LU Athletics

Intercollegiate sports are an option for many new college students. They can provide extra tuition money and an instant set of friends. But what is the real price of being a collegiate all-star? To delve into this question, we must first look at the reasons for playing an intercollegiate sport.

For some athletes graduating from high school, competitive college sports are the logical next step. If you played on the Varsity team in high school, why not play in college? Another reason an athlete may choose to play a college sport is for scholarship money. A large chunk of money to pay for school would entice most people. Another important consideration is pressure from parents. Some new students feel they need to prove something to their parents or to make their parents proud. These are all valid reasons for considering intercollegiate sports, but each reason has another side to consider.

College sports are a whole new level of competition, stress, and physical activity. Speaking from experience as a starting collegiate soccer goalkeeper, you may find that collegiate sports are not as fun as in high school. College sports are about winning and coaches are brought in to make teams win. The method for winning in all sports is the same: train, push, train, push, punish, push and train some more.

You must be able to handle the stress of training along with the physical aspects of training. You must be willing and able to practice many hours a day, every single day. You may go weeks or months without a day off. Your coach will push you hard, almost to your breaking point. Can you handle it?

Scholarship money may be a big factor when deciding to play a collegiate sport, but consider this: the amount of federal student aid that an athlete can obtain takes into account athletic scholarships. In some cases, you may receive less government funding due to your scholarships so a reduction in your scholarships may lead to higher government aid. However, if you have a large EFC (estimated family contribution on your FAFSA), you may not qualify for federal aid.

Playing an intercollegiate sport due to parental pressure is one of the worst reasons to play. Two major consequences of playing for this reason include burnout and dropout. If you do not really want to play a sport, you will quickly become overwhelmed and overstressed by the training. This stress may affect your schoolwork and cause poor grades and possible school dropout.

There are a few other considerations when deciding to play an intercollegiate sport including possible injury, travel, and classes. An injury of some sort in your career as an intercollegiate athlete is very likely. The injury may be as small as a strawberry in softball or as big as a concussion or broken limb in any sport. You must decide if you are willing to take these risks. Talk to your potential coach about the number of injuries that his/her team typically has during a season to determine the risk level for yourself.
On top of the risks, you must also decide if you are willing to play through pain. You may have to play through large amounts of pain if your coach decides to play through injury. While athletic trainers are there to help you recover from injures over the course of your career, they are also there to get you back on the field/court as soon they can. They are there to make sure that you play, not nurse your wounds back to full health. Many sports risk long term health issues if injuries are not allowed to fully heal.

Intercollegiate athletes are often away from their university to play games elsewhere. The amount of travel depends on the sport and division, but you can expect to be away from your college 2-3 days per week with additional extended travel a few times during your season. Travel is a major advantage of collegiate sports, but time traveling takes away time from schoolwork.

Finally, college is about getting a good education. Your classes should be your number one priority. Remember that a college sport will take significant time away from your studies and limit the number and availability of courses. Some colleges limit the number of credit hours that you may take in a semester. Athletic blocks also restrict your access to certain classes. These limitations could cost you a lot in the long run; many college athletes require an extra semester of classes in order to graduate. This extra time especially applies to students majoring in a technical field such as engineering or programming.

College athletics are a major commitment that should not be taken lightly. A college team can be a rewarding and memorable part of your college experience. Talk to other current college athletes, coaches, and professors to help make your decision. Just be sure to consider the facts carefully as the hype of earning a scholarship to a big school can easily blind you to the decision of what is best for you.