@Francis7 posted:Two things to consider:
1. There are MANY kids, period, who need more than 4 years to get their bachelor's degree. I thought that I read somewhere recently that it's not unreasonable to expect a kid these days to need 4 1/2 years.
2. Never underestimate the hopes and dreams factor. Look at how many seniors in college last year are coming back for another year this year. I thought almost no one would do it for all the logical reasons. But, it seems like most are doing it for the illogical reason.
My son is fortunate that he is still playing after D1 ball. About a couple of years ago he met up with several of his teammates who have graduated and moved on. He said a few were ready to move into their next chapter without baseball but many said it was a major adjustment. They loved the game, enjoyed the competition, the practices, being with the team, traveling, attention, hanging with friends and such. Their identity at the time was a baseball player, thus now a new identity had to be created. At first it was hard for me to relate but after thinking about it, yeah I understand where they are coming from. This is by no way a comparison to an athletic player but I know one day my time will come where I will no longer have the identity of being dad of player X. I do understand why it's difficult for 5th year seniors (or high school sr) to be reluctant about giving it up when their talent or success may not be at the top. Not saying financially or academically it may make sense but that's another discussion. I especially sympathize with the current athletes who may never get the opportunity to properly say farewell to their love of playing competitively.