Famous Last Words: Club sports deserve more credit than they receive, oftentimes overshadowed by Division-1 varsity sports
Jerry Fagerberg
Issue date: 10/13/09 Section: Sports
By Jerry Fagerberg
Staff Writer
It's the dream of every high school standout to go on and compete at a prestigious university - flexing their talent at the pinnacle of unprofessional sports.
The dream is planted young. Pop Warner football players and Babe Ruth ballplayers are trained in "college development" leagues filled with the fantasy that they might one day lace-up on the hallowed ground of their favorite colleges.
The exceptional ones catch the attention of scouts before they hit thirteen, but what about the rest?
Those not lucky enough to break into a varsity program are left with the demoralizing option of playing at the club level.
Jordan Berg, a former Division-1 soccer recruit here at Loyola, recalls the recruiting process.
"If I was told I was going to play club in college, I probably would've just laughed," he said, "it just wasn't an option."
Even the name "club" sports sounds demoralizing - as if they're merely social outings where members drink root beer floats and practice their secret handshake with one another. Club sports have a reputation for being nothing more than varsity rejects with their dials stuck in party mode.
But, after an unfair recruiting process and a few fall outs with the coaching staff, Berg finds himself anchoring a successful Loyola club soccer program rife with other high school hopefuls who didn't make the cut.
"There are probably ten or eleven of us that could still play division one - a lot of talented players," Berg said proudly of club soccer.
"We get a bad rap," said junior Tim Biscoe, a member of the Loyola Rugby Football Club. After graduating from football powerhouse Xaverian Brothers High School in Massachusetts as a first-string team member, Biscoe has seen both ends of the spectrum and is quick to admit the disparity.
"It's not at the same level," he said, "it's more loosely structured…but we work just as hard as any varsity athlete."
Staff Writer
It's the dream of every high school standout to go on and compete at a prestigious university - flexing their talent at the pinnacle of unprofessional sports.
The dream is planted young. Pop Warner football players and Babe Ruth ballplayers are trained in "college development" leagues filled with the fantasy that they might one day lace-up on the hallowed ground of their favorite colleges.
The exceptional ones catch the attention of scouts before they hit thirteen, but what about the rest?
Those not lucky enough to break into a varsity program are left with the demoralizing option of playing at the club level.
Jordan Berg, a former Division-1 soccer recruit here at Loyola, recalls the recruiting process.
"If I was told I was going to play club in college, I probably would've just laughed," he said, "it just wasn't an option."
Even the name "club" sports sounds demoralizing - as if they're merely social outings where members drink root beer floats and practice their secret handshake with one another. Club sports have a reputation for being nothing more than varsity rejects with their dials stuck in party mode.
But, after an unfair recruiting process and a few fall outs with the coaching staff, Berg finds himself anchoring a successful Loyola club soccer program rife with other high school hopefuls who didn't make the cut.
"There are probably ten or eleven of us that could still play division one - a lot of talented players," Berg said proudly of club soccer.
"We get a bad rap," said junior Tim Biscoe, a member of the Loyola Rugby Football Club. After graduating from football powerhouse Xaverian Brothers High School in Massachusetts as a first-string team member, Biscoe has seen both ends of the spectrum and is quick to admit the disparity.
"It's not at the same level," he said, "it's more loosely structured…but we work just as hard as any varsity athlete."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
balls mcgee
posted 10/14/09 @ 9:32 PM EST
"we work just as hard as div. 1 athletes." bullshit. go back to craigs.
bigger balls mcgee
posted 10/28/09 @ 8:11 PM EST
Hey Balls,
I'd like to see you say that to Biscoe...
And the rugby team does work just as hard as a lot of D-1 athletes. I'm not on the rugby team, so it's not like i'm biased. (Continued…)
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