Why play in college

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

Exactly, this is what rec soccer is designed for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

I love that the person talking about mediocrity doesn't know how to spell "arguing." Nice self-own!

Those who can, do

Those who can't, teach

Those who can't teach, police grammar on the Internet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

College soccer is amateur soccer and is closer to rec vs pro. Maybe if you were very lucky 1% of college players could play in the pro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

College soccer is amateur soccer and is closer to rec vs pro. Maybe if you were very lucky 1% of college players could play in the pro.

So what? There are many different levels within an amateur sport. For most sports there is a huge difference in skill level for college vs. pro or college vs. Olympics. You sound like you just don’t know much about sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

College soccer is amateur soccer and is closer to rec vs pro. Maybe if you were very lucky 1% of college players could play in the pro.

So what? There are many different levels within an amateur sport. For most sports there is a huge difference in skill level for college vs. pro or college vs. Olympics. You sound like you just don’t know much about sports.

College is supposed to be preparing students for doing something professionally.

If college soccer doesn't even resemble pro soccer what are they doing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of high school students play sports in high school but only a handful will play in college. Do we ask why those kids play high school sports? Such a strange discussion.

If you don't understand the difference, you either did not play college sports or played too much college sports.

DP. I played college sports. It is not that different in that there is a range of experience for different athletes across different sports. There were intramural, intermural (even travel!) , and D1 players at my school, and all put time and energy into it because they loved it. Some D1 players had scholarships that allowed them to graduate debt free. Most were in less popular sports like rowing and fencing, were walk-ons and/or did not have scholarships. Some sports required all of their free time and some varying lesser amounts of time. They also played for as long as they loved it and moved on, just like high school. There are some high school players who devote enormous amounts of time to it, as much as college players, and then do not play in college, while others play recreationally in high school and then do not continue into college. Some go to college and pick up the tuba. It is all good. Or all bad, if you think its bad!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

College soccer is amateur soccer and is closer to rec vs pro. Maybe if you were very lucky 1% of college players could play in the pro.

So what? There are many different levels within an amateur sport. For most sports there is a huge difference in skill level for college vs. pro or college vs. Olympics. You sound like you just don’t know much about sports.

College is supposed to be preparing students for doing something professionally.

If college soccer doesn't even resemble pro soccer what are they doing?

It would appear that they are playing soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of DC's teammates seem obsessed with being able to play in college. They are strong students from UMC families so this is not their only pathway to getting into college. Very few college players go pro. Most of the ones I know who played in college and kept up with soccer became children's soccer coaches. The rest had a variety of careers completely unrelated to soccer.

what pro?

That is not a career.

Most players barely make it off of varsity in HS then off to a college for what? Most don't finish.

Parents are stupid. Rarely is there a full ride.

Tennis, Football, Basketball maybe the rest are worthless long term. My neighbor played Division 1 soccer at a great college. She is coaching now in Europe can not make her bills mom and dad pay. Or my DS friend who went to Georgetown on a Lax scholarship woo hoo, mommy wrote all his papers woo hoo. She is still supporting him after graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

College soccer is amateur soccer and is closer to rec vs pro. Maybe if you were very lucky 1% of college players could play in the pro.

So what? There are many different levels within an amateur sport. For most sports there is a huge difference in skill level for college vs. pro or college vs. Olympics. You sound like you just don’t know much about sports.

College is supposed to be preparing students for doing something professionally.

If college soccer doesn't even resemble pro soccer what are they doing?

It would appear that they are playing soccer.

Ok, then why are we subsidizing colleges with tax dollars? Why are "students" paying for college training if it's not the same soccer as what's played professionally?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

College soccer is amateur soccer and is closer to rec vs pro. Maybe if you were very lucky 1% of college players could play in the pro.

So what? There are many different levels within an amateur sport. For most sports there is a huge difference in skill level for college vs. pro or college vs. Olympics. You sound like you just don’t know much about sports.

Hello, yes its "amateur" soccer because pro players are PAID. You are also trying to make the point that "amateur" is not a top level of play. It is. Its just not PAID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

College soccer is amateur soccer and is closer to rec vs pro. Maybe if you were very lucky 1% of college players could play in the pro.

So what? There are many different levels within an amateur sport. For most sports there is a huge difference in skill level for college vs. pro or college vs. Olympics. You sound like you just don’t know much about sports.

College is supposed to be preparing students for doing something professionally.

If college soccer doesn't even resemble pro soccer what are they doing?

You are not worth arguing with because you seem to not understand how college works in the US. Hint: it's very different from Europe and other places, and not just because of sports. College is viewed as a place where young adults can experience both professional and personal growth through academics and involvement in other activities (like sports). For some, it's those other activities that help them figure out their career interests. For others, they know their career will not have anything to do with their activity, but the activity helps them build a network and allows them to develop other skills that serve them well in their professional life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

I guess it makes perfect sense if the drive is form the kid. Always wanting to achieve a higher level on something you love resonates with any human being.

In this area though, it seems many parents put their heart and soul in pushing their kids to soccer. This is especially obvious for younger kids, as parents have more influence on youngsters. You can find this type of parents in literally any activity kids do. However, the prevalence in soccer is just astonishing. So the question is WHY? What are the parents trying to achieve in doing this? What makes parents so drawn to soccer in the first place? The only thing I can think of is that parents want to chase their own "higher level" using their kids. But again, why? Why soccer? From a societal perspective, is it because that history has put great value on soccer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

College soccer is amateur soccer and is closer to rec vs pro. Maybe if you were very lucky 1% of college players could play in the pro.

So what? There are many different levels within an amateur sport. For most sports there is a huge difference in skill level for college vs. pro or college vs. Olympics. You sound like you just don’t know much about sports.

College is supposed to be preparing students for doing something professionally.

If college soccer doesn't even resemble pro soccer what are they doing?

You are not worth arguing with because you seem to not understand how college works in the US. Hint: it's very different from Europe and other places, and not just because of sports. College is viewed as a place where young adults can experience both professional and personal growth through academics and involvement in other activities (like sports). For some, it's those other activities that help them figure out their career interests. For others, they know their career will not have anything to do with their activity, but the activity helps them build a network and allows them to develop other skills that serve them well in their professional life.

Even though I'm not worth arguing with.

I'm OK with everything you say if you're attending and paying for a private college.

Public Universities are different.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I am 1000% sure that my time management was better in college as a D1 athlete than it would have been had I not been playing a sport. I learned after college that I don’t manage my time very well when I don’t have a lot of structure and built in accountability. I’m so glad I had that during those years. I think the vigorous exercise also gave me a mental health boost and was sort of a self medication for mild ADHD. I don’t think I would have connected these dots when I was younger and college could have been very rough for me. I can mostly manage it now as an adult with a lot more self awareness than I had at that age.

^100%. I see comments here that question why folks put so much time and money into a sport if they aren't going pro. Playing a sport and continuing at a high level of play is SO MUCH MORE than just ROI on "investment" in the sport. The mental health advantage alone is worth every penny and every minute we supported our players. Parents on DCUM seem to suggest that if you aren't playing D1 and didn't get a athletic scholarship and don't go pro you are a failure. If folks were more realistic about the end goals and the % of athletic scholarships available they might be less focused on the unrealistic goals and acknowledge that playing a sport in HS, College or beyond provides the player so much.

If you don't want to play professionally why play competitive soccer?

Just play rec/town leagues and be done with it.

Argueing to be mediocre is dumb.

Because people don't want to say their kid plays rec. Parent's egos.

I really can’t with you stupid people on this thread. Ever heard of someone wanting to push themselves to the highest level that they are capable of? Even if it’s not pro? It’s a great thing to want to put yourself in an environment that will challenge you and push you to your limits. You learn a lot about yourself when you do that. If a kid is really good at soccer, or any sport or activity, they aren’t going to get that sort of challenge in a town/rec league. They have to look for an environment in which the training and competition level will be higher. We can all wish it were less expensive to be part of that environment, but it’s not reality. Same goes for dance, music, and other endeavors. We don’t have a system here where the best kids are identified early on placed on a special track. This is really not hard to understand.

College soccer is amateur soccer and is closer to rec vs pro. Maybe if you were very lucky 1% of college players could play in the pro.

So what? There are many different levels within an amateur sport. For most sports there is a huge difference in skill level for college vs. pro or college vs. Olympics. You sound like you just don’t know much about sports.

College is supposed to be preparing students for doing something professionally.

If college soccer doesn't even resemble pro soccer what are they doing?

I didn't become a professional frisbee player. Go figure