"So, like, Is SAWUSA Legit?"
If you’re asking that question, good. You should vet any company before you give them your time, your trust, or your money—especially when it involves your son or daughter traveling overseas.
And I get why you’re skeptical.
An invitation-only opportunity to wear a USA jersey, compete internationally, and travel the world can sound “too good to be true.”
So instead of asking you to just believe us, here’s the fastest way to verify SAWUSA for yourself.
Quick answer: yes - and it's east to Confirm
Student Athlete World (SAWUSA) has been incorporated since 2009. We’ve taken thousands of travelers overseas, worked with hundreds of colleges, and partnered with major organizations over the years.
We’re also a small team—and that’s a good thing. When you call the number at the top of our website, you reach our actual staff (not a call center, not AI). Our team is based in North Carolina.
do your 5-minute legitimacy check (start here)
You could spend 10+ hours on our website and still not see everything. But if you want the “proof trail,” here are the best places to start:
- BLOG (trip recaps, guest posts, video blogs going back years).
- IN THE NEWS (TV + newspaper coverage)
- TESTIMONIALS (hundreds of reviews from past travelers)
- REFERRAL LIST (former travelers who volunteered their phone/email so you can ask them directly.
- PHOTOS (over a decade of real moments around the World)
- SOCIAL MEDIA (a long public history or posts, photos, and videos.
We also have:
- Google Reviews (read them—good and bad, that’s how you know it’s real)
- BBB rating (A+ with 0 complaints over many years)
"protecting your family" is good. being rude isn't necessary
If you’re protecting your kid, I respect that. Youth sports has plenty of bad actors.
But here’s what matters: SAWUSA gives you multiple ways to verify everything before you ever commit to anything.
- Our application is free
- We send a lot of info after you apply
- You’ll have a 45-minute video interview with our staff before any tour decision
- You can ask every question you want (some families call multiple times—and that’s fine)
Skeptical questions are welcome. Here are a few great ones:
- “How long have you been in business?”
- “Where are you located?”
- “What exactly is included?”
- “Who are the coaches and how are they vetted?”
- “Can I talk to a past traveler or parent?”
What doesn’t help is calling angry before doing even one minute of research. We’re real people on the other end of the phone, and we’ll treat you with respect—so we ask for the same.
Why this matters to me (and why I wrote this page)
I started SAWUSA in 2009 and poured everything I had into building it the right way. I take it personally when someone labels our work “fake” without looking at the evidence—because this program is the result of decades of coaching, planning, and long nights making sure travelers are safe and supported across time zones.
If you’re interested, take a few minutes, do the research, and then:
Start a free application to learn more.
If it’s not for you, no hard feelings—just tell us why so we can improve.
Respectfully,
Tim Ryerson
Founder & President, SAWUSA