For many sports, time and money.
If an athlete doesn't have any money, he or she often can't afford to train. And if an athlete has to get a job to get money, he or she doesn't have much time to train. Therefore, in many cases who gets to participate in what sport and for how long has a great deal to do with money.
For example, poor kids are rare in figure skating--not because they aren't talented--but because skating parents have to spend $15,000 to $50,000 a year on training expenses. Sure, there's money once a skater makes the national team, but it has taken several hundred thousand dollars to get to that point.
Another example is skiing. It's a sport mostly limited to rich kids and those who've grown up next to ski slopes. Other kids just never have the opportunity to learn the sport.
Yet another example of a sport often unavailable to poor kids is gymnastics. Explained Francis Allen (men's gymnastics coach for the University of Nebraska and the 1992 U.S. Olympic team) as to why fewer men are going into the sport these days: "Only a fool is going to build a gym in the ghetto. You're not going to see inner cities get into the act." (1)
Basketball, on the other hand, draws from a much wider range of kids because it's cheap, it's everywhere, and public schools supply free coaching. And the sport even provides an early infusion of outside money in the form of free summer camps and leagues for outstanding young players. After that come college scholarships. The net result is that all young basketball players in this country can probably go as far as their talent will take them because they can find at least some financial support at every stage of their training.
Some sports are much more affordable than others and this reality should be taken into consideration when you're picking a sport to pursue. It would be very unfortunate if you spent years in training and then had to quit prematurely because you ran out of funds.
Examples of two athletes forced to deal with financial problems:
"Sure, it's a little scary because I've got a wife and two kids. My wife's commitment and sacrifice has been as big as mine.
"Travel is the biggest expense. There are training camps and I have to go to World Cup races in Europe twice a year. Boats are about $1,500 and you usually need two a year." (3)
In some sports there is sponsorship money available, but it usually goes to athletes showing exceptional potential. That means you have to come up with your own money until you catch someone's eye. According to William Rhoden, a sports columnist for The New York Times:
"Thousands of potential skaters, rowers, gymnasts, cyclists and such throughout the United States are frozen out of the Olympic movement because they lack exposure to a variety of sports, or lack the necessary money for training, or cannot crack the traditional 'closed-shop' organizations that resist sources of fresh talent.
"So, we frequently end up sending the best athletes who can afford to participate, rather than the best athletes." (4)
As skating coach Don Laws (who coached Scott Hamilton to an Olympic gold medal) put it, "We can be as motivated as we want, but it still comes down to the bottom line of who's going to pay for it." (5)
Another financial reality is whether or not your chosen sport is compatible with a part-time job. You may need one to support your training. This doesn't mean your sport will never be self-sustaining, but it may take you awhile to before you can earn enough from it to cover both your training expenses and your living expenses.
Examples of athletes trying to juggle work and training:
In 1996 she said, "I've been on the (national) team since 1990, and I've never had any sort of savings built up. For me, after the Olympics, walking into that with no savings or any kind of money, that's difficult. I look at expenses for moving it kind of throws me a little bit." (6)
She was an assistant coach for the University of Connecticut, but then had to relocate to Atlanta where the team trained. For awhile she had a part-time job at a home supply store but had to give it up. "I just couldn't do both."
But she didn't think she could continue on this way indefinitely. "I know I'd like to stay on another four years, but I just don't know. It is not an unconditional thing anymore. I'd have to look at the big picture." (7)
She is now an assistant coach at Duke University.
"I have fun. I love the process. But you can't do something like this without totally dedicating yourself. When I first came back to judo in 1991, I was a corporate graphic designer at the Segal Company, and they were very supportive; they really extended themselves.
"But then I became art director, and I found that I was missing practices because I had deadlines to meet and I was coming to practices exhausted because I stayed up all night to meet the deadlines. I had to make a tough choice. But I figured I can catch up in art and design. My judo window is right now." (8)
Visa's support began in 1990 and a year later O'Brien won his first world championship.
As part of your reality check, you might also want to compare what you're investing in your sport to what you're likely get back from it. For example, many parents steer their kids into sports that will earn them college scholarships. This could be sound financial reasoning--but only if the money spent for training doesn't exceed the value of the scholarship.
Similarly, some parents think that investing in sports training for their children will guarantee them high paying jobs as professional athletes or coaches. However, not all children can be or want to be pro athletes or coaches. They shouldn't be locked into one particular career path simply because that's where their parents put all their money.
Americans like to believe that anything is possible. Therefore the idea that you might want to pick a sport based on its cost sounds almost un-American. But if you want to be realistic about your chances for success as an athlete, you must look ahead to the financial burden you may be undertaking.
This doesn't mean you can't succeed at your chosen sport, but to do so might require some compromises. If your income is limited, you might have to give up some training time or buy cheaper equipment or travel to fewer competitions or, when you do go, stay in cheaper hotels.
Of course, this is what sports has always been about: the struggle to achieve, often against great odds. If you have the determination, the ability to persevere, and the willingness to deal with frustration, then, by all means, give it a shot.
If you do follow this course of action, you might want to keep in mind two other options to help you out financially:
1. If you have no money for training expenses, but you show promise and you're a member of an underrepresented group within the sport (e.g., a female race car driver, a black skier, an Asian equestrian), you might have a little more luck finding a sponsor. In other words, if you're unusual or a novelty, you might attract a little more attention and financial help.
2. You can always start out in an affordable sport, and then switch to a more expensive one later on if you begin earning more money and have more time.
In future issues of this newsletter, I will cover such topics as fund-raising, sponsorships, endorsements, and other financial matters.
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