Scouting High School Student Athletes Has Become Big Business

The staggering costs of college tuition has put a lot of pressure on student athletes and their parents.  The average cost of a 4 year college degree has risen to $80,000 in the U.S. and the most expensive and prestigious schools in the country cost a quarter of a million dollars.  The competition for scholarship money is fierce.  With so much on the line, national high school scouting services have emerged as an important--and often profitable--enterprise.  These scouting services organizations charge the student athlete anywhere from $250 to $5,000 depending on the level of service.  This has turned into a multi-million dollar industry and is growing rapidly.  Please approach these organizations with a healthy level of skepticism.  Perform your due diligence and check references.  Speak to college Athletic Directors to determine which organizations have the best reputations with their coaches.  Offer to pay the service based upon achievement of performance objectives like # of profiles sent out,  # of campus visits generated, amount of scholarship money generated, etc.  Some of these Firms just want your money and do not deliver the service level you are expecting, so be careful.