why do players want to go to college?

quote:

Originally posted by 20dad:

i'm curious what promps people to pay large amounts of money?
is it mostly to play ball? or get the education?

i know it's a mixture of both, does one over ride the other in the process?

The answer to both your questions is yes.

You will get as many responses as there are posters and opinions on this one. I would not pay 50K a year for my son to attend Obscure State just so he could play four more years of baseball. To me the only reason to pay 50K for college is the potential the school might provide for earlier in the career earning power. In other words, ROI. Financial perspective will provide multiple responses. 50K may be a pot of gold to one family and pocket change to another.

Here's the deal I've had with my daughter I will also have it with my son. They take out a loan for the year. If I see 3.0+ at the end of the year I pay off the loan. If I don't see 3.0+ they own it. My daughter graduated debt free. Now we have law school for her starting next year along with my son entering college.

I also took my daughter to our driveway when she was looking at colleges. I said, "Look at my Ferrari. She asked "What Ferrari?" I responded, "The one that you could see if I wasn't going to be paying for college." It was the first time she genuinely had perspective for the cost. Fortunately between softball and academics she got a bunch of money.

Mine went because he wanted to play baseball....

I paid because I wanted him to get a college degree.

Don't tell him.

My oldest loved to play baseball and knew that his most certain path to success was through classrooms and not baseball fields.

My younger son loves to play baseball and I know that his most certain path to success is through classrooms and not baseball fields.

My son is a 2011 Senior and is considering a JUCO to play ball his first year or two but is set on getting a degree also. I hope he gets to play all four years but will be even happier when he gets his degree. I will pay some of it but the majority of the money is up to him.

My Opinion … By hook or crook (grades and/or atheletics), get accepted to the best college possible. I know “best” can vary in specific meaning, but I primarily intend a college or university of high academic reputation, a broad alumni network and overall prestige.

Regardless of how far the baseball journey goes, the odds of our children becoming independently wealthy from the game are slim. They should leverage the team work skills and challenges overcome in baseball to catapult themselves into the next phase of their lives. “Change” is the only constant in the U.S. & Global economies; it’s entirely likely that our children will have careers & jobs that do not exist today. If baseball can be a stepping stone to a broader life experience, it should be used.

As spectacular as CC Sabathia’s or A-Rod’s contracts are, there are Hedge Fund managers and Goldman Sachs partners making the total value of those contracts in a single year.

My guys saw baseball as a means of lowering the college tuition costs and they all had fine careers and got degrees

Competitors don't want to quit. To me it's as simple as that.

But that's the player's perspective. Parents need to inject reality. All careers end, some sooner than others, some with pro careers but most not.

To me if the baseball does not reduce your cost of attending, or perhaps help you get into a school where you would otherwise not pass admissions, then to me it's a very expensive (and by the way, very hard) form of recreation. It amazes me that parents who will gripe over paying a travel team fee in the high school years will then go and pay $10,000 or more over and above the in-state rate to let their sons play at the college level at an out-of-state or private college.

Playing is of course great fun, but college is for adults and thus for adult decision making. When you start paying huge amounts just to keep playing, you have to ask whether it's worth it. If it's worth it to you and you can afford it, Godspeed to you. But the players should never be permitted to just spend their parents' money without taking responsibility for what's really going on.

My guys saw baseball as a means of getting into colleges they could not without baseball and lowering the college tuition costs.

One who might have had the highest potential is struggling to get one good year of baseball in after getting hurt and the other is now in coaching with his degree.

Both have been to College World Series', one with a Ring, Priceless!

now that's a great story and well worth it!

Everyone has their own take, it does amaze me to see the $ put out in travel team fees and the real reward. 50% could have saved the expense and used that $ for other educational purposes. As long as everyone's eyes are open in the process, and have a plan - enjoy the ride and the experience. The only thing that really annoys me is some teams are only run to make a profit - exhorbitant costs and lots of kids get virtually no playing time. It's not hard to over sell zealous and well meaning parents.

My kid needs to play baseball in college because it's what he does. He works out, he goes to practice, he hits in the cages...he lives by the schedule He needs the structure.

He's got one D1 and two D3 offers. It's a midlevel D1 and the D3s are better academic schools. But the D1 (still a good school, just at a different level - and honestly a place he'll likely find academic success) offers the academic support and structure he'll need to ensure himself (and us) that he's using his time wisely.

And when the coach has money riding on him, it's important to the coach that his grades are good too.

quote:

Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
Competitors don't want to quit. To me it's as simple as that.

But that's the player's perspective. Parents need to inject reality. All careers end, some sooner than others, some with pro careers but most not.

To me if the baseball does not reduce your cost of attending, or perhaps help you get into a school where you would otherwise not pass admissions, then to me it's a very expensive (and by the way, very hard) form of recreation. It amazes me that parents who will gripe over paying a travel team fee in the high school years will then go and pay $10,000 or more over and above the in-state rate to let their sons play at the college level at an out-of-state or private college.

Playing is of course great fun, but college is for adults and thus for adult decision making. When you start paying huge amounts just to keep playing, you have to ask whether it's worth it. If it's worth it to you and you can afford it, Godspeed to you. But the players should never be permitted to just spend their parents' money without taking responsibility for what's really going on.

Well said. This should be required reading for any young ballplayer that takes for granted that mom and dad are going to treat the college experience as an additional four years of travel ball.

RJM, I have always loved your perspective.

quote:

It was the first time she genuinely had perspective for the cost.

Mine realized the cost when I explained that he could 'pay back' $200K+ by sending the bank $1k/month until he was 40...

I don't think he can imagine being 40, much less making payments until then...

quote:

Mine went because he wanted to play baseball....

I paid because I wanted him to get a college degree.

Don't tell him.

LOL

quote:

Originally posted by FormerObserver:
Mine went because he wanted to play baseball....

I paid because I wanted him to get a college degree.

Don't tell him.

True dat, as they say in south Louisiana. He understood he needed good grades and test scores to play college ball. Carrot + stick = degree + good job.

Mine went to college to fulfill two dreams at once. Baseball + college (in its entirety).

He has never expressed a single regret...and yes, in the end he left a fair amount of $$ on the table.