The Smoke and Mirrors of College Sports

The new school year also marks the beginning of fall sports, and by sports, I mean organized sports and the schedule juggling that goes with it.
In our household, summer is a time for unstructured play. Besides the weekly swim lessons, summer consists of playing outside in the evenings with friends and spending hot summer days inside playing with toys, video games, and books. This allows the flexibility for planned vacations, summer day camps, as well as impromptu trips around the city and play dates with friends.
Once fall starts, I usually sign the kids of for a sport. I try not to over schedule, but I think structured sports are important. Kids can learn a lot of skills from a good coach, as well as gaining discipline and learning to play as part of the team. This year, with the continuing oppressive heat, I signed the kids up for basketball and ballet. In other words, INSIDE SPORTS!
I often wonder how long my kids will continue to play. I have a son in third grade and a daughter in kindergarten. Right now, we do sports through the YMCA, but eventually they will have the opportunity to play through school. My goal for my kids is that they learn to love being active and spend a lifetime playing sports not just watching them. To me, this is essential for good health down the road.
Many parents, especially fathers, dream of college sports for their kids. They say the lure is potential college scholarships, but I suspect some of it is bragging rights as well. I've always been on the fence about this. Obviously, if my kids turn out to be particularly gifted in a sport and play in college, I thought that would be great. On the other hand, as long as they continue to enjoy non organized activities such as hiking, running, swimming or intramural sports on their own to continue having fun and being healthy, I would support that as well.
A recent article in The Atlantic Magazine changed my mind. It is titled, The Shame of College Sports, and the author explains that the term "student athlete" is a smoke screen for the NCAA and colleges to use unpaid labor and rake in billions of dollars.
The careers of most college athletes are short lived, lacking the bright future they were promised. The other day, I showed my husband the article, who forwarded it to his friend, a former successful college football player, who agreed with the premise of the story. He said that while he has always been interested in studying, and was able to get a successful non-sports related career after college football, many of his friends and fellow teammates were not so lucky. I encourage all parents to read the article if they haven't already.