The business of youth soccer?
Dec 18, 2015 12:32:22 GMT -5
silverback, Keeperkeeper, and 2 more like this
Post by spectator on Dec 18, 2015 12:32:22 GMT -5
So I just got this email from a company called SportContactUSA Guess because my kid is looking at colleges and putting my email (so I get the unsolicited crap) now I'm getting this unsolicited crap. Anyway the jist of it is copied and pasted below:
*****
ARE YOU ATTENDING SOCCER TOURNAMENTS BUT FEEL LIKE COLLEGE COACHES AREN'T SEEING OR CONTACTING YOU?
Do you feel like you're attending Tournaments and College Showcases but not actually being seen by coaches?
Have you returned from a Tournament or College Showcase and only 1 or 2 college coaches have contacted you?
Have you felt like the thousands and tens of thousands of dollars you've spent on Club soccer, traveling to soccer events, hotels, and equipment for your child has been aimlessly invested?
Do you feel college expenses for the next four years should be reduced because of the time and money you've put into youth soccer for your child?
Are you beginning to feel like the college search process is becoming a second full-time job?
Let me show you how to market your child, be actively recruited and negotiate for more money so that you DO get a return on your investment!
***
I missed the part when we first signed up for rec soccer when she was six that this was an investment expecting some kind of return? "Aimlessly invested' is what jumped out at me and didn't sit right. Between that and the entitlement that college expenses should be reduced because of the time and money I put into her soccer - this is just pandering to the insane parent that views youth soccer as a consumer product with a high yielding return.
Here's our reality - my kid is a good student - A's and B's - I'm not putting the pressure on her to graduate with a 4.5, 11 AP classes and in the top 1% of her class. She will easily qualify for HOPE if she stays in GA, will most likely be able to get some academic scholarship money if we research what's out there. She's a good soccer player - not world class or national team caliber but good. She could probably easily play for a smaller school if that's where she wants to go and knows the school part of playing in school is the important part. She's a good player but will most likely not make a career of soccer so the purpose of the four years at college is to prepare for what she will do to support herself and her family later on. That said, whatever I've spent on events, hotels and equipment was part of parenting not a college investment plan.
As for the solicitation - obviously this is a business and there's a price - which isn't listed on the email or website so I'm assuming it's pricey. And I'm sure some people use this service and get a good result - at least based on the 'glowing reviews' on this guy's website they did. And I'm sure there are dozens of other companies that do this same thing - for a price and parents are being sucked into this in droves. Pretty soon we'll go the road of beauty pageants and start calling youth sports 'Scholarship Programs' too.
Apparently I suck as a parent, here I just let my kid play the sport she loves because she loves it. Bad mom, bad bad mom!
(sorry, I get even snarkier during the holidays when everything seems over the top and hypocritical! Don't mind me) But I was pretty disgusted at the email - I thought I had a child not a mutual fund. Who knew?
*****
ARE YOU ATTENDING SOCCER TOURNAMENTS BUT FEEL LIKE COLLEGE COACHES AREN'T SEEING OR CONTACTING YOU?
Do you feel like you're attending Tournaments and College Showcases but not actually being seen by coaches?
Have you returned from a Tournament or College Showcase and only 1 or 2 college coaches have contacted you?
Have you felt like the thousands and tens of thousands of dollars you've spent on Club soccer, traveling to soccer events, hotels, and equipment for your child has been aimlessly invested?
Do you feel college expenses for the next four years should be reduced because of the time and money you've put into youth soccer for your child?
Are you beginning to feel like the college search process is becoming a second full-time job?
Let me show you how to market your child, be actively recruited and negotiate for more money so that you DO get a return on your investment!
***
I missed the part when we first signed up for rec soccer when she was six that this was an investment expecting some kind of return? "Aimlessly invested' is what jumped out at me and didn't sit right. Between that and the entitlement that college expenses should be reduced because of the time and money I put into her soccer - this is just pandering to the insane parent that views youth soccer as a consumer product with a high yielding return.
Here's our reality - my kid is a good student - A's and B's - I'm not putting the pressure on her to graduate with a 4.5, 11 AP classes and in the top 1% of her class. She will easily qualify for HOPE if she stays in GA, will most likely be able to get some academic scholarship money if we research what's out there. She's a good soccer player - not world class or national team caliber but good. She could probably easily play for a smaller school if that's where she wants to go and knows the school part of playing in school is the important part. She's a good player but will most likely not make a career of soccer so the purpose of the four years at college is to prepare for what she will do to support herself and her family later on. That said, whatever I've spent on events, hotels and equipment was part of parenting not a college investment plan.
As for the solicitation - obviously this is a business and there's a price - which isn't listed on the email or website so I'm assuming it's pricey. And I'm sure some people use this service and get a good result - at least based on the 'glowing reviews' on this guy's website they did. And I'm sure there are dozens of other companies that do this same thing - for a price and parents are being sucked into this in droves. Pretty soon we'll go the road of beauty pageants and start calling youth sports 'Scholarship Programs' too.
Apparently I suck as a parent, here I just let my kid play the sport she loves because she loves it. Bad mom, bad bad mom!
(sorry, I get even snarkier during the holidays when everything seems over the top and hypocritical! Don't mind me) But I was pretty disgusted at the email - I thought I had a child not a mutual fund. Who knew?