Don’t Underestimate the Pressure of College Sports
Did you know there are over 3 million athletes competing in high school sports? When you compare that to the nearly 200,000 NCAA athletes competing, you may think your chances of playing at the college level are slim. If
you are looking only at the numbers, then yes, your chances are slim. But if you are ready to continue your sport at the college level then you need to make sure you meet more than just the numbers.
Having the drive to continue to compete in your sport throughout high school and becoming serious enough athlete to make competing in college an option is more than what most of the remaining 2.8 million athletes who don’t go on to college competition have the drive for. It’s this motivational drive which keeps college athletes striving towards greatness. Making sure you have what it takes is a question only you will be able to answer.
Why One Athlete Gave it All Up
Top 2009 football prospect, Bryce Brown, was destined to be a great player on the field. He settled in nicely with his top college choice, Tennessee, and had a stellar freshman year. Brown was actually playing, not sitting out for a division I team. He was putting up numbers as good as the hype surrounding his recruitment said he would.
One would think Brown was in a good place in Tennessee, surrounded by those who wanted to see him succeed, but that spring of his freshman year he decided to leave Tennessee behind for another top ranked college, Kansas State.
As we have discussed in other blogs prior, the transfer process from division I to a division II can be tricky. The NCAA wants all athletes and teams to play fair when changing teams or when picking up transfer football scholarship athletes. So in complying with the transfer rules Brown was forced to sit out his first year with K-State.
The following year he should have been good to succeed, right? Yes, after he and Kansas State complied with transfer rules Brown did become eligible to play. He started the season with the Wildcats, competed in three games, before abruptly quitting the team. He just walked away from it all.
Brown claimed he didn’t have the desire or drive to continue playing for the remainder of the season. He gave up on his career and on his teammates.
Brown’s story is something we see more commonly in student- athletes who have not weighed all their options or have not done considerable research when making the decision of where to continue their college career and if they want to continue to compete.
When making your college decision, make sure you are honest with yourself. Will you be prepared to live, eat and breathe your sport? Will you be able to fully commit to training and representing your team all year long? Will you be able to manage your college work load and the demanding sports schedule?
Making the decision to continue your sport should not be taken lightly. If you have more questions about competing at the college level then leave your comment below or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+
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