By Meghan Morris
Traveling across counties and oceans all in the pursuit to play the game they love. Student athletes from all over the world have left everything they know and love behind in order to come to America to play sports. The process to get to an American College as an International player is different than one might think. They must go through an agency that sends their highlight reels, bio and information to universities in America and hope to get word back. The players don’t contact coaches directly like domestic students do. When coaches contact the agencies with interest in the player, the process of recruitment has started. Coaches provide information to make sure it’s a correct fit. Why would they do this? According to College Athlete Insight the reasons behind this is because American education is extremely highly rated and international students are using sports to achieve academic and athletic success. They see the great opportunity to get an education that will be weighed higher back home then if they stayed. International students also get a higher advantage in certain sports due to their home countries. English, Brazilian and Mexican players are more desired in soccer then American players due to the level of play they possess. This higher level makes them top candidates for major scholarships which helps entice these players to travel to America. All these reasons help aid international students to leave their country, but what about those they leave behind? International players are forced to rarely see their families and leave their native country and culture behind. Forced to miss holidays and birthdays with loved ones. Yet they don’t see it this way. In their eyes they view this opportunity as everything. They not only have love, but a passion for their sport that leads them to sacrifice so much for a chance at greatness.
