Monson: Every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a mission. Missionary service is a priesthood duty—an obligation the Lord expects of us who have been given so very much.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2011/02/a-call-for-missionaries?lang=eng

I'm only replying to this thread because I've recently been disappointed by my ward council  saying we shouldn't preach "mission, mission, mission" to the young men because some of them won't go, they'll go for the wrong reason, they aren't able to go. If we do this, we're catering to the minority. Every LDS young man athlete should prepare to serve a mission and plan on it. For those not capable of serving a full 2 year mission, the church has other options, but the service is still a duty. You put God first, He puts you first. Sports are great (hence Cougarboard) and military is essential but fulfilling your duty for 2 years will not throw off your future. You will never be worse off for putting God first.

I have a priest who is headed to the military and he uses this same mindset to justify not going on a mission. He's a good kid. His girlfriend adores him and he's settling. Military service is important and I'm not undervaluing it. My life has been blessed personally by people who served our country. But, I wish I had a priest quorum full of young men who are excited about their future missions and what a great blessing it is to serve. 

Any of you dealing with this?