[cardcrimson]

From an economic perspective, non-revenue sports are a massive business. Not at the college level, per se, but at the youth level. Baseball, Softball, Soccer, Competitive Dance, Swim, Water Polo, etc etc etc. all have of immense proportions participation across the country. You can't go to a hotel on a weekend and not have it filled with traveling teams. What happens if those sports vanish at the collegiate level?

Valid question, but in most cases I think the answer is "Not much changes.". The vast, vast majority of the kids participating in those High School and lower programs have neither the talent or the desire to participate at the college level. These are fun activities to do as a kid. You know (in most cases) you are too slow, too short, too weak, too something to compete at the next level. Yes, a few kids can, but most can't, know they can't, yet they show up at the travel tournaments and compete anyway.

In many cases, it's not a question of an athlete's desire or talent, it's a question of their parent's desire and perception of talent as they're the one's footing the bill. If the parent thinks their kid has a shot at playing in college (and it's in the coach's best interest to promote that idea), they will continue to pay the bills. 

Sometimes there's a chance that playing may actually facilitate acceptance to a college, as well. At least for girl's, Title IX has helped those chances immensely. There are 34 D1 women's programs with 8 scholarships per school, while there are only 22 men's D1 programs with 4.5 scholarships per. My daughter is a rising junior and a pretty good water polo goalie. She has a shot; perhaps not a scholarship, but at least an open door to a decent school where she can play. If those opportunities weren't there, she'd still be playing, but we wouldn't be spending nearly as much on her club team, travel and additional clinics and training.

[cardcrimson]

From an economic perspective, non-revenue sports are a massive business. Not at the college level, per se, but at the youth level. Baseball, Softball, Soccer, Competitive Dance, Swim, Water Polo, etc etc etc. all have of immense proportions participation across the country. You can't go to a hotel on a weekend and not have it filled with traveling teams. What happens if those sports vanish at the collegiate level?

Valid question, but in most cases I think the answer is "Not much changes.". The vast, vast majority of the kids participating in those High School and lower programs have neither the talent or the desire to participate at the college level. These are fun activities to do as a kid. You know (in most cases) you are too slow, too short, too weak, too something to compete at the next level. Yes, a few kids can, but most can't, know they can't, yet they show up at the travel tournaments and compete anyway.

In many cases, it's not a question of an athlete's desire or talent, it's a question of their parent's desire and perception of talent as they're the one's footing the bill. If the parent thinks their kid has a shot at playing in college (and it's in the coach's best interest to promote that idea), they will continue to pay the bills. 

Sometimes there's a chance that playing may actually facilitate acceptance to a college, as well. At least for girl's, Title IX has helped those chances immensely. There are 34 D1 women's programs with 8 scholarships per school, while there are only 22 men's D1 programs with 4.5 scholarships per. My daughter is a rising junior and a pretty good water polo goalie. She has a shot; perhaps not a scholarship, but at least an open door to a decent school where she can play. If those opportunities weren't there, she'd still be playing, but we wouldn't be spending nearly as much on her club team, travel and additional clinics and training.