Football or baseball

If you have the choice, my own opinion is to play baseball only.  Football takes too big a toll on the body and can set your life back.  It's like being in a weekly car wreck.  Good luck.

Is he committed to a DI or DII college? Does he have a football scholarship? That would be a 100% full ride at DI. Seems like that would make the decision a bit tougher.

PG Staff, it is a D1 and yes he got an offer.

Two sport athletes always face possibility of injury from one sport effecting another. Tough choice. 

Golden Tate never played Sr yr baseball due to hand injury from football. Chose  N Dame over draft and played both baseball/football for two yrs before he concetrated on football only. Football was his passion and  N Dame very  expensive so full scholarship in football worked for him.

if son loves baseball more but tries playing both due to money/offer I can see a point where one effects other. How would he go play in Summer league while being expected to be at football practice?

if he's just choosing one, take money out of equation and see where his real passion lies. Does he have shot of making it past college in either sport? 

No right answer here, it's what is best for him. May be different from someone else. 

Good luck.

Will he start as a freshman at either?  Might be easier to "play" both as a freshman if he is not going to see the field.  Figure out his true fit next year? 
Good problem to have.  Good luck.

It is a great problem to have.  Your son must be an extraordinary athlete.  I'd be asking myself.... how exactly is playing two sports going to benefit my son.  If I couldn't come up with an answer, I'd shy away from it.

 

Questions that popped into my head.....

 

1) Which sport is he passionate about?

2) Managing time between college and college sport(s) is difficult.  Does your son have the discipline and maturity to handle two sports and an academic work load?

3) What is his time worth?  Is it worth the time invested in either sport where he may not start or compete?

4) Does he have the talent to play professionally in either sport?

5) Are there any discussions about being drafted for baseball?

6) Does he have a history of injury?

7) Are both college coaches onboard with this two-sport discussion? 

 

If your son has a shot at becoming a professional athlete then I'd gravitate toward that sport and not participate in the other.  College sports are year round and it would be difficult to focus on two sports. 

 

Good luck!

Offered to play both at the same college?

As Fenway said, it's a nice problem to have.

 

As a practical matter, if your son is on the football team and gets athletic aid, he is a "counter" for football. If he plays both football and baseball, he belongs to the football program, and baseball can't truly be his primary sport. 

 

I generally encourage high school players to play whatever sport they want each season.  College is a different animal because every sport expects a year-round commitment, and most sports have offseason activities that influence in-season depth charts.  It's not a feat to be undertaken without a clear sense of why you're doing it, the price you'll have to pay, and what you want out of it.

 

Does it seem like most of the players who pull off two college sports successfully are the off-the-charts freaks who can excel at anything even on a part-time basis? I'm struggling to remember someone playing college baseball and football who wasn't a star at both or at least a sufficiently important contributor that both coaches would welcome his participation on less than a full-time basis.

 

My son had opportunities to wrestle and play baseball in college, but never considered trying to do both.

 

Best wishes,

 

Some of the above posters have far more wisdom than I, but if you will bear with me I will relate a story that very much drives this point home. Mid 2000's we had a kid at our high school that EXCELLED at both football and baseball, D'Vontrey Richardson. He was one grade behind Buster Posey. This kid is probably the most gifted athlete I have ever seen. He could have excelled at basketball also if he chose to. He was Mr Football in the state of GA for 2006. He was recruited to play football and baseball at FSU. Long story short, because he tried to do both, he never reached his potential in either. He was a QB in high school and that is the position FSU signed him for. I never felt he would make it at that level as a QB. He was just SO much more athletically gifted than anyone else on the football field in high school, he did basically anything he wanted. He was very raw on the baseball field, but the talent was obvious. After his junior year in college, he was signed by the Brewers based off a 60 time. He told me the scout came down to Tallahasee and told him if he could run a 4.4 they would sign him. Legend goes that he turned in a faster time than that. All I do know is he was signed for $400,000 that day. If you do a simple Google search, you will see his roller coaster ride in professional baseball. My point is, it has got to be VERY difficult to succeed at two sports at that level. If this kid struggled, it blows my mind to think what the ability of someone that has done it successfully must be. (Thinking Deon and Bo). I don't know your son's specific situation, but as others have said, I would definitely try to see where his true passion lies if he hopes to play beyond college.

Sorry that was a 6.4 not 4.4. He was fast but not THAT fast😉

For a second there I thought he was so fast he could turn out the lights and get in bed before the room got dark.

 

Josh Gibson about Cool Papa Bell