The Future is Not Just a Game
Superstar, can’t miss, elite, amazing, Mr. Everything, golden boy, Protégé, sure thing, gifted, or all-star athlete, if these terms are used to describe an amateur athlete does it mean that they will automatically become a professional athlete and make millions? Of course it does not. I have coached basketball for ten years at a local middle school and I have heard parents and other coaches label student athletes as a sure thing to make it on the college level. It is really sad when only a couple of these kids even go to college, while most end up working entry level jobs like Price Chopper, gas stations, and fast food. Even if a student athlete is talented enough to play at the next level they still need to focus on their education. Parents, teachers, and coaches should stress the importance of education because the future is not just a game. Parents should be stressing the importance of education at home from an early age since there are no guarantees that their child will be an all-star athlete. Of course parents want the best for their children but some parents focus more on their child being an elite player than their education. There are even a few parents who drive their son or daughter to the point that schooling comes well after extra practices and workouts (Griffin). The sad part about parents like this is they probably went through the same ordeal growing up. I see this at the division four school that I work at, the star athlete being pushed by their parents who work at entry level jobs or some of them even collect unemployment because they cannot keep a job. From my experiences it looks like parents want to re-live their playing days or they think that their child will be their ticket to the easy life. How unfair to the child is this? Every child needs at least a high school diploma so they can find some sort of work