If you think getting your child into these sports and activities will help them win an athletic scholarship in the future, you’re not alone. Because, as one mother says, the system is set up to parent. think It all seems worth the investment, but unfortunately the statistics say otherwise.
After splicing together a clip of Katherine Van Dyke, senior legal fellow at the Committee on Economic Freedom, testifying before the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, she dropped the disappointing statistic that while nearly 50% of parents believe they will help their child win a college athletic scholarship, only 2% of children actually win a scholarship.
it is huge As Melissa Panzer says, that’s no coincidence.
“This is an exploitation model, where the system simply extracts more and more from families to make more money without actually increasing their income. Nearly half of parents believe their child will earn an athletic scholarship, but the actual figure is 2%. This difference is no coincidence; it is what generates profits for the system as a whole,” she says.
Panzer points out that the reduction in public funding for youth sports has created an opportunity for private club sports.
“Clubs, travel teams, elite leagues, they’ve all stepped in. They don’t make money by telling parents to slow down. They make money by selling potential, implying that if you start early enough, pay enough and commit enough, you might give kids an edge,” she says.
These private clubs prey on parents. know As Panzer puts it, the university’s tuition has become so expensive that it’s impossible for anyone to “save up and attend.”
“So parents start looking for ways to reduce that bill later on, and sports become one of the few avenues that still looks like a meritocracy. Most parents don’t really think their child is an exception, but even when they feel like they can’t afford college, hope persists. The alternative is debt, which follows the child for decades, and it sucks. So families keep paying, not because they’re stupid, but because the system is designed to monetize their fears and aspirations in college. That’s also infuriating. ”
“Parents are not the problem, they are the product.”
For comparison, there are approximately 8 million high school athletes in the United States each year, and approximately 160,000 will receive athletic scholarships. Even if that happens, most of those scholarships are partial rather than full.
“Meanwhile, youth sports has grown into a $30 billion-plus industry, almost all of which is funded by families. This discrepancy is no coincidence. It’s a business model,” Panzer wrote in the caption of the now-viral video.
So what can parents do? Panzer has some ideas.
First, ask your child what they actually enjoy doing, “rather than what feels strategic,” as Panzer says. They may ultimately find joy and scholarship in another field. do not have Sports. Next, set a clear household budget before the sports season begins, and remember that most college admissions do not go through elite youth sports. Finally, if it’s too much for you, know that opting out doesn’t mean “catching up.”
