Going Pro In Something Other Than Sports

I have mentioned previously that I am not a scholarship athlete. This is kind of true. I'm not quite the same as other walk-ons (for many reasons, but we'll just focus on one here). Most walk-ons are the true warriors; passed over for scholarships, they decided to enroll in school at a program they wanted to be a part of, paid out of their own pocket for the privilege of attending, and fought their way onto the team.

Suckers.

I noted that my previous school was a highly regarded academic institution. When I graduated high school, my academic background put me in the position that I could attend just about any university in the country. I ended up selecting a school because it featured a very strong engineering program, a competitive baseball team where I could be a team leader, and some other criteria (one of which, apparently, was hideous girls. I really wish somebody would have clued me in on that).

After a successful undergraduate career at said highly regarded institution, I again put myself in the position to go to just about any graduate school I wanted. I picked the university where I am now because it was a great fit; great professors, a program that focused on what I wanted to study, great weather, hot girls (FINALLY). On top of that, part of the offer was to waive my tuition and pay me a living stipend. So obviously, I was going to come here even if there was no baseball team at all.

Quick note: Engineering grad students getting paid is fairly common. PhD students always receive some sort of payment, while it is much more rare for master's students to get paid. As a master's candidate, that is why this situation is so awesome.

So I am getting a scholarship, kind of. But it puts me in an interesting position. For many scholarship athletes, their sport is a vehicle for a better life. For many of these students, their academics alone are not strong enough to warrant their entry into a reputable university, or a four-year college of any kind, in some cases. And really, when you consider how the vast majority of these student-athletes are not going to go on to professional sports of any kind, you realize how important that opportunity is; a chance to get a college education, which opens up a world of career paths compared to what might have been available to them otherwise. Athletics become an aid to further academic success, which, ultimately, is the important pursuit.

Then what the hell am I doing? I'm taking an academic scholarship, given to help me further my academic pursuits, to be used toward my career that will be based on my ability to use my mind, to... spend half my time playing baseball? When, by the way, my career earnings from professional baseball will most likely be zero (0) dollars. This is like a can't-miss NFL prospect coming out of college and saying he's going to pass up the draft and attend the Berklee School of Music because he just really loves playing the violin, which, yeah, he's decent at, but there are so many other better violinists around that there's no chance for him to make a living doing it.

Hey, you can't put a price on a dream. I just hope my academic advisors don't erupt into a purple-faced rage when I tell them that, well, I really like playing baseball.