Does Your Child Have Athletic Potential?

Too often the greatest American Tragedy is not the lack of support by the parents of those youngsters who possess athletic potential; rather it is the parent’s failure to demand the same mentality in the classroom as the student demonstrates in athletic competition. What is interesting, at least to me, is that we actually see the potential athletic ability at an early age in our children. Moreover, the child actually will tell anyone who will listen that they plan on playing at the professional level. There is nothing wrong with this goal of becoming a professional athlete, what is wrong is our failure in preparing these youth with the academic structure that could make their goal a reality. In most states, a student athlete must maintain a 2.0 grade-point-average in order to compete in a particular sport. Let us be clear, it is not the hardest thing in the world to excel at the minimum academic levels. However, if your child is taking what is infamously called non college preparatory course and is not challenged with the rigors of advanced, honors or advanced placement classes (AP); then you are gambling away a potential scholarship.
I understand that sports can be a great tool to learn life lessons, possibility earn a college scholarship and the possibility of securing those connections that serve a person well later in life. I understand that athletics are an important part of our school systems and various youth organizations, yet athletics must take a back-seat to a student excelling academically. Yes parents, coaches and administrators provide support for athletes to assist these athletes to do better in the classroom. Perhaps, we must ask ourselves this question: Given the resources that include study halls, tutorials, and SAT/ACT test preparations and countless of mentors, why are so many student athletes doing no more than what is required? In most cases it is nothing more than expectations. Our children spend 2 hours at athletic practice and 2 minutes at academic practice. It is reasonable to assume that if someone practice anything for 2 hours, without telephones, television or interruptions, they will become good at it. Inspect what you expect of your child academically, a failure by the parents to follow this simple rule generally results into a lost opportunity for your child. Of course I know that there are many student athletes who perform much better than the minimum academic requirement. People it is becoming increasingly clear that our society has too many student athletes, especially our black youth, who actually believe that sports will be their way to college rather than academics. It is a mentality that is fostered by those who actually love this athlete, but for some reason, performing in the game trumps performing in the classroom. Imagine the pressure and ridicule that a parent face when the decision is made to remove the student from the team because of poor academic performance. The student pleads their case; swear to God that they will do better if their parents' gives them one more chance. Other parents will speak to the parent about the team! The question is simple, what is more important my child’s youth athletic team winning the championship at 12 years old or my child losing a potential scholarship at 18 years old? Then the coaches and mentors approach the parents with this idea that they will monitor the athlete more often. Sometimes the coach best option is not monitoring the athlete academics; it is not allowing the athlete the opportunity to participate in the game. As a coach I had a deflated basketball in my office with the following inscription: ‘without an education you are looking at a flat life.’