BLOOMINGTON, Ind., Jan. 4 The pressure for U.S. youth to perform in school sports is heightened when the student and parents see competitive sports as a way to pay for college.Less than 1 percent of high school graduates in the United States receive sports scholarships to college, but the financial pressure fueled by the prospect of a scholarship is increasingly pushing parents beyond the brink of good sportsmanship, according to Lynn Jamieson, of Indiana University-Bloomington.Jamieson says the amount of sports violence occurring at youth sporting events has not increased, but the negative influence of financial pressures has.I know a woman who worked two full-time jobs so her child could compete with a traveling team, said Jamieson, whose research interests include sports violence. When your life revolves around the sport and competition, the stress and frustration can manifest itself in the player and parents.Instead of viewing youth sports as an investment, Jamieson advises parents consider the benefits of investing in a college savings plan.There are other avenues of success for youth, Jamieson said. Every dollar spent on leisure could be saved for higher education.Copyright 2007 by UPI
