Backyard Sports Timeout – Where our coaches field parents’ questions about Team Sports and offer ways to make it the Fun, Enriching Experience it’s supposed to be
Q: Our daughter is an excellent basketball player. We want her to get an athletic scholarship. Is this a realistic goal and what should we do to help better her chances?
A: There are kids out there who have exceptional natural abilities, but it’s not just the ability that makes them good, it’s that they have the intrinsic motivation to get better. Simply put, these kids have a burning desire to reach their goals. They want to play and practice. They want to beat the others. This motivation doesn’t come from fostering their parents’ expectations, it comes from within. When kids are motivated intrinsically, the parents’ job is done and they can step away. The child will eventually attain their maximum level of potential on their own because they have that desire and passion.
The problem begins when parents start instilling grandiose expectations in their child at a young age, like earning a college scholarship or achieving a career as a professional sports player. Kids grab onto that ultimate dream goal because parents tell them they just have to “work hard for it” or “You can achieve whatever you put your mind to.” The hard, cold reality is that not everyone gets a scholarship, regardless of how hard they work during their young sports lives. And the number of athletes who make it to the pros is even smaller.
Parents can’t seem to get the scholarship idea out of their heads. If their child is halfway decent and they’re on a team with a level of trajectory, they think their child will get a scholarship. The reality is, only about 4% of all seniors in high school sports will get some level of scholarship. And we’re not talking about a full ride either — of that lucky 4%, most will only get a partial award. The only athletes who have a shot at getting a full scholarship are the quarterback, center Q’s, and the point guard at Kentucky. There are also a lot of secondary sports, which may offer 5 or 6 scholarships that are divided up. So, the schools award quarter or half scholarships. These partial awards only pay a fraction of the college cost, leaving students with a hefty tuition balance. The fact is, the majority – 96% – of college-bound athletes aren’t going to get a financial reward, period.
So what happens when your child doesn’t receive a scholarship? Then parents have to ask themselves, what have we been doing for the past 5, 6, 10, 12 years? Did the process mean nothing, since the child didn’t reach the ultimate goal? What about the sport? Will the child turn away from it because he didn’t succeed in bringing home the financial trophy? That’s an incredibly unfair pressure and sad consequence coming to rest on the shoulders of a young adult!
The Big Takeaway: Sports is about the process of training and improving skills, as well as all the lessons an athlete learns along the way. It’s unhealthy to lay scholarship pressure on kids, because the odds are setting them up to fail. They’re not going to get every scholarship; they’re not going to win every game and they’re not going to make every team. Ultimately, these expectations only set kids up for disappointment. Of course, there should be a lot of fun in the game, but also think about the leadership skills that sports develop in kids and the life-long, seemingly undervalued, qualities of confidence, self-reliance, and learning how to lose. Not everybody is a winner every single day. Life is about losing a lot and being able to rebound. If your athlete focuses on these life lessons, they will be much better prepared for life’s setbacks instead of just focusing on the attainment of the increasingly elusive college scholarship.
Backyard Sports provides weekend and after school sports instruction and game play for boys and girls ages 4-16 years old. Our programs are designed for EVERY child who desires a positive and healthy sports experience. #CompetitiveSportsDoneRight