Reality Check for Athletes: Brains, Not Brawn, Pay for College

Back in my early days as a Madison Bulldog, as I rounded the far end of the golf course and charged ahead for the final mile of cross-country meet, I entertained notions of getting strong and fast like fellow Bulldogs runners Scott Heckenliable, Ryker Lammers, and David Janke. I might even have occasionally contemplated winning an athletic scholarship to run for some university (not to mention winning the marathon in the '96 Olympics).

I got three trips to the State Cross-Country Meet and my varsity letter, but I also got interested in other things (theater, debate, bicycling, girls...). I ran the occasional 10K in the summer, but running remained mostly a hobby, a nice healthy diversion. Running never paid any bills for me; I covered tuition with brains and work.

Now there are plenty of kids with a lot more physical prowess and drive than I had who maybe have a better shot of winning a little college money with their speed, strength, and agility. But should even the gifted athletes bank on sports to pay their way through college?

The New York Times is running a three-part series on the "scholarship divide," the difficulties facing students, parents, and coaches dealing with NCAA scholarships. Monday's article, "Expectations Lose to Reality of Sports Scholarships," puts the role of sports in education in perspective. Think focusing on sports will pay off in that magical "full ride"? Think again:

Excluding the glamour sports of football and basketball, the average N.C.A.A. athletic scholarship is nowhere near a full ride, 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 for N.C.A.A. institutions often cost between $20,000 and $50,000 a year.

“People run themselves ragged to play on three teams at once so they could always reach the next level,” said Margaret Barry of Laurel, Md., whose daughter is a scholarship swimmer at the University of Delaware. “They’re going to be disappointed when they learn that if they’re very lucky, they will get a scholarship worth 15 percent of the $40,000 college bill. What’s that? $6,000?” [Bill Pennington, "Expectations Lose to Reality of Sports Scholarships," New York Times, 2008.03.10]

The article goes on to note that parents who push athletics for their kids as a route to big money for college often do more harm than good. The parents' unrealistic expectations sometimes turn off coaches, who can recruit players whose parents aren't as pushy and who don't take an all-or-nothing attitude in scholarship negotiations. The parents may also spend more on youth athletics -- summer camps, equipment, medical bills, etc. -- than they'll get back in scholarship money.

Even if they win scholarships, student athletes often find those scholarships may not be worth the effort:

The chase for a scholarship has another side that is rarely discussed. Although those athletes who receive athletic aid are viewed as the ultimate winners, they typically find the demands on their time, minds and bodies in college even more taxing than the long journey to get there.

There are 6 a.m. weight-lifting sessions, exhausting practices, team meetings, study halls and long trips to games. Their varsity commitments often limit the courses they can take. Athletes also share a frustrating feeling of estrangement from the rest of the student body, which views them as the privileged ones. In this setting, it is not uncommon for first- and second-year athletes to relinquish their scholarships.

“Kids who have worked their whole life trying to get a scholarship think the hard part is over when they get the college money,” said Tim Poydenis, a senior at Villanova receiving $3,000 a year to play baseball. “They don’t know that it’s a whole new monster when you get here. Yes, all the hard work paid off. And now you have to work harder.” [Pennington]

I've seen theater students face a similar situation at SDSU. Some of my Montrose actors received theater scholarship offers. The money's good, but if you do a straight cost-benefit analysis -- divide the money by the number of hours theater scholarship students are required to put in performing, working tech and box office, etc. -- you find you could make more per hour working at Wal-Mart. Now if you're a theater major, you'd probably rather be on the stage than at Wal-Mart anyway. But if you need to pay the bills, and if theater is your minor or just an enjoyable pastime, the scholarship may cost you more than it's worth.

Athletics are great for kids, but they aren't a sure ticket to cheap college. The surest route to collegiate success (not to mention scholarships) is academics. But don't take my word for it; ask Myles Brand, president of the NCAA:

“The youth sports culture is overly aggressive, and while the opportunity for an athletic scholarship is not trivial, it’s easy for the opportunity to be overexaggerated by parents and advisers,” Mr. Brand said in a telephone interview. “That can skew behavior and, based on the numbers, lead to unrealistic expectations.”

Instead, Mr. Brand said, families should focus on academics.

“The real opportunity is taking advantage of how eager institutions are to reward good students,” he said. “In America’s colleges, there is a system of discounting for academic achievement. Most people with good academic records aren’t paying full sticker price. We don’t want people to stop playing sports; it’s good for them. But the best opportunity available is to try to improve one’s academic qualifications.” [Pennington]

At MHS, I sat out from competitive running my junior year due to an odd ache in my knee and a surge in other interests. I came back and ran cross-country my senior year, but I never ran hard (sorry, Coach Miller!). I ran mostly just to be outside and keep in shape. I read books on the bus trips to Lennox and Pierre, enjoyed the fresh air and fall leaves, and had fun.

Everybody can get something out of participating in sports. Sports may pay a few bills for the most dedicated athletes. But if you're focused on paying for college and getting a good education, even the NCAA agrees: hit the books.