Are you game?
I admit it. Often when we go to my kids’ sports games I bring along a guy who yells at my kids from the sidelines. He is their father, so I don’t have much choice. Occasionally, I’ve been known to say a few loud-ish words myself.
Why do we put such importance on performance in sports? For our family, we are mostly concerned with the effort the boys are showing. If they just sit back and chew their nails during a game, we are irritated even if the team won. If our boys display hard work and effort, we are happy even if the team loses.
Some parents are hoping their little Bo Jacksons will do them the favor of paying for college tuition with their athletic efforts. If that’s the case, you may want to know which sports to concentrate on to have the best chance.
Odds are….
From a study done by Patrick O’Rourke and quoted in this article of Market Watch, here are the sports in which kids are statistically most likely to earn scholarships (talent and effort not included).
For men, the best ratios of college scholarships to high school athletes are
- gymnastics (20:1)
- fencing (22:1)
The worst odds are in
- wrestling (176:1)
- volleyball (177:1).
For women, the highest odds are
- rowing (2:1)
- equestrian (3:1)
- rugby (9:1)
(Of those, only rugby probably wouldn’t cost you a fortune before college.)
The worst odds are
- track and field (64:1)
- bowling (94:1)
The biggest surprise here is that you could possibly get a bowling scholarship at all.
Whatever the reason, we parents should just chill out and stop yelling from the sidelines. Concentrate on who is bringing the after-game snacks for the kids and the during-the-game beer for the parents.
