ADVERTISEMENT

Playing to Win by author Michael Lewis

He discusses a book, The Game of Life, that came out circa 2000. In it they did a study. Based on items like GPA, SAT/ACT, etc, in 1976 a minority student had a 49% greater chance to get into colleges (any college). Athletes had a 23% greater chance, and legacies had a 20% greater chance.

By 1999, an athlete had a 48% greater chance, a legacy a 20%, and a minority had an 18% greater chance.

The book supposedly has data showing between 1976 and 1999, athletes did not gain in SAT and or GPA as much as other groups.

The book suggested that big-time college athletics do not make big money for the university. They do make money for contractors making stadiums and practice fields, and for coaches. Here is an article suggesting only 57% of colleges make money on football.


He points out Varsity Blues showing how influential athletics are. Those kids didn't fake chess championships or Science Olympiad wins.

1/3 of students at Williams, an elite liberal arts schools, are athletic scholarship people. So many athletes crowd out room for non-athletes.

An organization called Next Generation College Student-Athlete was created to help kids get seen by college coaches. In the mid-teens, it was generating $100 million per year.

An equity firm has started by local soccer teams with the goal of putting them under one corporate umbrella and selling it.

A large youth sports conference was held in NYC in 2019, and over a thousand attended. The top attended session was on mergers and acquisitions in youth sports.

He points out if one wants to use sports for a scholarship, rich people's sports are the way to go. The best odds for women are sports with horses and crew. Fencing and lacrosse are the best for men (taking into account the numbers involved at the high school level vs the number of available college scholarships).

Lewis mentions that youth sports are a strange world. Parents literally spend hundreds of thousands of dollars that, if spent in a 529 would easily get their kids in schools, to get kids into schools that want them to bolster athletics which is a money loser for most universities.

By the way, as far as sports go. He mentions there isn't much for football outside of school football. He said in most sports, the ability to pay is what gets kids in. The exception is basketball. Basketball teams will get the better players in no matter their ability to pay. As a result, basketball travel teams struggle financially far more than something like lacrosse

And for Mc, in his breakdown on the different sports, soccer is the sport that likes to have a lot of red tape.
 
He discusses a book, The Game of Life, that came out circa 2000. In it they did a study. Based on items like GPA, SAT/ACT, etc, in 1976 a minority student had a 49% greater chance to get into colleges (any college). Athletes had a 23% greater chance, and legacies had a 20% greater chance.

By 1999, an athlete had a 48% greater chance, a legacy a 20%, and a minority had an 18% greater chance.

The book supposedly has data showing between 1976 and 1999, athletes did not gain in SAT and or GPA as much as other groups.

The book suggested that big-time college athletics do not make big money for the university. They do make money for contractors making stadiums and practice fields, and for coaches. Here is an article suggesting only 57% of colleges make money on football.


He points out Varsity Blues showing how influential athletics are. Those kids didn't fake chess championships or Science Olympiad wins.

1/3 of students at Williams, an elite liberal arts schools, are athletic scholarship people. So many athletes crowd out room for non-athletes.

An organization called Next Generation College Student-Athlete was created to help kids get seen by college coaches. In the mid-teens, it was generating $100 million per year.

An equity firm has started by local soccer teams with the goal of putting them under one corporate umbrella and selling it.

A large youth sports conference was held in NYC in 2019, and over a thousand attended. The top attended session was on mergers and acquisitions in youth sports.

He points out if one wants to use sports for a scholarship, rich people's sports are the way to go. The best odds for women are sports with horses and crew. Fencing and lacrosse are the best for men (taking into account the numbers involved at the high school level vs the number of available college scholarships).

Lewis mentions that youth sports are a strange world. Parents literally spend hundreds of thousands of dollars that, if spent in a 529 would easily get their kids in schools, to get kids into schools that want them to bolster athletics which is a money loser for most universities.

By the way, as far as sports go. He mentions there isn't much for football outside of school football. He said in most sports, the ability to pay is what gets kids in. The exception is basketball. Basketball teams will get the better players in no matter their ability to pay. As a result, basketball travel teams struggle financially far more than something like lacrosse

And for Mc, in his breakdown on the different sports, soccer is the sport that likes to have a lot of red tape.
In many ways, I'm lucky. I've known for a very long time that my kids would never be good enough to compete for an athletic scholarship.

I didn't think Williams gave athletic scholarships. They didn't in 1990 when I was looking to go there:


"Williams College does not offer athletic scholarships for Football. Need-based and academic scholarships are available for student-athletes. Athletic scholarships are available for NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NAIA and NJCAA. On average, 34% of all student-athletes receive athletic scholarships."
 
He’ll do fine it that. I thought the idea was to start from scratch in the blue ridge. Now he glammed it up.
I don't want it that glam. I want something 1,000 sq ft max. I'd prefer to build it myself:



But a prefab would be cool, too:

 
  • Love
Reactions: mcmurtry66
IU Kokomo LOL what’s that?? Ridiculous. Enough with the bullshit. It’s 10:30. What have you done to sharpen your blade today?
IU Kokomo has around 4,000+ students and offers a lot of IU degrees, including an MBA.

They also partner with Purdue to offer technology degrees and classes. Good nursing program, too (IU, not Purdue).

Last I knew, they have several sports, including basketball (of course) and quite a few student housing options close to campus (not owned by the university).

For someone so weak, you shouldn't be so condescending. lol
 
  • Love
Reactions: mcmurtry66
Well, your example demonstrates how club sports can be a good thing: at large high schools, with limited spots, it gives kids an opportunity to keep playing a sport they love competitively.

Quite frankly, at this point, it might make sense to break the link between sports and academics altogether--at jr. high, high school, and college. Just make it all club sports. (I know, I know: it'll never happen.)

The problem then becomes one of economic equity. Are we going to shut out poor kids from sports? Are we doing that now, given how this works in large, urban areas where if you don't do club sports starting young, your odds of playing later for the school are vanishingly small?
Theoretically, separating athletics from academics is a great idea - it's how Europe does it.

Psychologically, it will never happen in the US.

Frankly, I think it's a great reason to limit high schools to 800 - 1,000 kids per school. Gives many more kids a chance to participate in these sports palaces we've built.
 
10k seems like a lot. How long does it take you to do that? An hour?
I am not great. The usual is me trying to keep it under 42 mins. Record (for me is 40:26 or something like that. 2:00 500m splits would be 40mins. I ain't gonna make it.

Your younger folks who row competitvely can do it in sub 35mins. Which is f*cking insane. That's a 1:45 split for nearly 35 mins. Try to 1000m with a 1:45 split. Doable. Now try 2k.

Dead.
 
  • Like
Reactions: anon_6hv78pr714xta
Lars has it right. The mountains in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina are fantastic. Have a buddy who moved east of Knoxville. Absolutely beautiful area. Although the Tennessee southern Baptist sin tax makes a case of domestic beer cost $30.
That's why moonshine still exists.
 
  • Love
Reactions: larsIU
In many ways, I'm lucky. I've known for a very long time that my kids would never be good enough to compete for an athletic scholarship.

I didn't think Williams gave athletic scholarships. They didn't in 1990 when I was looking to go there:


"Williams College does not offer athletic scholarships for Football. Need-based and academic scholarships are available for student-athletes. Athletic scholarships are available for NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NAIA and NJCAA. On average, 34% of all student-athletes receive athletic scholarships."
I was wrong, they play Williams sports and coaches get a say in admitting them, but they aren't on scholarship. Even non-scholarship athletes get preferential admissions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: anon_6hv78pr714xta
I am not great. The usual is me trying to keep it under 42 mins. Record (for me is 40:26 or something like that. 2:00 500m splits would be 40mins. I ain't gonna make it.

Your younger folks who row competitvely can do it in sub 35mins. Which is f*cking insane. That's a 1:45 split for nearly 35 mins. Try to 1000m with a 1:45 split. Doable. Now try 2k.

Dead.
So I checked.

Current season (2023) statistics for all folks using a Concept 2 rower for ages 40-49

Best - 33:43.6
Average: 43:29

I'm in the 50-75th percentile for my age group. There's a guy in Carmel that I can't beat. No matter what I do. Freak. He's got a time of 37:34. I'm never getting there.

Frown.

Edit: And there's a 46 y/o woman in Indiana doing it in sub 45mins.

So mid. I'm so, so mid.
 
  • Like
Reactions: anon_6hv78pr714xta
I don't know if the "Scandinavian" model works, but I also don't think this "youth sports to suck parents dry" model is good. I haven't finished the book, but the numbers on savings/debt just screamed out to me when I got to that section. It took the feeling of, "yep, we've been there/done that" to "holy crap, I thought we paid a lot for youth sports 20 years ago".

If you only knew Marv how much we spend on this stuff. And my youngest isn't even part of the cost equation yet!

And my kids aren't even in hockey!
 
I am not great. The usual is me trying to keep it under 42 mins. Record (for me is 40:26 or something like that. 2:00 500m splits would be 40mins. I ain't gonna make it.

Your younger folks who row competitvely can do it in sub 35mins. Which is f*cking insane. That's a 1:45 split for nearly 35 mins. Try to 1000m with a 1:45 split. Doable. Now try 2k.

Dead.

Shit, me walking up and down the stairs at Wiliams Arena = dead. Get a god damn escalator!
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT