One story talked about kids soccer. My kids were on a traveling team; but most of the traveling was in the Greater Boston area. Once a year we went to Canada because the coach knew someone there. They learned the game by playing and every so often having a coach who knew what the game was about. This is a far cry from today. Kids barely out of diapers go to goalie clinics. Travel is to Europe. We paid maybe $100 a year for jerseys, balls, referees, etc. If the league had a budget of $10,000, I'd be surprised. Can you guess what the annual budget of the Fairfield (CT) United Soccer Association is? $392,000 in dues in 2004, according to tax returns.
The other Times article talked about parents who believe that their child has the potential to be a professional athlete. So, some pay for professional coaches, private trainers, athletic testing, baseball camps, tournaments and travel with elite teams — not to mention travel costs for the entire family to watch the games. Thus far, in one case, the son, at 16, is starting catcher on the high school team. I wonder what his grades are and what he does for fun.
All this money is being spent despite the fact that very few players in sports - other than the big attractions of football and basketball - get full scholarships. Much more common are partial scholarships of as little as $1,000. How many college players make the pros?
Only a very, very few kids will become professional athletes. All will become citizens. Will they be ready to ensure that America remains a world leader? What will they invent? How many books will they read? Will they become leaders in their town? What kind of parents will they be? Will they be good people? What will their legacy be?
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