IF one could guarantee to a junior high school athlete that they would make it to the NFL, then at least that would be a good case that it could be worth it. But only .002% of Junior High football players will ever see a dime from the sport, while hundreds of thousands will end up with ruined knees, steroid-ravaged testicles and kidneys, and of course brain damage. With those odds, I’ll just play the lottery.
My husband got through college on an athletic scholarship. He was playing football and wrestling until his wrestling coach strongly suggested he think about which sport was providing the scholarship. I’m thankful that he didn’t play too much college football.
Athletic scholarships are valuable even if you never make it to the professional level. No cash in hand but a free or reduced education is a good thing for poorer kids. Division II schools provide them as well so you don’t have to be an ultra elite athlete.