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College Sports Don't Pay Off

Parents overestimate value of athletic scholarships

By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser User

Posted Mar 10, 2008 2:15 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Parents believe sports are their kids' golden ticket to college, but athletic scholarships rarely cover full tuition—and there aren't enough to go around. Football and basketball do pay off, but otherwise the average NCAA scholarship is worth $8,707, at schools that can cost up to $50,000 a year. Plus, the sacrifices demanded of a student athlete aren't always worth the free ride.

The highest-paying college sport is ice hockey, averaging $21,755 for male players and $20,540 for women. But non-revenue sports like soccer get only a handful of scholarships, which the entire team must share. That means there's little collective offset for things like 4 a.m. practices. "Most people with good academic records aren't paying full sticker price," said NCAA president Myles Brand.

A high school football player is seen in this undated file photo. For some teen athletes and parents, the holy grail of an athletic scholarship is often out of reach.
A high school football player is seen in this undated file photo. For some teen athletes and parents, the holy grail of an athletic scholarship is often out of reach.   (Shutterstock.com)
They're going to be disappointed when they learn that if they%u2019re very lucky, they will get a scholarship worth 15 percent of the $40,000 college bill, said one advisor. What's that? $6,000?
"They're going to be disappointed when they learn that if they%u2019re very lucky, they will get a scholarship worth 15 percent of the $40,000 college bill," said one advisor. "What's that? $6,000?"   (Shutterstock.com)
Kids who have worked their whole life trying to get a scholarship think the hard part is over when they get the college money, said one college senior on an athletic scholarship. They don%u2019t know that it%u2019s a whole new monster when you get here.
"Kids who have worked their whole life trying to get a scholarship think the hard part is over when they get the college money," said one college senior on an athletic scholarship. "They don%u2019t know...   (Shutterstock.com)
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