Committing to a varsity sport is glamorous, but the costs associated with participating should make athletes think long and hard before signing up. For every great moment in sports comes hours of training. To compete at the varsity level is physically demanding and can leave a student exhausted.
Some athletes are required to attend a fifth year. This means they will be graduating a year after many of their peers. Many of these athletes may have done an extra year of high school. This puts them two years behind entering the workforce.
Certain sports, such as football or basketball have a higher chance of injury. Any upcoming athlete must question whether the sport is worth the risk of injury. There is such a small opportunity of making it professional from Canadian varsity sports. There’s still potential to play some sports professionally overseas or in North America, but it’s a small chance. The majority of athletes who will play professionally must make it from the National Collegiate Athletic Association pipeline.
Some student athletes take on these risks for the pride of recognizing our school, to be part of a team and to play a sport they love, but they should consider if it’s really worth it.
