

It won’t hurt their careers and is likely to help (if they stay in the US). Let them live their dream for a couple of years.

I don’t understand why people would hold a rich subsidised athlete in such high esteem. It’s not like they are a professional or showed the grit and determination to make it off their own bat. Exactly what qualities does it show? Please don’t say it will enhance their social skills. Three years of volunteering abroad or actually working would do that.

[Anonymous]

Your husband did not come here poor

And No absolutely not as a person who could afford this hell no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess I am an outlier, but to me $80k to be able to be on the tennis or golf circuit or play minor league baseball or ski on some dinky tour for a year sounds like a fantastic thing to do. I would do it in a heartbeat if it’s not a hardship.

You only get so many opportunities in life to do something off the beaten path. Early twenties is your most free time. Go for it.

+1

We're currently doing with our DS, and he is currently in his 2nd year on the golf low level challenger tour. He makes zero money on the tour and spends about 6K/month on travel, food, and lodging. He has made so many friends whose families are very wealthy from all over the world, especially in Asia, that he will guarantee to have a job, and make a lot of money when he is done playing golf. He plans to stop playing two years from now. His current gf is from Vietnam and her family is very wealthy, and they own several high-end hotels and golf courses throughout Vietnam. The best decision he ever made by playing on the tour. YOLO, and in order to be successful, one needs to be surrounded by successful people, not a bunch of workabees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people would hold a rich subsidised athlete in such high esteem. It’s not like they are a professional or showed the grit and determination to make it off their own bat. Exactly what qualities does it show? Please don’t say it will enhance their social skills. Three years of volunteering abroad or actually working would do that.

Three years of working an office environment with a bunch of workabees is NOT going to improve your social skills. It only enforces the idea that you will always be a workabee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people would hold a rich subsidised athlete in such high esteem. It’s not like they are a professional or showed the grit and determination to make it off their own bat. Exactly what qualities does it show? Please don’t say it will enhance their social skills. Three years of volunteering abroad or actually working would do that.

Three years of working an office environment with a bunch of workabees is NOT going to improve your social skills. It only enforces the idea that you will always be a workabee.

Okay. But please explain how 3 years as a non-professional sportsperson supported by your parents does. Wouldn’t people sneer at the idea of the sportsperson being underwritten by mummy and daddy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why people would hold a rich subsidised athlete in such high esteem. It’s not like they are a professional or showed the grit and determination to make it off their own bat. Exactly what qualities does it show? Please don’t say it will enhance their social skills. Three years of volunteering abroad or actually working would do that.

Three years of working an office environment with a bunch of workabees is NOT going to improve your social skills. It only enforces the idea that you will always be a workabee.

The term is “worker bee,” not “workabee.” How stupid are you?