In today’s society, we start our kids out young in sports
in hope of one day bringing home the big money in the form of a college
scholarship.
We line the soccer fields, travel across the country for
baseball, volleyball, softball or whatever sport our child is interested in at
the time for competitions.
Our child spends the majority of time going from practice
to practice, team to team, select league to select league. Why do we do this?
Why do we spend endless money, resources and vacations? Is it for the love of
the sports? No, we have hopes of one day our child bringing home that
scholarship money to help pay for college.
I was a reporter in a small town for several years. I
watched year after year as baseball players from the local team would get
drafted right out of high school by the major league. Those who didn’t get the
signing bonus, most times, received scholarships to universities across the
country.
What did they do to get those scholarships and signing
bonuses? Well, they were talented players. Talent can only get you so far. Most
had agents, but again certain agents can get you so far. They did play for
multiple teams at a time, attend lessons from private instructors, had a resume
of experience dating back to the age of three, but compared to the competition
all that was the same for every player. So how did they become the chosen
recipient? I believe it was all about being at the right place at the right
time.
According to a study completed by the New York Times and
published in March of 2008, expectations of parents and athletes differ greatly
from the financial and cultural realities of college athletics.
After reviewing the data and interviewing various college
officials, the New York Times found some disturbing statistics for those
parents spending thousands in hopes for gaining that scholarship.
Excluding the glamour sports of football and basketball,
the average NCAA athletic scholarship is nowhere near a full ride to college,
amounting to $8,707. In sports like baseball or track and field, the number is
routinely as low as $2,000. Even when football and basketball are included, the
average is $10,409.
Tuition and room and board at an NCAA institution often
costs between $20,000 and $50,000 a year.
Other stats collected in the last NCAA 2003-04 study
include:
- Men received 57
percent of all scholarship money, but in 11 of the 14 sports with men’s
and women’s teams, the women’s teams averaged higher amounts per athlete.
- On average, the
best paying sport was neither football nor men’s or women’s basketball. It
was men’s ice hockey at $21,755. Next was women’s ice hockey with $20,540.
- The lowest overall
average scholarship total was in men’s riflery at $3,608 and the lowest
for women was in bowling with $4,899. Baseball was the second lowest men’s
sport with $5,806.
Another drawback for those parents hoping to cash in on
their child’s talents is that many of the recruiters told stories of rejecting
top prospects because the parents only cared about the money.
With all of this, how does your child become one of the
lucky ones who does bring home the money? In the times article, one kid who did
achieve scholarship money tells about how he can pinpoint the exact moment he
won the hearts of the recruiters. It was in one game. He scored a few goals and
had some great plays. He said he often wonders what would have happened if he
had a bad game that day. That is what it comes down to.
The kids I told you about above. The scouts came out
several years before I was reporting on this team. The coach knew somebody and
wanted this one kid looked at. Every year, they keep coming back because that
first year, another kid caught their eye. They came back to watch him the next
year and the same thing has been happening over and over.
It comes down to being in the right place at the right
time. Yes, these select leagues can provide you that exposure, but in the end
it is a game of chance.
Is your child going to perform at the right level at the
right time? Is that coach going to like your attitude as a parent? Does your
kid have that right attitude-are they coachable?
As parents you have to weigh the cost of all the expenses
to decide if it is worth the chance of the return payout. The best advice I can
give is to stress the academics. Academics can pay more or just as much as a
sport scholarship ever did. In the end, be prepared and prepare your kid for
the amount of work that it will take to even keep that scholarship.
