Most of the parents I know, who like myself have kids involved in sports...do so not for the promise of “money”...but because the sports can make the difference in acceptance to a prominent school. My son was a “lazy” student in high school who scored well on his SAT’s....and because of swimming was certainly accepted into schools where most kids had much higher GPA’s.
Although those athletes who receive athletic aid are viewed as the ultimate winners, they typically find the demands on their time, minds and bodies in college even more taxing than the long journey to get there.
One of my daughter's best friends is 6'3", and a super-talented volleyball middle and basketball center. The expectation from everyone around her from her parents to coaches and college coaches is that it's a given that she chooses one sport or the other to play in college.
She's been balking at making college plans - her friends knew why - she was afraid to tell her parents that she was not interested in playing sports in college. She wants to have a life.