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I'm a Scoutmaster (USA). It is disheartening to see kids and their parents give up Scouting to in order to attend practices or games. Some do it because they

I'm a Scoutmaster (USA). It is disheartening to see kids and their parents give up Scouting to in order to attend practices or games. Some do it because they think they'll have a better chance at scholarships (they won't), the rest I'm not sure. I played sports and did Scouting when I was a kid, and I got a lot more out of Scouting. I have a nephew who played baseball his whole life, whose parents sunk tens of thousands of dollars in training, tournaments, etc. He got one partial scholarship that would never amount to the money they spent, and he gave that scholarship up after a year to transfer to another university where he would have more playing time, and it's unlikely he is going to be picked up. Somehow my sports never interfered with my troop meetings or campouts, but I can't say the same for the Scouts in my troop.

hattmall 2y ago
The scholarships aren't that hard to get. I got several scholarship offers and was at best in the top 30% of players. One of the worst kids on our team got a scholarship but of course it was to a small school far away. The thing is though that college sports are more demanding than a full time job in addition to doing actual school. For even 99.99% of college scholarship athletes there is NO chance of any professional career of significance. I loved playing high school sports, but college was a major escalation for very little pay off.
nytesky 2y ago
I wasn't ever athletic (short and autoimmune issue made most sports painful), but I'm pretty sure my good results for college admittance was because of my Eagle Scout Today, Scouting has lost a lot of luster for complicated reasons, and sports are so dominant that I wonder if there is anything comparable for kids today. Maybe music, but that generally is much more expensive than scouting.
diogenescynic 2y ago
I don't think any one thing is better than the other. When you're a kid you should just be exploring new areas that might interest you. I tried Boy Scouts but didn't really click with the other groups of kids. Sports were good because they were seasonal and you could try out different things to find out what you were good at. I also think art and music are good for kids to try out. I took guitar lessons as a kid and have good memories and learned a lot.

hattmall 2y ago

The scholarships aren't that hard to get. I got several scholarship offers and was at best in the top 30% of players. One of the worst kids on our team got a scholarship but of course it was to a small school far away. The thing is though that college sports are more demanding than a full time job in addition to doing actual school. For even 99.99% of college scholarship athletes there is NO chance of any professional career of significance. I loved playing high school sports, but college was a major escalation for very little pay off.

nytesky 2y ago

I wasn't ever athletic (short and autoimmune issue made most sports painful), but I'm pretty sure my good results for college admittance was because of my Eagle Scout Today, Scouting has lost a lot of luster for complicated reasons, and sports are so dominant that I wonder if there is anything comparable for kids today. Maybe music, but that generally is much more expensive than scouting.

diogenescynic 2y ago

I don't think any one thing is better than the other. When you're a kid you should just be exploring new areas that might interest you. I tried Boy Scouts but didn't really click with the other groups of kids. Sports were good because they were seasonal and you could try out different things to find out what you were good at. I also think art and music are good for kids to try out. I took guitar lessons as a kid and have good memories and learned a lot.