Your kid and my kid are not playing in the pros

[UKMustangFan]

I played two years of baseball when I was 8 or 9, played again for 3 years during Babe Ruth age, played 1 year of soccer when I was like 8, played football my 7th and 9th grade years. Never played on an all star or travel team for anything. I have a very good job as an account rep. I talk to my parents a few times a week and normally see them at least once a week.

 

You history doesn't disprove what he said any more then mine proves what he said.

 

Sure it does. It shows that his assertion that sports cause family dysfunction is simply false.

[stickymitts]

I played two years of baseball when I was 8 or 9, played again for 3 years during Babe Ruth age, played 1 year of soccer when I was like 8, played football my 7th and 9th grade years. Never played on an all star or travel team for anything. I have a very good job as an account rep. I talk to my parents a few times a week and normally see them at least once a week.

 

You history doesn't disprove what he said any more then mine proves what he said.

 

My only disagreement is that I think he portrays the type of behavior in his piece as the norm. I don't think that's accurate.

[UKMustangFan]

My only disagreement is that I think he portrays the type of behavior in his piece as the norm. I don't think that's accurate.

 

Exactly. It's extremely rare.

[woodsrider]

Sure it does. It shows that his assertion that sports cause family dysfunction is simply false.

 

So how your family turned out is proof that everything he said is false and no family ever has been negatively affected by sports?

[woodsrider]

My only disagreement is that I think he portrays the type of behavior in his piece as the norm. I don't think that's accurate.

 

He didn't portray it as the norm.

 

I know, I know. Your family is different. You do all these things because your kid loves to compete, he loves the travel basketball, she loves the swim team, it's her life, it's what defines him. Part of that is certainly true but a big part of that isn't. Tens of thousands of families thrive in this setting, but I'm telling you, from what I've seen as a clinician, tens of thousands don't. It is a hidden scourge in society today, taxing and stressing husbands, wives, parents and children.

 

I took the article to be directed towards the parents/families that can't handle it.

[stickymitts]

He didn't portray it as the norm.

 

He covered the vast majority of families whose kids play sports with this paragraph. I beg to differ.

 

"I don't care if your eight year old can throw a baseball through six inches of plywood. He is not going to the pros. I don't care if your twelve-year-old scored seven touchdowns last week in Pop Warner. He is not going to the pros. I don't care if your sixteen -year-old made first team all-state in basketball. He is not playing in the pros. I don't care if your freshman in college is a varsity scratch golfer, averaging two under par. He isn't playing in the pros. Now tell me again how good he is. I'll lay you two to one odds right now - and I don't even know your kid, I have never even see them play - but I'll put up my pension that your kid is not playing in the pros. It is simply an odds thing. There are far too many variables working against your child. Injury, burnout, others who are better - these things are just a fraction of the barriers preventing your child from becoming "the one.""

[woodsrider]

He covered the vast majority of families whose kids play sports with this paragraph. I beg to differ.

 

"I don't care if your eight year old can throw a baseball through six inches of plywood. He is not going to the pros. I don't care if your twelve-year-old scored seven touchdowns last week in Pop Warner. He is not going to the pros. I don't care if your sixteen -year-old made first team all-state in basketball. He is not playing in the pros. I don't care if your freshman in college is a varsity scratch golfer, averaging two under par. He isn't playing in the pros. Now tell me again how good he is. I'll lay you two to one odds right now - and I don't even know your kid, I have never even see them play - but I'll put up my pension that your kid is not playing in the pros. It is simply an odds thing. There are far too many variables working against your child. Injury, burnout, others who are better - these things are just a fraction of the barriers preventing your child from becoming "the one.""

First, is he wrong? Second, I think he was just establishing a starting point. If the odds are so stacked against your kid going pro, no matter how good they are at what ever age, then really think about why you are spending thousands of dollars and countless hours with travel and select sports. Forget about the going pro part, what are the odds they will even get a scholarship to college?

[UKMustangFan]

He didn't portray it as the norm.

 

 

Yes, he most certainly did.

[stickymitts]

First, is he wrong? Second, I think he was just establishing a starting point. If the odds are so stacked against your kid going pro, no matter how good they are at what ever age, then really think about why you are spending thousands of dollars and countless hours with travel and select sports. Forget about the going pro part, what are the odds they will even get a scholarship to college?

 

Yes he is wrong. If he was right we wouldn't have MLB, NFL, NBA...etc. Someone's child is going pro, that's a fact.

 

If a parent feels it's in their child's best interest to keep them "off the streets" by committing a ton of time and money to their athletic careers, what's wrong with that? There's quite a bit of value in that that can stick with a kid their entire life. Work ethic, commitment, leadership, teamwork, adversity...etc. The biggest thing it teaches is, maximizing potential. Life lessons.

[UKMustangFan]

First, is he wrong? Second, I think he was just establishing a starting point. If the odds are so stacked against your kid going pro, no matter how good they are at what ever age, then really think about why you are spending thousands of dollars and countless hours with travel and select sports. Forget about the going pro part, what are the odds they will even get a scholarship to college?

 

Maybe because your kids enjoy playing sports, like being a part of the team, and learn valuable life lessons from playing sports? How people spend their money is entirely up to them.

[gchs_uk9]

Someone's child is going pro, that's a fact.

 

But not many. The link is from 2006 but I highly doubt the numbers have changed much.

 

http://freedom.mysdhc.org/guidance/information/from%20high%20school%20to%20pro%20statistics.pdf

 

 

I think one area where parents and families fail is by basically pushing the child to "get a scholarship" and allowing them the mindset that they don't need to be great academically or great at a trade. When the halcyon days of high school sports are over, they haven't developed any kind of skill or knowledge that can carry them beyond sports. So they're left with a degenerating talent with nothing to move on to.

[stickymitts]

But not many. The link is from 2006 but I highly doubt the numbers have changed much.

 

http://freedom.mysdhc.org/guidance/information/from%20high%20school%20to%20pro%20statistics.pdf

 

 

I think one area where parents and families fail is by basically pushing the child to "get a scholarship" and allowing them the mindset that they don't need to be great academically or great at a trade. When the halcyon days of high school sports are over, they haven't developed any kind of skill or knowledge that can carry them beyond sports. So they're left with a degenerating talent with nothing to move on to.

 

1 out of 100 gets a scholarship and chances of having a professional career are 1 in 16,000. Chances of winning the Powerball: 1 in 175 million. What's more of a waste of money?

 

And for Pete's sake, I didn't say it was easy. It's just a fact that someone's kid is going pro. No matter what stats you post, someone's kid is going pro.

[gchs_uk9]

1 out of 100 gets a scholarship and chances of having a professional career are 1 in 16,000. Chances of winning the Powerball: 1 in 175 million. What's more of a waste of money?

 

And for Pete's sake, I didn't say it was easy. It's just a fact that someone's kid is going pro. No matter what stats you post, someone's kid is going pro.

 

I said "not many" and I was right.

 

No comment on the second (and most important) part of my post?

[woodsrider]

Yes he is wrong. If he was right we wouldn't have MLB, NFL, NBA...etc. Someone's child is going pro, that's a fact.

 

If a parent feels it's in their child's best interest to keep them "off the streets" by committing a ton of time and money to their athletic careers, what's wrong with that? There's quite a bit of value in that that can stick with a kid their entire life. Work ethic, commitment, leadership, teamwork, adversity...etc. The biggest thing it teaches is, maximizing potential. Life lessons.

Your reading it too literally. Go to the ball field and look around. Chances are none of the kids you see are going pro. That goes for every ball field in America. Yes, some of them will go but can you tell me who they are?

[gchs_uk9]

1 out of 100 gets a scholarship and chances of having a professional career are 1 in 16,000. Chances of winning the Powerball: 1 in 175 million. What's more of a waste of money?

 

Powerball, because it is a game of chance.

 

College scholarships and and professional careers require skills, skills that I'm sure the kids are working on. I've never stated or implied that playing sports was a waste of money - I've only tried to say that parents need to be reasonable in their expectations for their children, while encouraging them to develop skills in multiple areas beyond the playing field. Because if 1 and 16,000 are having a professional career in sports, that means 15,999 aren't.