When I was a young kid I played many different sports. I can't count on my hand how many games my parents came to watch me play. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't abandoned or slighted it was just a different time period. Most parents were busting their but to make ends meet and many times they couldn't make it to your game... let alone your practices.
Today is much, much different. Go to any softball, soccer or youth football game this summer and you will see the rows of chairs of parents lining the sidelines of the field. Setting up strategically in an effort to cheer their kid on to victory with the hope of someday they will be sitting and cheering their kid in a Division I stadium.
Parents sacrifice time, expenses and even other siblings in order to push their kid to the top of the sporting world. Taking time off from work, using vacation time or sick time to attend specialty camps and other hosted events all in the name of scholarship.
Over time, parents are racking up some serious tabs of expenses attempting to get their kids name out on the radar screen. The problem comes when reality hits when they learn that the majority of scholarships barely cover a third of the college expense.
On the sidelines emotions run deep. Many parents have a difficult time maintaining proper fan decorum while attending a game. Some parents find it extremely difficult controlling themselves by quelling their emotional outbursts. Yelling at coaches, officials and even their own kids some parents find it necessary to find fault with many of the participants of the game.
This and many other issues lead me to write a book for parents on Raising Elite Athletes.
Raising Elite Athletes was written to help parents better understand what it takes to become a better athlete. In many cases, many parents are downright delusional when it comes to their children's abilities or performance. If they only knew the facts about college scholarships I submit that they would have better behavior on the sidelines.
Some parents, coaches and family have a difficult time controlling their emotions on the sidelines. Which brings home the point that if this behavior is being displayed in public what is going on at home? Here is a video that you need to see concerning some "out of control" parents and coaches pertaining to youth sports: http://tiny.cc/a2khv With more and more kids getting involved with youth sports many parents think it's their mission to make sure that there kid is getting a "shot at the big time." Well, I'm here to tell you that in the majority of cases most kids will either end up quitting the sport or finish playing the sport by the time college rolls around.
According to Jenny Dial of the Houston Chronicle, "the number of Division I scholarships offered in a given year accounts for less than half a percent of high school participants. The sport with the highest percentage of high school participants earning at least a partial athletic scholarship is girls golf at 1.6 percent. Football ranks second, with 1.4 percent of its high school participants in a given year earning a scholarship at a Division I university."
Basketball parents spent an average of $4,900 over six years, and parents of junior and senior soccer boys and girls spent an average of $8,000 for two years. With 1.4 percent of its participants going on to earn a college scholarship, football is the most economic sport for high school athletes. On average, a football player spends about $300 a year for off season expenses.
When it comes to gaining a "free ride" to college parents really need to take a step back and look at the numbers. Football for example has approximate one million high school participants for only roughly 16,000 scholarships. When you do the math it comes out to be 1.4 % chance of attaining a full college scholarship for football.
It gets worse from there, boys baseball the percentage is at.6% and in boys soccer it's a whopping.4%. Girls don't fair out any better, girls softball is at.7%, girls swimming is at 1.2% and girls basketball at.9%.
Most parents mean well. They want their young child to excel and advance in everything they do. The problem comes when they have a difficult time in controlling their emotions and second not fully understanding what it really takes to get to the top of any sport. If you are looking to help your son or daughter advance while keep your relationship in tack pick up a copy of Raising Elite Athletes. It will help you become a much better and informed parent allowing you to help raise a better athlete.
Today is much, much different. Go to any softball, soccer or youth football game this summer and you will see the rows of chairs of parents lining the sidelines of the field. Setting up strategically in an effort to cheer their kid on to victory with the hope of someday they will be sitting and cheering their kid in a Division I stadium.
Parents sacrifice time, expenses and even other siblings in order to push their kid to the top of the sporting world. Taking time off from work, using vacation time or sick time to attend specialty camps and other hosted events all in the name of scholarship.
Over time, parents are racking up some serious tabs of expenses attempting to get their kids name out on the radar screen. The problem comes when reality hits when they learn that the majority of scholarships barely cover a third of the college expense.
On the sidelines emotions run deep. Many parents have a difficult time maintaining proper fan decorum while attending a game. Some parents find it extremely difficult controlling themselves by quelling their emotional outbursts. Yelling at coaches, officials and even their own kids some parents find it necessary to find fault with many of the participants of the game.
This and many other issues lead me to write a book for parents on Raising Elite Athletes.
Raising Elite Athletes was written to help parents better understand what it takes to become a better athlete. In many cases, many parents are downright delusional when it comes to their children's abilities or performance. If they only knew the facts about college scholarships I submit that they would have better behavior on the sidelines.
Some parents, coaches and family have a difficult time controlling their emotions on the sidelines. Which brings home the point that if this behavior is being displayed in public what is going on at home? Here is a video that you need to see concerning some "out of control" parents and coaches pertaining to youth sports: http://tiny.cc/a2khv With more and more kids getting involved with youth sports many parents think it's their mission to make sure that there kid is getting a "shot at the big time." Well, I'm here to tell you that in the majority of cases most kids will either end up quitting the sport or finish playing the sport by the time college rolls around.
According to Jenny Dial of the Houston Chronicle, "the number of Division I scholarships offered in a given year accounts for less than half a percent of high school participants. The sport with the highest percentage of high school participants earning at least a partial athletic scholarship is girls golf at 1.6 percent. Football ranks second, with 1.4 percent of its high school participants in a given year earning a scholarship at a Division I university."
Basketball parents spent an average of $4,900 over six years, and parents of junior and senior soccer boys and girls spent an average of $8,000 for two years. With 1.4 percent of its participants going on to earn a college scholarship, football is the most economic sport for high school athletes. On average, a football player spends about $300 a year for off season expenses.
When it comes to gaining a "free ride" to college parents really need to take a step back and look at the numbers. Football for example has approximate one million high school participants for only roughly 16,000 scholarships. When you do the math it comes out to be 1.4 % chance of attaining a full college scholarship for football.
It gets worse from there, boys baseball the percentage is at.6% and in boys soccer it's a whopping.4%. Girls don't fair out any better, girls softball is at.7%, girls swimming is at 1.2% and girls basketball at.9%.
Most parents mean well. They want their young child to excel and advance in everything they do. The problem comes when they have a difficult time in controlling their emotions and second not fully understanding what it really takes to get to the top of any sport. If you are looking to help your son or daughter advance while keep your relationship in tack pick up a copy of Raising Elite Athletes. It will help you become a much better and informed parent allowing you to help raise a better athlete.
Dr. Malcolm Conway is recognized as one of the nation's leading specialist in sports injuries and rehabilitation. As a treating doctor for over 26 years, Dr. Conway has treated some of the biggest names in sports. Dr. Conway has authored five other books in the field of sports injury and rehabilitation. Dr. Conway's latest book written especially for parents called Raising Elite Athletes uncovers the myths of how to become an elite athlete and how parents can help. http://www.RaisingEliteAthletes.com
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