Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
How many "rags to riches" stories are there still in modern, traditional sports? I would warrant an infinitesimal few because modern professional sports is becoming more and more elitist. With the current climate that requires endless added specializations, numerous coaches, expensive camps and tournaments in order to be successful professional sports is becoming increasingly more unachievable to those without means.
My 14-year-old is a pretty good soccer player, and he has set his sights on a university scholarship or even the possibility of a professional career. We are under constant pressure to pay for private training sessions, camps, coaches, etc.—much of which we are simply unable to afford. I am painfully aware of the very real possibility that my and my wife's own shortage of disposable income could very well stand between my son and his dream.
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Agreed. Children's sports looks today look radically different than they did 30 years ago. The early start, specialization, and, especially, the skyrocketing cost has transformed sport utterly. Competitive sports today are almost exclusively the domain of the wealthiest 10 or 20 per cent. The notion of 9 and 13 year olds touring to different provinces, states, or countries, incurring many thousands of dollars a year on families in flights and hotels, would have struck parents in the 70s or 80s as absolutely bonkers. Now it's routine.
In that sense, e-sports are an egalitarian alternative to traditional sports. If you're a single mom working at Petland, your son has a heck of a lot better chance of becoming a pro Counterstrike player than he has of competing in skiing, hockey, or baseball at a high level.
What's Lost When Only Rich Kids Play Sports
https://www.theatlantic.com/educatio...sports/541317/
How Kids’ Sports Became a $15 Billion Industry
http://time.com/magazine/us/4913681/...-190-no-9-u-s/