Post by robeiae on Oct 19, 2020 7:27:51 GMT -5
Readeth thou this: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/11/squash-lacrosse-niche-sports-ivy-league-admissions/616474/?fbclid=IwAR0ZhJN13H6o9U9k_KxILBhtCqjebM8VEzl-X1v1L1HEDTHBCDzXL9qTZSk
There's a lot here. The central thesis is that the elites of the Northeast are using niche sports to get their kids into the top schools, as a means of replacing an edge they once enjoyed, but no longer do, thanks to the efforts of schools to "diversify" their student bodies. Then there's how this has turned many of these parents into the worst sorts of sports parents, because it's not enough to play a niche sport, one has to be awesome at it, or at least pay the right people to tell schools that story. Then there's the impact of Covid on this model:
I think it's hilarious--in a way--that Covid did what schools couldn't do, themselves: shutdown the pipeline that allowed parents like Lori Loughlin to get their kids into top schools.
But there's also the other side of this, an ugly reality that exists in the world of major college sports as well: the failures, the huge numbers of kids who banked their future on their athletic prowess--usually with the help of their parents--but then failed to be good enough. The consequences are worse for the lower income kids, of course. Many go from high school sports star to community college drop out in nothing flat. But the middle income and higher income kids still experience a fall.
Anyway, it's a good piece. Give it a read.
There's a lot here. The central thesis is that the elites of the Northeast are using niche sports to get their kids into the top schools, as a means of replacing an edge they once enjoyed, but no longer do, thanks to the efforts of schools to "diversify" their student bodies. Then there's how this has turned many of these parents into the worst sorts of sports parents, because it's not enough to play a niche sport, one has to be awesome at it, or at least pay the right people to tell schools that story. Then there's the impact of Covid on this model:
The pandemic hit the high-school class of 2021 quickest and hardest. Student athletes struggled to process it all, as their college plans blew up and their beloved squash courts were redefined as boxes of super-spread, their fields blocked by yellow police tape. “They’ll always wonder what would’ve happened—and who they could have wowed,” Inside Lacrosse CEO Terry Foy told me, referring to the high-school seniors. “To have that opportunity lost …” His voice trailed off, before he picked up again, mournfully: “The kid who would have gone to Yale now goes to Georgetown. The kid who would have gone to Georgetown now goes to Loyola. On and on. And then eventually you get down to Wentworth. And then you just don’t play college sports.”
The bad news got worse as spring turned into summer. In May, Brown announced the permanent elimination of fencing and squash. In July, the Ivy League conference officially canceled fall sports and warned that the spring season could be next. In a press release, Harvard said its department of athletics, a sprawling fiefdom that includes 42 varsity sports, would temporarily pivot to “wellness programming.” Soon after, Stanford dropped 11 varsity programs, including fencing, squash, and men’s crew, citing factors such as gender equity, potential savings, and fan interest.
The bad news got worse as spring turned into summer. In May, Brown announced the permanent elimination of fencing and squash. In July, the Ivy League conference officially canceled fall sports and warned that the spring season could be next. In a press release, Harvard said its department of athletics, a sprawling fiefdom that includes 42 varsity sports, would temporarily pivot to “wellness programming.” Soon after, Stanford dropped 11 varsity programs, including fencing, squash, and men’s crew, citing factors such as gender equity, potential savings, and fan interest.
But there's also the other side of this, an ugly reality that exists in the world of major college sports as well: the failures, the huge numbers of kids who banked their future on their athletic prowess--usually with the help of their parents--but then failed to be good enough. The consequences are worse for the lower income kids, of course. Many go from high school sports star to community college drop out in nothing flat. But the middle income and higher income kids still experience a fall.
Anyway, it's a good piece. Give it a read.