Are benefits of collegiate soccer worth the costs? Are parents concerned about this?

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Would be genuinely interested in what piece of this industry is accessed by female collegiate soccer players.

Actually a lot. If you look at the various pro sport teams in the Boston market, women represent a sizable number of their employees (especially in the marketing and public relations operations) and you will find that almost all of them have some type of collegiate athletic background.

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Seahawks stars rant against NCAA

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2014...awks-bash-ncaa

PHOENIX -- Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and defensive end Michael Bennett both gave impassioned speeches Thursday about how student-athletes are unfairly maligned and how universities don't do enough for them.

"I think the NCAA is one of the biggest scams in America," Bennett said. "These kids put so much on the line. They [the NCAA] say, 'We give you a free degree.' That's like me owning a restaurant and saying, 'I'll give you a free burger.' It makes me so mad and irate. Universities need to do more for the student-[athletes].''

Sherman graduated with honors from Stanford, earning a degree in communications. But he feels the public doesn't understand how difficult it is for student-athletes.

"I don't think college athletes are given enough time to take advantage of the free education they're given," Sherman said. "It's frustrating because a lot of people get upset with student-athletes and say you're not focused on school and not taking advantage of the opportunity you're given.

"I would love for a regular student, for just one semester, to have a student-athlete schedule during the season and show me how you balance that. Show me how you would schedule your classes when you can't schedule classes for 2 to 6 o'clock on any given day.

"Show me how you're going to get all your work done when you get out [of practice and meetings] at 7:30 or so and have a test the next day and you're dead tired from practice and you still have to study and get the same work done."

Sherman said most regular students have it much easier than the college athletes.

"Most of these kids are done with class by 3 o'clock and you have the rest of the day to do what you please," Sherman said. "You may spend it studying and then you may go have coffee with friends.

"As a student-athlete, you don't have that kind of time. You wake up in the morning and have weights. Then you go to class. Then you might get a bite to eat, then you go to meetings and then you have practice. And you have to try to get all your school work done."

Both Sherman and Bennett emphasized the financial hardships some college athletes have.

"And people are upset that student-athletes need a little cash," Sherman said. "I tell you from experience that one time I had negative 40 bucks in my account. It was in the negative more times than positive. You have to make a decision whether you put gas in your car or get a meal.

"People say you get room and board and they pay for your education. But to [the school officials'] knowledge, you're there to play football. Those are the things coaches tell you every day. Luckily I was blessed to go to Stanford, a school primarily focused on academics. But as [former Stanford coach] Jim Harbaugh would attest, we were still there to play football."

Harbaugh left the San Francisco 49ers after this season to become the head coach at the University of Michigan.

"Of course, [Michigan] can afford to pay Jim Harbaugh $48 million because they don't have to pay any of the athletes,'' Bennett said. "If Nick Saban doesn't have those five-star recruits, can he still be who he is at Alabama?

"I think the NCAA should come up with a plan for college athletes to receive some of the money they bring into the schools. My school, Texas A&M, I think makes $50 million just on jersey sales. So I would say pay $60,000 [to student-athletes] for every year you stay in college. Keep that in a 401(k). After you graduate, hold that money until you are a certain age and then you get the money."

Bennett said college athletes aren't living the easy life that some people think.

"I think there are very few schools that actually care about the players," Bennett said. "Guys break their legs and they get the worst surgery they could possibly get by the worst doctors with the worst treatment."

Bennett also said he feels other students sometimes look down on athletes.

"They don't understand," Bennett said. "When I was in college, I was going to class and some student came up to me and said, 'I'm paying your tuition.' I said, 'You don't pay my damn tuition. My mom paid that when she worked two jobs and I woke up every morning at 6 a.m. and worked hard.' Student athletes don't get enough credit.''

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Seahawks stars rant against NCAA

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2014...awks-bash-ncaa

PHOENIX -- Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and defensive end Michael Bennett both gave impassioned speeches Thursday about how student-athletes are unfairly maligned and how universities don't do enough for them.

"I think the NCAA is one of the biggest scams in America," Bennett said. "These kids put so much on the line. They [the NCAA] say, 'We give you a free degree.' That's like me owning a restaurant and saying, 'I'll give you a free burger.' It makes me so mad and irate. Universities need to do more for the student-[athletes].''

Sherman graduated with honors from Stanford, earning a degree in communications. But he feels the public doesn't understand how difficult it is for student-athletes.

"I don't think college athletes are given enough time to take advantage of the free education they're given," Sherman said. "It's frustrating because a lot of people get upset with student-athletes and say you're not focused on school and not taking advantage of the opportunity you're given.

"I would love for a regular student, for just one semester, to have a student-athlete schedule during the season and show me how you balance that. Show me how you would schedule your classes when you can't schedule classes for 2 to 6 o'clock on any given day.

"Show me how you're going to get all your work done when you get out [of practice and meetings] at 7:30 or so and have a test the next day and you're dead tired from practice and you still have to study and get the same work done."

Sherman said most regular students have it much easier than the college athletes.

"Most of these kids are done with class by 3 o'clock and you have the rest of the day to do what you please," Sherman said. "You may spend it studying and then you may go have coffee with friends.

"As a student-athlete, you don't have that kind of time. You wake up in the morning and have weights. Then you go to class. Then you might get a bite to eat, then you go to meetings and then you have practice. And you have to try to get all your school work done."

Both Sherman and Bennett emphasized the financial hardships some college athletes have.

"And people are upset that student-athletes need a little cash," Sherman said. "I tell you from experience that one time I had negative 40 bucks in my account. It was in the negative more times than positive. You have to make a decision whether you put gas in your car or get a meal.

"People say you get room and board and they pay for your education. But to [the school officials'] knowledge, you're there to play football. Those are the things coaches tell you every day. Luckily I was blessed to go to Stanford, a school primarily focused on academics. But as [former Stanford coach] Jim Harbaugh would attest, we were still there to play football."

Harbaugh left the San Francisco 49ers after this season to become the head coach at the University of Michigan.

"Of course, [Michigan] can afford to pay Jim Harbaugh $48 million because they don't have to pay any of the athletes,'' Bennett said. "If Nick Saban doesn't have those five-star recruits, can he still be who he is at Alabama?

"I think the NCAA should come up with a plan for college athletes to receive some of the money they bring into the schools. My school, Texas A&M, I think makes $50 million just on jersey sales. So I would say pay $60,000 [to student-athletes] for every year you stay in college. Keep that in a 401(k). After you graduate, hold that money until you are a certain age and then you get the money."

Bennett said college athletes aren't living the easy life that some people think.

"I think there are very few schools that actually care about the players," Bennett said. "Guys break their legs and they get the worst surgery they could possibly get by the worst doctors with the worst treatment."

Bennett also said he feels other students sometimes look down on athletes.

"They don't understand," Bennett said. "When I was in college, I was going to class and some student came up to me and said, 'I'm paying your tuition.' I said, 'You don't pay my damn tuition. My mom paid that when she worked two jobs and I woke up every morning at 6 a.m. and worked hard.' Student athletes don't get enough credit.''

Boo hoo....How about addressing the following questions:
1. How many football/basketball players would have gotten into the schools had they not had top notch talent?
2. How much preference do these student athletes get in terms of scheduling and tutoring help?
3. Do these student athletes have same or better housing than the general student pop?
4. What is the return on a college education?

As a true student athlete who attended a D2 program with little scholarship $ and having spent time as a grad student tutoring basketball and track athletes at a top SEC school, I have little sympathy for these stories...cry me a river...If you don't like the set up find a better alternative...
3. How much help did

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[QUOTE=Unregistered;1461823]Boo hoo....How about addressing the following questions:
1. How many football/basketball players would have gotten into the schools had they not had top notch talent?
2. How much preference do these student athletes get in terms of scheduling and tutoring help?
3. Do these student athletes have same or better housing than the general student pop?
4. What is the return on a college education?

As a true student athlete who attended a D2 program with little scholarship $ and having spent time as a grad student tutoring basketball and track athletes at a top SEC school, I have little sympathy for these stories...cry me a river...If you don't like the set up find a better alternative...


...and one final thought about the medical care. I know of a person who suffered a severe injury during a game and was left quadrapalegic. He's receiving the best of care and a free graduate education and insurance is taking care of all medical expenses. These schools have the BEST insurance policies to avoid being sued...believe me I know first hand...

[Unregistered]

[QUOTE=Unregistered;1461828]

Boo hoo....How about addressing the following questions:
1. How many football/basketball players would have gotten into the schools had they not had top notch talent?
2. How much preference do these student athletes get in terms of scheduling and tutoring help?
3. Do these student athletes have same or better housing than the general student pop?
4. What is the return on a college education?

As a true student athlete who attended a D2 program with little scholarship $ and having spent time as a grad student tutoring basketball and track athletes at a top SEC school, I have little sympathy for these stories...cry me a river...If you don't like the set up find a better alternative...


...and one final thought about the medical care. I know of a person who suffered a severe injury during a game and was left quadrapalegic. He's receiving the best of care and a free graduate education and insurance is taking care of all medical expenses. These schools have the BEST insurance policies to avoid being sued...believe me I know first hand...

Guess it may just be where you go to school and the amount of money that is floating around the athletic programs. The guys like Sherman that speak out like that are usually the successful ones who have seen the carnage and recognize how lucky they were to get through it. If you have half a brain like him it is hard to reconcile all of what you see when the coaches are making millions and everyone else associated with the program are prancing like royalty. BTW, your friend probably just had a good lawyer because on the whole the medical care is usually not that good.

[Unregistered]

[QUOTE=Unregistered;1461828]

Boo hoo....How about addressing the following questions:
1. How many football/basketball players would have gotten into the schools had they not had top notch talent?
2. How much preference do these student athletes get in terms of scheduling and tutoring help?
3. Do these student athletes have same or better housing than the general student pop?
4. What is the return on a college education?

As a true student athlete who attended a D2 program with little scholarship $ and having spent time as a grad student tutoring basketball and track athletes at a top SEC school, I have little sympathy for these stories...cry me a river...If you don't like the set up find a better alternative...


...and one final thought about the medical care. I know of a person who suffered a severe injury during a game and was left quadrapalegic. He's receiving the best of care and a free graduate education and insurance is taking care of all medical expenses. These schools have the BEST insurance policies to avoid being sued...believe me I know first hand...

I love when people believe their own personal experiences are representative of what tens of thousands must also experience. Life isn't that black and white - there are a million shades of gray between what you've seen (or your friend experienced) and what others have lived.

[Unregistered]

[QUOTE=Unregistered;1461893]

Guess it may just be where you go to school and the amount of money that is floating around the athletic programs. The guys like Sherman that speak out like that are usually the successful ones who have seen the carnage and recognize how lucky they were to get through it. If you have half a brain like him it is hard to reconcile all of what you see when the coaches are making millions and everyone else associated with the program are prancing like royalty. BTW, your friend probably just had a good lawyer because on the whole the medical care is usually not that good.

Thanks, BTDT. Take your full ride to Duke and be happy, or withdraw and send your kid to Framingham State.

[Unregistered]

[QUOTE=Unregistered;1461893][QUOTE=Unregistered;1461828]

Guess it may just be where you go to school and the amount of money that is floating around the athletic programs. The guys like Sherman that speak out like that are usually the successful ones who have seen the carnage and recognize how lucky they were to get through it. If you have half a brain like him it is hard to reconcile all of what you see when the coaches are making millions and everyone else associated with the program are prancing like royalty. BTW, your friend probably just had a good lawyer because on the whole the medical care is usually not that good.[/QUO

Or it could be that he's sadly mis-informed....Or his teammates were not cut out for Stanford. I tutored athletes at UCONN and UK in economics and math, many of them struggled with basic fractions and division. To say they would have gotten a college education without athletics is simply not true. What Sherman's statement tells me is that he and his teammates simply don't value an education. Take a look at the lifetime value of a college degree vs HS and the differences are staggering...


As for the health care my "friend" is actually my brother....the insurance policy the school had has saved his life. We were told by lawyers this is typically what schools have (check out BU's Roy).

When you take your kid on D1 tours ask people what services the athletes get relative to the rest of the student body. You'd be surprised....

[Unregistered]

Guess it may just be where you go to school and the amount of money that is floating around the athletic programs. The guys like Sherman that speak out like that are usually the successful ones who have seen the carnage and recognize how lucky they were to get through it. If you have half a brain like him it is hard to reconcile all of what you see when the coaches are making millions and everyone else associated with the program are prancing like royalty. BTW, your friend probably just had a good lawyer because on the whole the medical care is usually not that good.

Or it could be that he's sadly mis-informed....Or his teammates were not cut out for Stanford. I tutored athletes at UCONN and UK in economics and math, many of them struggled with basic fractions and division. To say they would have gotten a college education without athletics is simply not true. What Sherman's statement tells me is that he and his teammates simply don't value an education. Take a look at the lifetime value of a college degree vs HS and the differences are staggering...


As for the health care my "friend" is actually my brother....the insurance policy the school had has saved his life. We were told by lawyers this is typically what schools have (check out BU's Roy).

When you take your kid on D1 tours ask people what services the athletes get relative to the rest of the student body. You'd be surprised....

As someone who has lived more than 30 years with a spinal injury (though not anywhere as severe as your brother's) sustained while playing college football I can personally attest that the medical care is not always what your brother has fortunately received.

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One additional benefit:

My companies generally interviewed anyone who had a decent gpa and played a college sport. It was sort of a "given" that we wanted to hear what they had to say in an interview.

[Unregistered]

[QUOTE=Unregistered;1461924][QUOTE=Unregistered;1461893]

What Sherman's statement tells me is that he and his teammates simply don't value an education.

When you take your kid on D1 tours ask people what services the athletes get relative to the rest of the student body. You'd be surprised....

As for your first point I read the opposite - that he was frustrated by the inability to focus on studies because of the demands of the sport - not only his experience at Stanford but what he saw going on elsewhere. In fact he said "People say you get room and board and they pay for your education. But to [the school officials'] knowledge, you're there to play football. Those are the things coaches tell you every day. Luckily I was blessed to go to Stanford, a school primarily focused on academics. But as [former Stanford coach] Jim Harbaugh would attest, we were still there to play football.".

Regarding the second point: all great if you're at a big university in a major metro area or attached with it's own teaching hospital. Countless athletes play outside of those areas and away from major hospitals. Check out a Student Health Center when on campus visits - chances are if it seems inadequate for the average student it probably is for athletes also.