The premise of this thread is ridiculous. There are plenty of travel athletes that are also outstanding students. My DD has a friend who plays soccer, was a NMSF and went to an Ivy to play - along with 25% of her travel team who also went to Ivy schools. My DS was valedictorian, a National Merit finalist and plays his sport at an Ivy. My DD also played her sport at an Ivy and had the test scores and grades to attend without her sport (though we all know getting in without the athletic commitment was not guaranteed).


Every sap clings to the outliers who go onto play at an Ivy or UVA ... while ignoring the 99% who never play in college or end up at a no name regional D2 or D3 school. And if the sport helps them get into a more prestigious school, you're admitting they're going to be the dumbest on campus. In other words, too dumb to take advantage of the opportunity (read: easiest major, below average GPA, and treated like a dumbbell by their legitimately smart classmates). It's not like just because your dumb athlete gets into Brown they're fit to get into medical school or a shoo in to be recruited by Goldman Sachs IBD.


Brown alumna here and "legitimate smart student" - Brown's football team had separate recruiting visits for banking and Zak Deossie is at GS now. Heath Mayo was a baseball recruit, national merit finalist, and went to Yale Law. Lauren Gibbs won a silver medal at the 2018 winter Olympics. I know plenty of former ice hockey guys who went to med and dental schools and Wall Street is packed with former lacrosse bros. The dumb ones are the celebrities' kids and legacies, not the athletes. These guys were up at 5 AM for practice, so they know determination, hard work, and teamwork and they are so competitive so they always end up with the juicy job offers. Trust me, they are treated very well and are popular on campus, I married one

Anonymous wrote:I couldn’t read all of the replies but we fit OPs description. We think academics are important but we have always had their evening and weekends filled with sports and not academic enrichment or tutoring. It’s because this is what makes them happy and emotionally balanced. They need the physical activity and social benefits from being on a team. We never cared about scholarships. Neither care about going to medical school and we aren’t pressuring them to only look at the most prestigious universities. Sports make them happy and have given them and my family wonderful memories of childhood.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The premise of this thread is ridiculous. There are plenty of travel athletes that are also outstanding students. My DD has a friend who plays soccer, was a NMSF and went to an Ivy to play - along with 25% of her travel team who also went to Ivy schools. My DS was valedictorian, a National Merit finalist and plays his sport at an Ivy. My DD also played her sport at an Ivy and had the test scores and grades to attend without her sport (though we all know getting in without the athletic commitment was not guaranteed).

Every sap clings to the outliers who go onto play at an Ivy or UVA ... while ignoring the 99% who never play in college or end up at a no name regional D2 or D3 school. And if the sport helps them get into a more prestigious school, you're admitting they're going to be the dumbest on campus. In other words, too dumb to take advantage of the opportunity (read: easiest major, below average GPA, and treated like a dumbbell by their legitimately smart classmates). It's not like just because your dumb athlete gets into Brown they're fit to get into medical school or a shoo in to be recruited by Goldman Sachs IBD.

Brown alumna here and "legitimate smart student" - Brown's football team had separate recruiting visits for banking and Zak Deossie is at GS now. Heath Mayo was a baseball recruit, national merit finalist, and went to Yale Law. Lauren Gibbs won a silver medal at the 2018 winter Olympics. I know plenty of former ice hockey guys who went to med and dental schools and Wall Street is packed with former lacrosse bros. The dumb ones are the celebrities' kids and legacies, not the athletes. These guys were up at 5 AM for practice, so they know determination, hard work, and teamwork and they are so competitive so they always end up with the juicy job offers. Trust me, they are treated very well and are popular on campus, I married one

https://www.businessinsider.com/athletes-on-wall-street-2013-3#tim-fallon-7

Anonymous wrote:There’s a difference between travel obsessed parents who are riding on their kids’ shot at college level athletics and parents who have their kids join sports. What an odd thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The premise of this thread is ridiculous. There are plenty of travel athletes that are also outstanding students. My DD has a friend who plays soccer, was a NMSF and went to an Ivy to play - along with 25% of her travel team who also went to Ivy schools. My DS was valedictorian, a National Merit finalist and plays his sport at an Ivy. My DD also played her sport at an Ivy and had the test scores and grades to attend without her sport (though we all know getting in without the athletic commitment was not guaranteed).

Every sap clings to the outliers who go onto play at an Ivy or UVA ... while ignoring the 99% who never play in college or end up at a no name regional D2 or D3 school. And if the sport helps them get into a more prestigious school, you're admitting they're going to be the dumbest on campus. In other words, too dumb to take advantage of the opportunity (read: easiest major, below average GPA, and treated like a dumbbell by their legitimately smart classmates). It's not like just because your dumb athlete gets into Brown they're fit to get into medical school or a shoo in to be recruited by Goldman Sachs IBD.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a direct correlation between women who rise to leadership level in business and participation in sports- I guess that's irrelevant. The people talking about jocks as idiots would probably be surprised to see the test scores and grades that these 'idiots' manage.

This is outdated. Sure, many ex jock boomers and to an extent gen Xers who played sportball at an Ivy or big state U make good money. But how is that applicable to now? All the modern tech zillionaires and tech execs are wicked smart nerds, ideally with polished social skills. Dumb jocks in 2020 are selling cars, insurance and pushing medical devices on doctors. The nerds who control everything actually despise dumb jocks. Find me a young dumb jock in a high-powered position and I'll bet you find a very rich dad or grandpa behind him.

Anonymous wrote:There's a direct correlation between women who rise to leadership level in business and participation in sports- I guess that's irrelevant. The people talking about jocks as idiots would probably be surprised to see the test scores and grades that these 'idiots' manage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are all getting athletic scholarships! No - seriously I have coached both soccer and basketball teams and I have noticed this trend for multiple reasons: They think it is the easiest way to get a scholarship, want their child to playba sport in HS and not be nerdy, parents enjoy the entertainment and socializing, the erroneously think their kid needs to play a sport to get into a good college, they ignore academics falling for the line that their is a college for everyone and they like the status. The stories I could tell!

I think it has a lot to do with inability to delay gratification. As in, it's super exciting to watch your kid win some dumb game every other weekend from age 5 to 17 ... or they can study, do some interesting clubs, etc. from age 5 to 17 and get into an unbelievable college. Simpleton parents choose the short-term highs over the long game.

your kids a loser, eh?

You wish. My kid will own the company that employs your kid. Oh, well. At least he'll/she'll have the glory of high school sports success to remember.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The premise of this thread is ridiculous. There are plenty of travel athletes that are also outstanding students. My DD has a friend who plays soccer, was a NMSF and went to an Ivy to play - along with 25% of her travel team who also went to Ivy schools. My DS was valedictorian, a National Merit finalist and plays his sport at an Ivy. My DD also played her sport at an Ivy and had the test scores and grades to attend without her sport (though we all know getting in without the athletic commitment was not guaranteed).

Every sap clings to the outliers who go onto play at an Ivy or UVA ... while ignoring the 99% who never play in college or end up at a no name regional D2 or D3 school. And if the sport helps them get into a more prestigious school, you're admitting they're going to be the dumbest on campus. In other words, too dumb to take advantage of the opportunity (read: easiest major, below average GPA, and treated like a dumbbell by their legitimately smart classmates). It's not like just because your dumb athlete gets into Brown they're fit to get into medical school or a shoo in to be recruited by Goldman Sachs IBD.

Who. Cares. Seriously. Do you have nothing better to do?

Anonymous wrote:There's a direct correlation between women who rise to leadership level in business and participation in sports- I guess that's irrelevant. The people talking about jocks as idiots would probably be surprised to see the test scores and grades that these 'idiots' manage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The premise of this thread is ridiculous. There are plenty of travel athletes that are also outstanding students. My DD has a friend who plays soccer, was a NMSF and went to an Ivy to play - along with 25% of her travel team who also went to Ivy schools. My DS was valedictorian, a National Merit finalist and plays his sport at an Ivy. My DD also played her sport at an Ivy and had the test scores and grades to attend without her sport (though we all know getting in without the athletic commitment was not guaranteed).

Every sap clings to the outliers who go onto play at an Ivy or UVA ... while ignoring the 99% who never play in college or end up at a no name regional D2 or D3 school. And if the sport helps them get into a more prestigious school, you're admitting they're going to be the dumbest on campus. In other words, too dumb to take advantage of the opportunity (read: easiest major, below average GPA, and treated like a dumbbell by their legitimately smart classmates). It's not like just because your dumb athlete gets into Brown they're fit to get into medical school or a shoo in to be recruited by Goldman Sachs IBD.