[fullmetal]

I have been a fan of Stanford water polo since 1980 and you never use to see foreigners on rosters . USC was the first school that started bringing in Europeans  around
maybe 20 years ago or so and they ran off a string of national championships. Other schools besides Stanford followed suit in order to compete. Stanford under their new coach has recruited Europeans and they are fantastic players. I watched the National semi final between USC and Fordham last year when Fordham almost became the first non California team to make the Championship game and I don't believe they played a single American. The  foreigners have raised the level of play but it has gotten a little out of hand. It's not just about scholarships but also about the favorable treatment that recruited athletes get by the admissions departments of some very selective universities.

The same effect is starting to be seen in collegiate rowing, though this started in the early 90s, took hold at certain programs in the 00s, and over the last ten years, has become a nation-wide phenomenon.  To the benefit of rowing, many nations producing top junior talent are also English-speaking, so there's less of an issue in admitting students who are truly college-ready and well-adapted to campus life.

[fullmetal]

I have been a fan of Stanford water polo since 1980 and you never use to see foreigners on rosters . USC was the first school that started bringing in Europeans  around
maybe 20 years ago or so and they ran off a string of national championships. Other schools besides Stanford followed suit in order to compete. Stanford under their new coach has recruited Europeans and they are fantastic players. I watched the National semi final between USC and Fordham last year when Fordham almost became the first non California team to make the Championship game and I don't believe they played a single American. The  foreigners have raised the level of play but it has gotten a little out of hand. It's not just about scholarships but also about the favorable treatment that recruited athletes get by the admissions departments of some very selective universities.

The same effect is starting to be seen in collegiate rowing, though this started in the early 90s, took hold at certain programs in the 00s, and over the last ten years, has become a nation-wide phenomenon.  To the benefit of rowing, many nations producing top junior talent are also English-speaking, so there's less of an issue in admitting students who are truly college-ready and well-adapted to campus life.