Is playing a sport in college "worth it"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That said, my brother wasted years of his life trying to make the Olympics in his sport. He spent all of college exclusively focused on that goal. He missed making an alternate for the team by one slot. He did graduate from college after 5 years, but with a crap major and a crap GPA. It's haunted home for years and now in his mid 30s he's still playing catch up. The dream of an Olympic medal was a huge bust for his life, as I'm sure it is for many.

Is it his attitude that he "wasted his life" on a "bust" or is it yours? I don't think he should regret what he did at all. You have to be a tremendous athlete to be "almost" Olympic quality. That is an achievement in and of itself and the effort is by no means wasted. If he hadn't tried to make the team, he'd have spent the rest of his life regretting it.

Plenty of people graduate with crap GPAs in crap majors without doing any sports at all. Then they go on to lead productive and happy lives, because once you have graduated nobody gives a shit what your undergrad major or GPA were.

Some people spend six years getting a PhD and then never become professors. Did they waste years of their life on a huge bust?

I don't know exactly what he thinks about those years at this point, but I do know that when he missed making the team he was 26. He had never had time for any other professional ambitions. He had never thought through his major. He had missed all chances of getting a college internship to try out careers. He had a GPA that disqualified him for any serious grad school. He had nothing but the gym and big muscles. He tried being a personal trainer briefly, but his clients didn't push themselves hard enough. He didn't have certifications to train serious athletes....and he didn't want to be a trainer anyways. If he couldn't play, he was done with his sport.

He is now mid-30s and is just starting to get back on track after floundering for many years. He feels like he is about a decade behind his peers. At a time when he would like to be buying a house, getting married and having kids, he's still working a minimum wage job and trying to retake classes to get into grad school. He really wants to be a neuroscientist. It's been a rough decade for him. Really rough. I'm still not sure if the Olympics were really his dream or my father's. All I know is that he hasn't been happy with his professional or personal life in almost a decade. Choosing althetics closed many doors for him.

[Anonymous]

Nearly every college student-athlete I know from my kids' travel sports days quit their sport and/or transferred colleges. It's just so indulgent and silly to keep obsessing over sports after high school. Get your rocks off playing pickup in the college rec center, intramurals or club.

[Anonymous]

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?

Wrong. My son has accepted a partial scholarship at a hugely expensive D1 school, which over 4 years will work out to over $100K. We definitely did not spend $100K on camps, lessons, etc., even if you go all the way back to first grade. I am not saying that his situation is typical because it’s pretty much like hitting the lottery, in terms of the combination of talent, drive, and sheer luck that puts you in a position like this. But if your kid is really passionate about their sport, as well as actually talented and projectable, it can work out really well. This school would have been out of reach for him academically and financially without the sport.

But this is not just a financial calculation anyway, deciding whether it is “worth it” to spend money and time supporting your kid in something they love to do. For my son there are the intangibles that he has gotten from his sport and that he will continue to accrue in college and afterwards, through a network of former players that are working in the same profession that he wants to pursue.

[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?

We know a lot of lawyers who were swimmers ... not that many engineers

[Anonymous]

female here. did not get recruited for scholarship for my sport. but showed an interest in being a walk-on.

Due to injuries to the team, the coach asked a few of us that were interested to become walk-ons. We would practice with the team, sit on bench at home games, and receive team gear. but no scholarship money was offered. they had none to give.

I was a top student-athlete from my high school and had lined up an office internship at my college already. I thought to myself, "why would i want to give up the internship for no money exchanged, just to run around and sweat and a second-hand/second thought member of a team? College was hard enough and although I was still getting decent grades, why put myself through the rigor?"

it was the best decision for me, as my parents could afford to send me to this great college. had I been recruited for scholarship pay, my thought process would perhaps be different. but i saw no glory in being a bench player, who wasn't legit in the first place.

at the end of the day, i had enough other extra curriculars on my resume where not taking up the offer did not matter. also, i was able to work on my gpa and move it to a B+. it would have been much lower had i pursued the offer.

imho, it's not worth it to continue with a sport in high school if you have nor made varsity by sophomore year. use the rest of your high school time homing in on activities that you can excel at or transfer to a team where you can make varsity and start in sophomore year.

imho, it's not worth it to walk on to a team in college if you did not get recruited for a scholarship. there are a myriad of other things that you can utilize your time on. plus, you will have more energy and more time to focus on academics.

[Anonymous]

My sibling played D3, graduated with a BS degree, went to an excellent medical school, and is now a successful physician.

[Anonymous]

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 might be the difference between admission to an Ivy versus a directional NAIA school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sure if all those athletes at Johns Hopkins could see this thread, they might need to change their majors from chemical and microbiology engineering/public health(horror) to..... PE education?

Come on - no one at Hopkins even takes the time to go watch the lax team, never mind play on the team and graduate.
Or were you referring to those quidditch matches on the lawn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sure if all those athletes at Johns Hopkins could see this thread, they might need to change their majors from chemical and microbiology engineering/public health(horror) to..... PE education?

Come on - no one at Hopkins even takes the time to go watch the lax team, never mind play on the team and graduate.
Or were you referring to those quidditch matches on the lawn?

Most John Hopkins' lacrosse players major in either sociology, business, internal studies, etc... that's what I see when I scan through the roster. I am not seeing anyone on the roster major in chemical/medical engineering, premed or any STEM majors. John Hopkins is a great D3 school for its academic.

Maybe some lacrosse players did major in premed or STEM but they get hit in the head too many times with either the ball or the stick and suffer concussions so STEM majors is out of the question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a blog to me and if you truly believe the world is flat that's okay too.

Playing college sports are fine for some, but for most they are not. They are a drain on a student's precious time in college. It's not just practice and the games, it's also the 12 months they have to spend in the weight room. College is for the purpose of expanding ones mind not their biceps and unfortunately there is an inverse relationship between the two.

If you can play college sports and avoid breaking your cranium, and graduate not thinking the world is flat, then be my guest play college sports to your hearts content.

Does the time spent in the weight room exceed what would be spent on a part time job? Most people I know worked during college, which could be considered a "drain on their precious time". Did everyone on DCUM have mommies and Daddies that footed all their bills in college so that they could spend all their time preparing for a top 5 law school?

[Anonymous]

It all depends on the kid. Not everyone can hack it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sure if all those athletes at Johns Hopkins could see this thread, they might need to change their majors from chemical and microbiology engineering/public health(horror) to..... PE education?

Come on - no one at Hopkins even takes the time to go watch the lax team, never mind play on the team and graduate.
Or were you referring to those quidditch matches on the lawn?

You clearly never played a sport. At D3 few players expect a crowd. You don’t expect one and you don’t need it either. You play because it’s healthy, fun and for the friendships. My daughter spent part of this summer with her college lacrosse team traveling overseas. Incredible experience. Sorry no one picked you in dodgeball. Hopefully you will learn to let go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a blog to me and if you truly believe the world is flat that's okay too.

Playing college sports are fine for some, but for most they are not. They are a drain on a student's precious time in college. It's not just practice and the games, it's also the 12 months they have to spend in the weight room. College is for the purpose of expanding ones mind not their biceps and unfortunately there is an inverse relationship between the two.

If you can play college sports and avoid breaking your cranium, and graduate not thinking the world is flat, then be my guest play college sports to your hearts content.

Does the time spent in the weight room exceed what would be spent on a part time job? Most people I know worked during college, which could be considered a "drain on their precious time". Did everyone on DCUM have mommies and Daddies that footed all their bills in college so that they could spend all their time preparing for a top 5 law school?

Sports are exhausting though. It’s not like you finish practice and move on to studying as you are physically exhausted and need sleep.

People that don’t work and just ‘prep for graduate school’ are insufferable - agreed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sure if all those athletes at Johns Hopkins could see this thread, they might need to change their majors from chemical and microbiology engineering/public health(horror) to..... PE education?

Come on - no one at Hopkins even takes the time to go watch the lax team, never mind play on the team and graduate.
Or were you referring to those quidditch matches on the lawn?

You clearly never played a sport. At D3 few players expect a crowd. You don’t expect one and you don’t need it either. You play because it’s healthy, fun and for the friendships. My daughter spent part of this summer with her college lacrosse team traveling overseas. Incredible experience. Sorry no one picked you in dodgeball. Hopefully you will learn to let go.

I did play and I continue to play in my old age even. I was and am athletically talented. I have advanced degrees in engineering and my kids are headed to college now - only playing sports ‘for fun’.
My kids were academically talented enough to get into top schools without needing to play on a sports team . Honestly because of the risk of brain injury from playing sports at a high level I’m happy that they are not continuing with the sports. Had they chose swimming or tennis I’d think differently I’m sure but everyone chose contact sports.
Other parents I know lament the fact that their 20 year old children have the ‘body of a 50 year old’ due to the endless training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sure if all those athletes at Johns Hopkins could see this thread, they might need to change their majors from chemical and microbiology engineering/public health(horror) to..... PE education?

Come on - no one at Hopkins even takes the time to go watch the lax team, never mind play on the team and graduate.
Or were you referring to those quidditch matches on the lawn?

You clearly never played a sport. At D3 few players expect a crowd. You don’t expect one and you don’t need it either. You play because it’s healthy, fun and for the friendships. My daughter spent part of this summer with her college lacrosse team traveling overseas. Incredible experience. Sorry no one picked you in dodgeball. Hopefully you will learn to let go.

I did play and I continue to play in my old age even. I was and am athletically talented. I have advanced degrees in engineering and my kids are headed to college now - only playing sports ‘for fun’.
My kids were academically talented enough to get into top schools without needing to play on a sports team . Honestly because of the risk of brain injury from playing sports at a high level I’m happy that they are not continuing with the sports. Had they chose swimming or tennis I’d think differently I’m sure but everyone chose contact sports.
Other parents I know lament the fact that their 20 year old children have the ‘body of a 50 year old’ due to the endless training.

Clubhouse leader for douchiest DCUM post of the week. C’mon people, make him work for it. Oh and the body of a fifty year old comment is too funny. Trying to imagine this fake conversation where they lament the ill health of their athletic kids. Lord you’re a dope.