Games and sports are an essential part of healthy student life. Sports improve the overall performance of students making more them active, developing teamwork, and often increasing their grades. When it comes to sports after high school, is college baseball, basketball, or football best for athletes?
High school athletes dream to playing after graduation, but not every player turns this wish into reality. According to a report from NCAA, only 8.1% of students continue baseball in college, 7.5% play football, and only 3.6% maintain their basketball career.
These numbers are even lower for NCAA Division I. Only 2.4% for baseball, 3.0% for football, and 1.0% for basketball.
Why don’t athletes continue beyond high school?
Understanding which sports are best to continue into college requires looking at why many athletes are unable to continue in their chosen sport.
One thing every athlete must keep in mind is the importance of academics. A student who wants to shine as an athlete also needs good grades. No matter which sports you participate in, low grades in high school limit your ability to play at the college level. You need to study to stay on the team.
College admissions departments reject talented athletes with low grades. Even if an athlete with poor grades gets accepted to a college, the coach might limit playing time because they are concerned the athlete will wash out due to academic issues. Many college leagues and inter-college games have defined eligibility criteria, including academic performance, that are required for participation in college baseball, basketball, football, and any other sports.
Good grades mean the athlete is responsible, capable of time management, and hard-working. Academic success also increases the chance of getting an academic scholarship for athletes, which makes attending college more affordable.
College Baseball, basketball, or football, which one is better?
Football and basketball are the two college sports that get the most attention on a national level in the United States. Baseball and softball also get a fair amount of attention. When choosing a sport to pursue after high school, it can be challenging to decide which sport is most beneficial to an individual college student athlete.
Right To Choose
If a student is allowed to choose based on personal preference, the decision is fairly easy. The sport they find the most fun might be the sport to choose. Many students continue with sports they played in high school rather than starting with a new sport in college.
High school athletes who excelled in multiple sports will likely be forced to choose in college. The decision on which sport to play may come down to which one a college is willing to offer a scholarship or spot on the roster.
Difficulty Level
According to a special report presented by the United States Olympic Committee, football is the most challenging sport among the three. Basketball takes the second spot, and baseball stands third. Football is the third most difficult sport in the degree of overall difficulty in all sports rankings.
Basketball comes in 4th place, while baseball secures 9th position in the list of 60 sports. Sports scientists have used several parameters to determine the difficulty levels like strength, endurance, power, agility, speed, durability, and flexibility, among others.
If you want to choose your college sport based on the difficulty level, these rankings are a helpful guide. As we mentioned earlier, academics are important. Participating in a more difficult sport at the college level could have a negative impact on your grades.
Selection of a College Baseball, Basketball, or Football Program
All colleges have athletic programs. Not every college is competitive in your favorite sport. Also, not every college offers a every sport. If you plan to play a sport in college, you may be limited to choosing a college with your sport.
Athletic scholarships are also a factor in choosing. More football scholarships are offered each year than basketball and baseball scholarships combined.
Despite the popularity of high school football creating a large number of players compared to other sports, football maintains the best ratio for getting a scholarship relative to the number of students who apply.
Final Verdict
Researchers believe that a high school students benefit from playing more than one sport.
Restricting an athlete to one sport might keep the player’s true potential hidden. While playing different sports help the athlete to know which sport they enjoy most. Many athletic individual are also good at more than one sport.
With that in mind, which sport is better than others? The answer is not simple enough. An athlete must be free to choose the sport which makes him happy.
There are other benefits like the scholarships offered. However, the outcome is marvelous when an athlete puts his heart into the game.
Thus, if you want your child to make the best of their sports career, just let him enjoy. They should select which sports he wants to play in high school so that he can continue that in college.
In the end, remember, any athlete will only get a chance to be selected in any sport in college when the academic results are above-average. Because the college coaches have less time and resources to make the team, those who are the best of both worlds win the race.
