By Amy Nickerson
Engagement Insider
As a youngster growing up in the 1970’s, one of my favorite movies was Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. If you ever saw it, you should remember the excitement Wonka created by announcing that five lucky kids would get a chance to tour his chocolate factory. How would kids get this chance? They would have to buy Wonka candy bars and hope to find one of the five golden tickets that Wonka had hidden amongst them. The finders of these five tickets would earn not only the factory tour but also a chance to receive a lifetime supply of chocolate. I mention this movie because, after witnessing first-hand the “frenzy” of high school student-athletes in their quests to earn college scholarships, I think this example parallels today’s athletic scholarship hunt. Instead of kids scurrying around hoping to find a golden ticket, we now have thousands of young student-athletes searching feverishly for their version of “the golden ticket” - a college scholarship.
In actuality, desiring a college scholarship is not a bad thing. Countless student-athletes envision themselves playing the sports that they love at the next level. The opportunity to earn a spot on a college team and receive a free education is quite appealing to young people. Parents also long for college athletic scholarships for their kids. With the escalating costs of a college education, many parents worry about how they can afford college and often view athletic scholarships as a viable option. The thought of leveraging athletic ability in exchange for educational opportunities (that can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some cases) is definitely on most parents’ minds.
However, many student-athletes seeking scholarships have other things on their minds. Rather than recognizing the educational value of scholarships, they can become more mesmerized by the thoughts of playing sports at the next level. Some focus solely on the possibility that college will be their stepping stone to the professional ranks. The reality is that many student-athletes have their eyes set on becoming the next superstar as opposed to getting a degree in History or Economics or whatever subject they may study. Many of today’s student-athletes, being young and impressionable, focus more on their athletic potential than on academics. Most believe that they WILL earn an athletic scholarship.
But how many of these student-athletes seeking scholarships actually wind up earning one?The statistics are sobering. According to the NCAA (ncaa.org), roughly seven million high school student-athletes play in their senior year of high school. Yet only two percent of those seniors will ever earn an athletic scholarship. Although statistics detailing these low numbers are available, young people often find a way to avoid the truth. For instance, I recently counseled a student-athlete who refused to accept the truth. I tried to advise him about the huge odds he faced in getting a scholarship, let alone playing in the NFL, as he believed he would. I advised him that only .08 percent of high school football players ever make it to the NFL (ncaa.org). Yet he held firmly to his belief that he would “beat the odds” and not just earn a scholarship, but also “go pro.”
The culture of youth sports today plays on emotions and facilitates these types of attitudes. Some college recruiting practices also influence student-athletes to believe they can “beat the odds.” Every year athletic coaches send out thousands of recruiting letters to high school student-athletes appealing to their desires to earn scholarships. Although getting a letter from a college coach can be very exciting and encouraging, there simply are not enough scholarships to go around. Yet it is easy for student-athletes to misinterpret these letters as being indicators of their true scholarship-earning potential. This creates enormous pressure on them to do whatever it takes to get recognized. It also creates unrealistic hopes and dreams, and drives many kids to believe they can achieve the unimaginable.
Speaking of unimaginable….News of a Louisiana middle-schooler who has received football scholarship offers from several Division 1 colleges is circulating (abcnews.go.com). Middle school! When other student-athletes see stories like this, they risk developing unrealistic expectations that they might be next! This is why it is so important for parents to be realistic about college scholarships and to help their children set realistic expectations for themselves. Parents also must keep their main focus on the educational aspect of getting to college, rather than on athletics. Next time – what parents go through in the athletic scholarship hunt.
Until next time,
Your All-Pro Team Mom