Sports Dropoff Costs Families

Parents in a poll we did 6 months ago said their sons and daughters played a sport in high school but don’t in college and more than 50% said their kid has replaced the sport with a combination of gambling, alcohol, and in some cases desperation, like selling drugs to the fraternity. It’s an unbelievable change and a tragic one, but there is hope if more families and youngsters can talk about the transition from 18 to 19 and from home to life on your own. In one example, a family of 5 had the goal of scholarships for their 3 kids spent $49,000 over a 5 year period on their kids “travel and/or elite” sports and over the next 5 years since have spent more than $65,000 already on hospital, residential treatment and other healthcare costs for 1 of the kids related to a severe eating disorder related to the travel team and nearly $100,000 on care for another child who has been dealing with addiction to drugs and gambling. Both kids are still alive and in treatment. None of the kids are playing in college.