AT WHAT COST: Pursuing athletic scholarships is expensive for families

Athletic Recruits
21

<p>I think for most kids, the additional “edge” being an athlete might offer is probably offset by the opportunity costs. If you were simply to look at it from a “where to invest your time/resources”, would it be better to invest the 20-30 hours a week for years in sports training, trying to become an elite-level athlete? Or to spend those same hours in taking advanced / IB / AP courses, working on SAT test-taking skills, upping GPA’s, and participating in non-athletic extracurriculars? </p>

<p>For the vast majority, the latter will provide the better payoff, by far - most kids with diligent study can improve their math scores - but no amount of training is going to make a 150 pound defensive lineman into a D-1 scholarship recipient. </p>

<p>The number of scholarships handed out to athletes are far lower than is widely supposed - for most, if you’re not only the best player in your high-school, but in your league, your chances of getting that full-ride to Stanford is about the same as getting hit by a falling satellite. (But you might get offered a partial to Podunk State.) </p>

<p>I’d never suggest <em>not</em> playing sports; I think sports are (generally) healthy, and have many positive attributes - pursuing something you love doing, and taking your skills as far as they can go is an exciting experience. And as a parent, sharing in my kid’s passion was a lot of fun, too - I wouldn’t trade the experience. </p>

<p>But sports as some kind of “investment”? For most, that’s just delusional. Take it for what it is, enjoy the experience, but unless your kid is at or near the 95th percentile among their athletic peers, the payoff will be in spending time with your kid, not in some scholarship.</p>

<p>(And of your kid was the top recruit in the nation, got a full-ride to an Ivy despite an 1100 SAT score, and is now a Rhodes Scholar or professional player making millions, congrats - but I doubt your experience is very relevant to a 5’8, 150 pound football player with a 5.5 40 time “but has a lot of heart”.)</p>

22

<p>My S and D attend a HIGHLY athletic HS in CA. (And when I say HIGHLY, I mean ranked #1 or #2 by ESPN every year for top HS Athletic programs in the country.)
With that said, every coach at the school that my kids have worked with have stressed the following to their athletes:
“If you are looking for a scholarship, focus on getting a scholarship for your academics, not your sport.”</p>

23

<p>^ PG – guess I don’t see the core point of an athletic scholarship as being different than the core point of an academic scholarship. Doesn’t have anything to do with the kids’ ability to pay; it’s about merit. Several of the posters on this thread have kids in Ivy or NESCAC schools. Their sports might have helped them get in to their schools, but there is no requirement that they play them once accepted. They do it because they want to. Our kid passed on some scholarships in favor of some other opportunities. For many of our kids playing their sport, making whatever sacrifices/choices they have to make is part of their “normal”. They love being part of a team, competing, challenging themselves. And for a lot of our kids intramurals or club level participation in their chosen sport wouldn’t cut it – it has to be hard, there has to be a challenge, there has to be something on the line. Her parents weren’t that way about sport, but she is. She was also adamant about playing her sport at a good school she liked, not just anywhere. She’s a good student, too, and her plan all along was to play only if she could do it at a good school. She was fortunate that it worked out well for her, and we’re happy that she gets to continue doing this thing that she loves. And, frankly, when we began the process we never expected it to turn out this well.</p>

24

<p>I did not like the article because like so many similar ones, it comes across as implying that parents are stupid and athletes are playing and going to camps, etc. just to get into college. The majority of families who put this much time and money into a sport are expert in knowing what the future may or may not bring.</p>

25

<p>Squiddy, I understand the point behind your first paragraph in post #21. However, for many kids the either / or does not involve just those two choices–sport or studies. For example, in lieu of playing a sport, some students dedicate hours to a school club or musical organization in the hopes of earning a leadership position or solo opportunities, and yet fall short. We know kids who spent hours in SAT prep classes and only achieved a small score improvement, and entered essay, poetry, and science fair contests but didn’t win. And plenty of kids maintain a high academic level in addition to a high athletic level. So it’s not as though the hard work put into athletics with the goal of recruitment is that much riskier than hard work put into a different EC for the sake of obtaining a resume boost. If you don’t become a Div.1 recruit, you still enjoyed the fun and comaraderie of a team, just as you would enjoy any other youth activity. Lastly, you can’t assume that the student who devotes less time to a sport will necessarily put all that extra time into his studies instead. Think FaceBook, hanging out at the mall or movies, playing Guitar Hero, etc. I’d rather my kid play sports if those were the alternatives.</p>

26

<p>I would add to what TheGFG said–there are lots of kids who put a lot of time and energy into activities that, really, they are not that good at. They sit on the bench. They play “Second Policeman” in the school play. They play last chair, third clarinet in the band. They surely don’t do this in the hopes that this will impress colleges–they do it for their own reasons.</p>

27

<p>I have a daughter who is being recruited by D1 schools. She’s a very talented athlete, but I’m not sure she will be able to handle academics AND athletics in college, personally. It’s a tough conversation, to be honest. She can play at the highest level, and does, but can she play at that level, miss that much school, and still perform well, academically? I do not know. (She has only recently shown ANY academic intestest at all.)</p>

<p>She’s the type to get a full ride, but I’m not sure she ought to do it. I sometimes think I might be crazy for thinking this way, but I’m still torn. Ultimately, obviously, it will be her choice, but she does ask my opinion.</p>

<p>So far, I’ve just said, “I think it sounds challenging. How do you feel about it?” I’ll probably stick with that, but I have my misgivings. </p>

<p>We did spend a ton of money on athletics for her, but this wasn’t about scholarship. If anything, I’ve always felt it was a very challenging thing to balance, school and this level of sport, even since she was young. YMMV</p>

28

<p>In our town, my guess is that music parents are spending more than sports parents. Kids take private lessons beginning at age 3 or 4 for years and years. Last I checked, the going rate for music lessons was $50-$60 per hour. Add to that the cost of instrument rental or purchase, repairs and supplies, sheet music, band uniforms, band trips, etc. and you’re easily talking thousands a year! For the drama crowd, add in dance lessons too.</p>

<p>And then we could criticize the Name Brand learning center crowd, spending $100 or so per month per subject to be given math and reading workbook pages when they could do it themselves or use online resources. How about them?</p>

29

<p>For many, being an athletic recruit isn’t mostly about money. It’s about getting into the great college of your choice.</p>

<p>My D is a freshman at a UC because she was a recruited athlete. Four of her former HS teammates are recruited freshman at UCD, Yale, MIT and Virginia Tech. </p>

<p>Without their athletic skills, every single one of them would have faced much longer odds in getting accepted to the highly selective Universities they now attend.</p>

<p>These kids, the parents, and the recruiting coaches all understand that academics comes first. We also all know there is a likelihood that at some point, for some reason, the
student-athlete may not end up being on the team for four years. </p>

<p>As a neighbor parent of another girl, who is a Freshman tennis recruit at Wake Forest this year put it “great way to get to the front of the line over applicants with 4.5 GPA’s and 2300 SAT scores”</p>

30

<p>The article gives a very skewed picture of what this player is getting and how he is getting it. They talk about how important academics are and note the subject’s 4.2 GPA and relate how many of these kids could get as much money if they weren’t athletes. But they don’t seem to tie it in at all to the 75% scholarship they are projecting here.</p>

<p>There is no way lax is paying for 75% of the $56k Hopkins price tag for the subject of the article.</p>

<p>Most of that money has got to be coming from the Academic and need side.</p>

<p>Hopkins has 12.6 scholarships to spread about the 51 players on its current roster </p>

<p>With the average recruiting class at about 12-13 players and 3.15 scholarship per class, the average works out to about 1/4 scholarship per player.</p>

<p>Hopkins recruiting class of 2013 is ranked 3rd in the nation by Inside Lacrosse. It includes 5 of IL’s 50 top ranked juniors in the nation - #'s 10, 33, 38, 45, 50. The subject of the article while considered amongst the very best players out west, did not make the rankings and as such is likely in the middle, not the top of Hop’s 2013 recruiting class. It would be difficult to imagine this player getting an above average award.</p>

<p>So his dad might get the 12 grand back he spent this summer, (and however much he spends next summer) but he’ll get a chance to play for the Blue Jays and get a Hopkins degree. No telling how it will actually work out. </p>

<p>[Palasek</a> Refutes Rumors of Fallout at Hopkins - Lacrosse Magazine](<a href=“http://laxmagazine.com/college_men/DI/2010-11/news/011311_tom_palasek_refutes_rumors_of_fallout_at_johns_hopkins_lacrosse]Palasek”>http://laxmagazine.com/college_men/DI/2010-11/news/011311_tom_palasek_refutes_rumors_of_fallout_at_johns_hopkins_lacrosse)</p>

31

<p>One point about athletics giving you an ‘edge’ in admissions at elite schools:</p>

<p>Yep, when the coach is interested and you fit a certain academic profile, you certainly do have an edge when you submit your application.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, what most people don’t realize is all the rejection that takes place before you even apply. </p>

<p>For my son’s sport–soccer–unless you are one of the top 40 or so players in the country, you will have to do the work of attracting a coach’s attention so that he is willing to see you play at some high level showcase or tournament. And even if you attract the coach’s attention, you then have to play well and play against good competition. You also have to hope that a coach needs a player in your position.</p>

<p>All of this is happening in your junior year. There are times when a coach does come out to watch, but you are not at the top of the list, or he’s already recruited someone like you, or you didn’t play against good competition so he can’t tell really what your abilities are. In these cases, if you are serious about playing your sport in college, then you won’t apply to schools where the coach isn’t interested. It’s like getting rejected and you move on.</p>

<p>So you do have to get through coach first in order to get that ‘edge’ in admissions, and coach is going to expect a high level of talent, even for the most academically accomplished student-athlete. </p>

<p>My son was All-State, state champion high school team, Development Academy player, his team made it to the national Development Academy playoffs, was valedictorian, 99 percentile on standardized tests, most athletic in high school…and there were a lot of coaches who weren’t interested. </p>

<p>And, at the same time, there was a national level player on his team who was one of the few that many coaches sought out because of his reputation, pedigree, and talent, but who fell short in the classroom and on standardized tests and was therefore not recruitable to the Ivy League.</p>

<p>It’s not like you just have to be ‘really good at your sport’ and then the Ivy League coach is falling over himself to get you and admissions will just say ‘yes’. You have to be very, very talented in your sport and a very good student.</p>

32

<p>^^^The situation of soccer recruiting often surprises parents who have very talented athletes. There are just too many talented soccer players out there, and too few team slots.</p>

<p>A wise sports mother in our town once told a local newspaper here, something like:
‘I told my daughter soccer players are a dime a dozen. If you want to be recruited for a DI college team, go for it as a pole-vaulter.’ </p>

<p>Said girl put her energy into the vaulting, gave up soccer, and jumped into her top Ivy with success.</p>

33

<p>And, athletic scholarships are re-newed year by year…so if your kid burns out or is injured then you can be SOL. Our son started a sport at 4 years old, he did receive an athletic scholarship but we probably spent as much as he received!! We spent $$ on daughters sport also but she burned out and quit as a junior in HS… now we wish we had all the $$ back to pay for her college…lol!!</p>

<p>If we were to do it all over again, regardless of the $$ we spent, we would because it kept the kids focused and out of trouble…</p>

34

<p>Not the parent of an athlete…I am a big reader though…thought this may be of interest…</p>

<p>[The</a> Shame of College Sports - Magazine - The Atlantic](<a href=“http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/10/the-shame-of-college-sports/8643/]The”>The Scandal of NCAA College Sports - The Atlantic)</p>

35

<p>Both are great articles, however, it wouldn’t surprise me to find those who they geared toward will never read them or think the things being said can’t possibly apply to them or their h.s. athlete. The main reason you go to college is to get a degree. If you mainly go to play a varsity sport you have your priorities out of order. How many college athletes end up doing that for a living??? I would bet only a very small percentage. For the others, what happens after college when the spotlight of sports is gone and they never end up with any kind of usable degree?</p>

<p>I think it is fine to enourage your child to participate in sports through h.s. and see where it leads. Are they in a sport to please their parents or because they truly enjoy it? The next time you attend a h.s. athletic event, watch some of the parent of the athletes and see what they seem to be movtivated by and how they react when their son/daughter doesn’t perform up to their expectations.</p>

36

<p>I think one of the key points in the first article is to find the right fit. I have 2 kids, both athletes… Son is sophomore and one of the very few full ride athletes in an equivalency sport but he is also one of the top players in the nation. He was a motivated student had the 4.3 gpa etc… so it was a good fit for him… Then came along child #2, a daughter, also a gifted athlete but not nearly the desire or extra effort to be a D1 athlete, nor the academic desire as well. We were very blessed when she found a nice NAIA school with small classes, small campus and a perfect basketball team for her. She is receiving $, I think it is about 55% or maybe 60% but it works for her. She is actually thriving as a freshman, enjoying both school and bb so we are very thankful. Interesting thought though is we spent more money on our son but his desire and drive were the force behind it. Final story, he plans to go pro once graduated and she might be a sports management major and be his manager… lol Whatever makes them happy!!!</p>

37

<p>For those who are looking for a (minor) counter-balance to the idea that parental investment in sports is silly and seldom pays off:<br>
D called this afternoon to say that a well-known financial firm is holding a special recruiting meet-and-greet for ATHLETES on her campus this week. Apparently there is truth to the popular wisdom that some big-name companies like to hire college athletes because of their competitiveness, their work ethic, and their time management skills.</p>

38

<p>For my S, niche sport, D3, it was the “something extra” that got him in. </p>

<p>My older S, better grades, scores, more outstanding academically and with the ECs and academic awards to match was wait-listed everywhere. His brother the athlete was sought after by many of the same schools that rejected or wait-listed his brother.</p>

<p>It is infuriating on so many levels, but if that’s the in, people who can will use it.</p>

<p>For NESCACs, it’s all need-based, but with a 14% or lower acceptance rate for your typical bright middle-class public school grad from the NE vs 80%for the recruited athlete, it’s worth the money spent for the extra coaching to polish that performance. Forget the flute lessons.</p>

<p>I suggest that you take your athletic 8th grader, look at the sports offered by the colleges s/he may want to attend, and train her/him up. Don’t neglect sports not often played in HS: squash, crew, fencing, etc.</p>

<p>Do I sound sarcastic? Perhaps, but also realistic. My D has started training in her brother’s sport. Her request, not ours. She saw what got the best results for her brothers.</p>

39

<p>The info in the article is probably a worthwhile eye-opener for the overzealous parent who is investing big bucks in lessons and camps with the sole thought that it will pay off in scholarship money.</p>

<p>But I think a lot of parents are just doing their best to make the opportunities available to their children to let them go as far as they want. Scholarship? Well, that’d be great - but if you have a motivated kid that’s committed to a goal (whether it’s a conference championship or a national championship) as a parent you want to at least give them the tools to let them succeed. </p>

<p>I think it’s easy to look from the outside at that and assume it’s all money driven or living vicariously, but if the kid is the one pushing for it - well, as a parent you do what you can within your means to help them accomplish their goals.</p>

40

<p>Almost any student activity pursued to the highest level can be an expensive proposition. I can think of many that place serious demands on time and requiring lots of personal sacrifice. I wouldn’t dream of putting a kid through that kind of grind or making the financial commitment if it was driven by anything less than a passion to pursue it on its own merits. Like some others have said, the costs are too much - not just money, but everything else that goes into it.</p>