Reply to If you had your child play a sport to get a college scholarship, did it pay off or not?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There's a study that found that, at least for soccer, most families would be in a better position to finance college if they saved all the money they spent on trainers and tournaments in far-flung places. For all the reasons cited above, including injury, loss of interest, and simple lack of talent. Yes, a few stellar kids get scholarships, but that's really a tiny fraction. I think the study is cited in the book Soccer Head, or maybe the book How Soccer Changed the World.

Other sports may be different, I don't know.[/quote]
You can't put a price on all the things soccer gave me. The scholarship was a bonus, but I would be a much weaker, unhappier person without it. [/quote]

I have several kids on travel teams and I haven't met the braggart, overly ambitious parents. Most, like me, would be very happy if their kid got offered a scholarship but know it's unlikely-there are so many talented kids out there, but it's rare to see any that truly stand out. But I do know, like the poster above, that my kids are happier and stronger and healthier from playing soccer and really love the practicing and team spirit and competition. That is what matters and I don't begrudge the money it costs in travel. [/quote]

+100

I have met  some of "those" parents, but agree that my kids are happier, stronger and healthier from their years of soccer.  Oldest now plays for HS team and wouldn't trade the experience.  And this is despite being told he could very likely get a D1 scholarship in another sport.  Sometimes it's just about letting kids do what they love.  You can't "have" a kid play a sport to get a college scholarship.  It doesn't work that way.

[/quote]

We are in a similar position - DC played his last season of high school soccer in the fall and we all agreed that the journey and cost was totally worthwhile. He could have played in college but not at the caliber of college he wanted to go to.  But he loved soccer, we loved soccer, and he wanted to play soccer in high school. Playing at a competitive/travel level was important to him. It was about skill development, the level of play and level of commitment of the other players that mattered, not whether it was a path to a college scholarship. You do have to be realistic about it - the best way to do that is look at the roster for the colleges your DC is interested in. It will almost always list their clubs. At the selective academic schools, and the big soccer schools, the rosters are almost all academy players or international kids.

I will say its a little different for girls.  DC has a lot of girl friends who are playing soccer in college - some on full rides, some not.  This area seems to be a strong one for girl players.[/quote]

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