Support NeoGAF

[Hellwarden]

I know it's easy to make fun of their blind hope, but think about it.

A lot of the parents dreaming for their kids are probably the ones who know they can't possibly afford college.

 

[justjohn]

What's wrong with believing in their kid?

 

[Frith]

sorry what?
is the question what percentage of parents hope for positive outcome for their kids endeavours?

i think that any kid of mine will fail and should not try.

people love to parade odds around like no one is factoring that in. this article doesn't go in to enough depth to say any of that. everyone knows its a long shot but if your asked on a survey if you want a random life win scenario to happen to your kid who the fuck would say no. Also the poorer you are the better those odds sound as your already living the lose condition anyway.

unless you can read the question wording this article could mean anything.

 

[Machina]

In a society that has long been haunted by a holier than thou attitude, that is a low number.

 

[entremet]

What's wrong with believing in their kid?

Again, the unbalanced focus on these activities at the detriment of other longer term options.

It's all in the article linked.

There's even been a few anecdotes in the thread already.

 

[Frith]

Again, the unbalanced focus on these activities at the detriment of other longer term options.

It's all in the article linked.

There's even been a few anecdotes in the thread already.

your assuming that a significant part of that 26% do so in a negative way.

who knows not us we literally have no data

 

[jayhawker]

Well, the question is: do you HOPE that your kid plays pro sports. Based on that wording I, like others, really thought the % would be higher.

From the NYT article, "As students and families sign up for sports this fall and winter, we should be asking: if you knew this was just for fun, would you still do it? Would you do this much of it? Would you do it differently?"

and based on the surverY: "Parents of middle school or high school aged
children report that most boys and girls (76% and 70%) currently play sports."

So, yea, my guess would be that most parents would still do it if it were just for fun.

Exactly. Hoping their kid turns pro and believing it is likely to happen are two wildly different things. That poll seems meaningless to me.

 

[sans_pants]

My highschool was supposedly a football factory and only one kid made it to the pros from my time there, he never made an impact


Another was drafted with the 19th pick this year.


So like 2 guys in the last decade+

 

[Mushroomer25]

I don't understand. Shouldn't parents be encouraging their kids to give it their all? What's wrong with pumping your kids up? No, we should hit them with cautious optimism, and prepare them for the "real world"...

Go ahead and encourage your kid to follow their dreams.

Do not, however, spend so much money on that pursuit that the kid is eventually unequipped for the 'real world'. Be realistic. Find a balance between sport and academic pursuits, and don't buy into the dream yourself.

 

[Messofanego]

I don't understand. Shouldn't parents be encouraging their kids to give it their all? What's wrong with pumping your kids up? No, we should hit them with cautious optimism, and prepare them for the "real world"...

Why knowingly push them into a dead end for that long?

 

[blackflag]

Hoping they will become a pro and thinking they definitely will are two different things OP.
I also hope to become a billionaire one day. Doesn't mean I don't know that's never gonna happen.

That's the part that stuck out to me. Of course they hope. Do they really think they will and are they betting their futures. It though? That would be the difference.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

That is a lot lower than I would have imagined.

This isn't just starters, right?/

Think about a football team where you don't even have to try out.

That's like 40 kids. At least half don't even start.

 

[Miletius]

I also think that overemphasizing competition keeps a lot of kids out of sports clubs as well. The kid who wants to just play for fun and exercise gets pushed out of the club by the kids who are unrealistically chasing a dream of pro competition. Kids and teen sports should be foremost about fun, exercise, and teaching good habits.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

I also think that overemphasizing competition keeps a lot of kids out of sports clubs as well. The kid who wants to just play for fun and exercise gets pushed out of the club by the kids who are unrealistically chasing a dream of pro competition. Kids and teen sports should be foremost about fun, exercise, and teaching good habits.

High school sports such as baseball and basketball have try outs for a good reason.
They have limited roster space and coaching/equipment resources.
High school sports are competitive and that's a good thing.

Less serious rec-leagues do exist.

But no, most people who play sports that have a try out do not actually believe they are chasing a professional career.

 

[bro1]

Since most pro sports require college, the down side is what? Disappointment?

 

[Marion Cobretti]

From what I understand, highschool football is more powerful than any religion in some states / towns.

 

[teruterubozu]

Since most pro sports require college, the down side is what? Disappointment?

A debilitating injury. Happens quite a lot.

 

[sasimirobot]

what is it for skateboarding? that shit must be brutal also

 

[aeolist]

Since most pro sports require college, the down side is what? Disappointment?

i've heard of plenty of instances of kids in college on an athletic scholarship graduating from essentially made-up softball academic programs that don't give them any real value on the job market. NCAA is interested in making as much money as they can from the (unpaid "amateur") players and don't have any compelling reason to make sure they're educated well.

 

[JC Lately]

26% percent doesn’t sound that bad really. It means 74% of parents with kids in sports have their heads screwed on straight. That’s encouraging. I would have expected the opposite.

Glass is 3/4 full, GAF.

 

[Miletius]

High school sports such as baseball and basketball have try outs for a good reason.
They have limited roster space and coaching/equipment resources.
High school sports are competitive and that's a good thing.

Less serious rec-leagues do exist.

But no, most people who play sports that have a try out do not actually believe they are chasing a professional career.

I agree that with limited space in certain programs competition is inevitable. But I don't really see that as a good thing at a certain level. Most high school programs are lucky to produce even one kid with a scholarship. What does being a competitive program accomplish other than distribute resources in one, fair, way?

 

[woolley]

i've heard of plenty of instances of kids in college on an athletic scholarship graduating from essentially made-up softball academic programs that don't give them any real value on the job market. NCAA is interested in making as much money as they can from the (unpaid "amateur") players and don't have any compelling reason to make sure they're educated well.

And most schools have programs where the student athletes get the same education as all the other students. Most of these stories come from big Div 1 schools which a very small number of schools are actually a part of.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

I agree that with limited space in certain programs competition is inevitable. But I don't really see that as a good thing at a certain level. Most high school programs are lucky to produce even one kid with a scholarship. What does being a competitive program accomplish other than distribute resources in one, fair, way?

Because the people that play high school sports WANT to win.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

My parents actually thought I was gonna amount to something in sports, in for the long haul and all that. Haha, FOOLED THEM.

 

[bro1]

A debilitating injury. Happens quite a lot.

Not nearly as much as you think.

And to those who say it's a worthless degree, it's a paid for degree with scholarships. There is nothing wrong with competitive sports, a competitive nature, and a paid for college degree. Sure, your parents dreams of the majors may be crushed but you still come out on top

 

[Kieli]

What's the percentage of upper middle class parents who think they're raising a doctor? Got to be 75-80%.

100% if you're Asian.

My parents got mad at me because I got rejected from med. ARGH.

 

[Stinkles]

I think my daughter is going to be president.

 

[Miletius]

Because the people that play high school sports WANT to win.

Eh, I don't really buy it. I'm not really one of those participation ribbon guys, but who really gives a fuck? Almost nobody, 30 minutes after the game, and nobody 6 months later.

 

[bud23]

There's nothing wrong with that.

Let them dream, man.

 

[Gallbaro]

My plan with my son has always been to have him train in a much, much, much smaller pool.

 

[woolley]

Eh, I don't really buy it. I'm not really one of those participation ribbon guys, but who really gives a fuck? Almost nobody, 30 minutes after the game, and nobody 6 months later.

It really depends on where your from. My highschool has a lot of history and tradition where football is a big deal. We get 15k people every year for the annual Thanksgiving day game and it was televised twice on ESPN.

 

[Diablos]

AMERICA

 

[Stabby McSter]

I knew someone who made into the NBA for a few seasons. Didnt' do too hot, and now he's playing in the Euro league, I believe.

 

[dankir]

100% if you're Asian.

My parents got mad at me because I got rejected from med. ARGH.

 

[udiie]

The high school I went to produced Joe Sakic and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins so pretty much every kid in the hockey program there thinks they're the hottest shit ever
Parents attitude is not far off that either

 

[Abounder]

Sounds kinda low.

And @ sports "obsession", I wish that were true...just look at how out of shape both kids and adults are nowadays. Borderline fit-shaming lol

 

[aeolist]

Not nearly as much as you think.

And to those who say it's a worthless degree, it's a paid for degree with scholarships. There is nothing wrong with competitive sports, a competitive nature, and a paid for college degree. Sure, your parents dreams of the majors may be crushed but you still come out on top

it's still years spent making money for other people and not investing in your future

 

[Mammoth Jones]

I mean if the kid has a passion for sports you never know where it could lead. Could lead to pro play but it could also lead to coaching or just helping ref little league type events.

Problem w/ parents thinking they're raising the next big thing is there's no "Plan B". What happens when this shit don't work out and you have to fall back on other skills?

 

[Dice]

Shit, that's almost as bad as expectations of financial stability.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

My plan with my son has always been to have him train in a much, much, much smaller pool.

 

[woolley]

it's still years spent making money for other people and not investing in your future

That could be said about most things people do. They are making people money but that doesn't mean what they are doing is worthless to their futures. I've learned a lot and got to experience things that I never would have if it wasn't for sports.

 

[Brakke]

The title and the article have different language. "An astonishing 26 percent of parents with high-school-age children who play sports hope their child will become a professional athlete one day" vs "high-school athletes think they're raising a pro. (NYT)". That's very different. What is the actual metric here?

 

[aeolist]

That could be said about most things people do. They are making people money but that doesn't mean what they are doing is worthless to their futures. I've learned a lot and got to experience things that I never would have if it wasn't for sports.

and that's fine if it's entirely your choice

parents who think they can win the lottery on their kids are a real thing though, and it's terrible

 

[entremet]

Sounds kinda low.

And @ sports "obsession", I wish that were true...just look at how out of shape both kids and adults are nowadays. Borderline fit-shaming lol

That's the thing. Competitive High school sports is limited in terms of roster spots. So your regular joes and janes don't participate.

 

[woolley]

and that's fine if it's entirely your choice

parents who think they can win the lottery on their kids are a real thing though, and it's terrible

And that sucks but parents do it all the time for other things also and isn't exclusively associated with sports. And just because a parent thinks that their kid can go pro doesn't mean that is all that they care about or stress to their children.

 

[aeolist]

The title and the article have different language. "An astonishing 26 percent of parents with high-school-age children who play sports hope their child will become a professional athlete one day" vs "high-school athletes think they're raising a pro. (NYT)". That's very different. What is the actual metric here?

http://media.npr.org/documents/2015/june/sportsandhealthpoll.pdf

this particular poll is on page 17, the wording is "hope"

 

[gcubed]

Put me in the camp that was shocked it was so low

 

[Kin5290]

Since most pro sports require college, the down side is what? Disappointment?

In many cases, the resulting degree isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Students are railroaded through easy "paper classes" and so on that ultimately leave them completely unprepared for the job market.

 

[entremet]

In many cases, the resulting degree isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Students are railroaded through easy "paper classes" and so on that ultimately leave them completely unprepared for the job market.

Hello UNC chapel hill.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

This is why paying college players is not a good idea. You incentivize spending more time on an activity which will dead end in 4 years instead of getting an actual degree which is much more likely to sustain you.