Are Youth Sports a Sound College Investment?

Parents who consider youth sports a pathway to college athletic scholarships will want to read “The Rising Costs of Youth Sports, in Money and Emotion”, which appeared last week in The New York Times.

George Washington University’s Mark Hyman offers sound counsel:

“Parents think these investments are justified; they think it will lead to a full ride to college. . . That’s highly misinformed. The percentage of high school kids who go on to play in college is extremely small. In most sports it’s under 5 percent. And the number for kids getting school aid is even smaller — it’s 3 percent . . . What I tell parents is if you want to get a scholarship for your kids, you’re better off investing in a biology tutor than a quarterback coach . . .There’s much more school dollars for academics.”

For Christians interested in studying the role of sports in a child’s education, I highly recommend veteran Christian educator Richard A. Riesen’s School and Sports: A Christian Critique.