have you ever played sports? They're fun to play! People play them, for free, all the time!

You seem to be making the case that the kids dont want to play. Perhaps you wouldn't, but that does not seem to be the case for many of them.

I expect they have very good medical advice on campus and are a very healthy subset of the population. I know its not how the world works but explain the risks clearly and let people decide whats best for them. They should keep the scholarship either way.