College Softball's Dirty Little Secret?

[jonnypar]

I had a niece go to D1 school. She accepted a 5 year scholarships and sat out the first year due to injury. Could'nt she have taken classes that first year that would kick start their college education in the academic field she wanted? I'm fairly naive in this area which is why I'm asking the question. I would ask my niece but I know she was there to play softball so I would'nt get a very good answer.

 

[amanda_cake]

It probably depends on the coach. If I had a player out for the year for an injury, I'd certainly allow her to miss some practices (that she wouldn't be participating in anyways!) in order to get ahead in her college education. That way, for the next four years when she was actually able to play there would be a little bit less academic demand on her.

 

[MTR]

Maybe this isn't news to some, but I recently checked the roster and majors of some of the top D1 softball programs in the nation and found something that I find very interesting. The vast majority of the players are majoring in the social sciences and studies that do not require as much classroom time and effort as other majors, thereby allowing the players to devote much of their college life to the game of softball.

Not only isn't it news, it has been an open joke for decades and has been a standard application since the inception of scholarships and grants based upon athletic abilities.

My concern is two-fold. (1) Are some of the nations brightest high school girls foregoing pursuits in the hard sciences (and ultimately better carreers) just so they can play softball for 4 years in college?

That's a helluva presumption. If they were that bright, they wouldn't have a issue with courses and they wouldn't dummy-down their goals for a simple game.

and 2) Does college athletics allow the players to have majors that are more classroom and academic intensive?

That's a damn good question and I would hope the answer is yes. Otherwise, why would a student want to go to a school that will NOT provide the education being sought. Maybe it is those priorities that take the real bright students to DII & DIII levels of NCAA play.

 

[MTR]

I had a niece go to D1 school. She accepted a 5 year scholarships and sat out the first year due to injury. Could'nt she have taken classes that first year that would kick start their college education in the academic field she wanted? I'm fairly naive in this area which is why I'm asking the question. I would ask my niece but I know she was there to play softball so I would'nt get a very good answer.

It used to be, and I'm talking a long time ago, that a player in college could not play varsity sports their first year in school and there was no "red shirting".

A "freshman" team was allowed, but their practice and any competiton schedule were very limited compared to the varsity players. Much like a club sport. This gave EVERY student-athlete the first year to concentrate on their studies and settle into the academic community while at the same time preparing, physically and mentally, to enter their given sports team in their sophomore year.

If the NCAA were smart, and they are not, they would return to the days when the priority WAS the student who was an athlete and not an athlete who had to take a minimum number of courses. It will not happen as there is too much money involved.

Then again, if the schools were ruled by intelligence instead of ego, there wouldn't be a need for athletic scholarships and we all know that ain't gonna be coming anytime soon

 

[stephanie]

Wow, dd took her first official visit yesterday. When asked what she intended to major in with the advisers who showed potential class demands, she said, "Early Childhood Education." I guess I'll have to tell her that it isn't acceptable and that she's a dummy if she does that. ---- Then again, I guess I'll just bite my tongue and allow her to be happy with what she wants to do in life.

Thank You!!!!
---former High School Teacher...

BTW: I taught Chemistry and Physics....am I a slacker, too?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I keep looking at this and I don't see where anyone said anything about teachers.

There are few education majors among D1 athletes due to the time involved with the class load and student teaching. Do I think that some schools limit what majors the girls can take? Yes, I know that they do.

Amy, PE, Drivers Ed, and Health. ISU, 1972.

 

[Cannonball]

Amy, the OP mentioned in the first post that on the Georgia Roster, players were majoring in classes that were less than challenging and in so, listed Early Childhood Education. My dd has wanted to do that as long as I can remember. The OP seem to suggest that these classes were not only not demanding but I read in to it that the OP was suggesting that these majors were blow off majors and so that's why they were kept secret.

 

[sluggers]

sluggers - I was hoping you would provide us with your experience since you have DDs that played sports in college. Hypothetically, if I had a DD that was an exceptional student that wanted to have a successful career in the hard sciences or corporate America, I don't know if she could pursue playing softball at a D1 school without sacrificing her career aspirations?

I think it could be done, but it would be very, very difficult.

My DD#3 got a degree in Chemistry. She was at a very successful D3 basketball program. The coach was pretty unhappy about her class schedule. She had labs and would be late for practices. I'm positive she lost playing time because she put her school work ahead of hoops.

Then, when all her basketball buddies went out partying, she went to study. On the bus back from games, all the other girls would be huddled up telling stories and BSing, she would be trying to do her homework. It was murder--and that was a team that had most of its games within 2 hours of campus. In some D1 programs, the players are flying all over the country to play ball.

And, the professors at her college were 90% supportive of her. Go to a D1 school and ask if you can turn in your PChem homework a week late because you have a tournament and see what happens.

My advice to parents of a child who is both an exceptional students and an exceptional athletes is pretty simple--leverage the softball talent to get into an elite school. E.g., I know kids who went to schools like Stanford, Harvard and Colgate--they were good students, but not world class students. But, they went to fantastic schools because of their athletics talent.

Being talented at sports open doors for your DDs. Parents too often think only about, "wow...I don't have to pay for college."--basically, parents are selling their child into 4 years of slavery.

On the other hand, the same child might get into U of Chicago, and she is going to one of the finest universities IN THE WORLD. She can play softball, have some fun, and get an education that is 100X more valuable than going to McBigTen U. and a 1000X more valuable than Cal State Fullerton.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

As a matter of fact, my son went to U of Chicago and he told me he couldn't imagine trying to balance his time with baseball. He knew the softball girls and he said that there was just no sleep, or rest, or private life for them.

On the other hand, my DD, who didn't care much for even HS, announced that she wanted to be an interior decorator. Now, I have nothing against interior decorators, but there are very few jobs available after graduation. She went to college one semester - had no classes in her major and dropped out. I asked her about being a beautician, since she did seem to like hair, make up, etc. So, much to our surprise she went to cosmetology school. Also, much to my surprise - that was quite costly. I should have checked out the cost before I suggested that.

I just don't think there is any easy way to get your education. You need to love what you are doing. And as my UofC son taught me, you need to be the very best in your major to get a job in this economy.

 

[coachbudk]

Misinformation galore

Wow, let me set a few things straight based on my experience:

History is not an easier path than Business, Business is not intellectually demanding.

There are plenty of anecdotes on both sides, A high school pitcher in North Carolina I knew went DI and was Pre-Pharmacy and then went to Pharmacy School. That is highly demanding and she managed just fine.

It is essentially a matter of what you value most.

As a high school football player I took the past of least resistance and dropped my AP courses years ago to focus on football and fun. My daughter does not have that option, she knows academics come first.