Is playing a sport in college "worth 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 are being sarcastic, right? Hopkins lax games are usually packed.

[Anonymous]

I know a lot of girls and boys who played college soccer, lacrosse and field hockey who blew out a knee or achilles heel. Cross country kids seem to get fractures in their feet. Playing college sports is never as glamorous as you think.

It's certainly worth it for some, but overall, from my vantage point, I don't think it is. Certainly not when you factor in all the time and money you spent to groom them from age 5-18. I think parents just refuse to give up the dream and the sunken costs are so great.

[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?

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.

Hopkins Lacrosse is D1, while their other sports are D3. So Lacrosse is quite different but only is about 40 kids total.

[Anonymous]

Agreed that it isn’t glamorous (to all but a few), though my daughter does still get a chill when they announce her name before games. (I asked her this very question recently.) But the occasional injury aside it’s for most a healthy and fun aspect to the college experience. For those who don’t feel that way, quit. This is not complicated.

And I also agree that there are some parents out there who harbor absurd dreams of scholarships and athletic glory. It can seem a little sad. For my D it was about having fun, a built-in social circle, and maybe just maybe getting into schools that would otherwise be out of reach.

[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?

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.

Hopkins Lacrosse is D1, while their other sports are D3. So Lacrosse is quite different but only is about 40 kids total.

Plus all the ladies.

[Anonymous]

"This thread needs to stop because no one is questioning that there are some extraordinary individuals who can do it all. However, for most their GPAs suffer and their are tons of kids who play college sports but never graduate from college."

The college athletes who don't graduate will tell you that their academic issues had very little to do with college sports.

Almost anyone can do two things. They get in trouble when they try to do 3 or 4.

Most of us had problems because of trying to party (or get married) on top of academics and sports.

[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?

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.

My kid got an offer like that just because of good grades -- with no time-sucking obligation after arrival. Congrats to your kid.

[Anonymous]

Yes to tennis and golf. John Hopkins is a good D3 tennis school. I think golf is pretty good too This will definitely help in future networking

No to lacrosse, soccer, football, soccer and any physical contacts sports in order to avoid concussions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

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.

My kid got an offer like that just because of good grades -- with no time-sucking obligation after arrival. Congrats to your kid.

For some it’s not an obligation rather something they enjoy. Did that not occur to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of girls and boys who played college soccer, lacrosse and field hockey who blew out a knee or achilles heel. Cross country kids seem to get fractures in their feet. Playing college sports is never as glamorous as you think.

Girls are far more susceptible to such injuries than boys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of girls and boys who played college soccer, lacrosse and field hockey who blew out a knee or achilles heel. Cross country kids seem to get fractures in their feet. Playing college sports is never as glamorous as you think.

Girls are far more susceptible to such injuries than boys.

I didn’t realize. A citation would be appreciated.

[Anonymous]

https://orthonc.com/your-health/preventing-acl-tears-why-are-acl-tears-more-common-in-female-athletes

http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/departments/Orthopaedics/clinicalservices/sportsmed/Documents/WISH_SPORTSMED_Female%20Knee%20Injuries%20and%20ACL.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know a lot of girls and boys who played college soccer, lacrosse and field hockey who blew out a knee or achilles heel. Cross country kids seem to get fractures in their feet. Playing college sports is never as glamorous as you think.

It's certainly worth it for some, but overall, from my vantage point, I don't think it is. Certainly not when you factor in all the time and money you spent to groom them from age 5-18. I think parents just refuse to give up the dream and the sunken costs are so great.

Well, yes. If you are playing a college sport for the glamour, then you will probably be disappointed. (Save maybe for the kids who play basketball/football in major sports conferences.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes to tennis and golf. John Hopkins is a good D3 tennis school. I think golf is pretty good too This will definitely help in future networking

No to lacrosse, soccer, football, soccer and any physical contacts sports in order to avoid concussions.

A good number of Hopkins Lax players got All Big Ten Academic Honors so they must be doing something right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

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.

My kid got an offer like that just because of good grades -- with no time-sucking obligation after arrival. Congrats to your kid.

For some it’s not an obligation rather something they enjoy. Did that not occur to you?

+1 PP is an idiot. Playing a competitive team sport that you love in college is a wonderful opportunity. We've gotten to know many of DC's teammates over the years and they are a fantastic group of young adults that handle the tradeoff between academics and athletics easily. A significant number of them receive academic all league honors every season and it was a great advantage freshman year to immediately belong to a community.