professorclark.net Pro Athlete |
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“Going Pro"
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Not all my students can make it! Athletes that make the pros have special talents, a better body, quicker minds, a good work ethic, and been a little lucky. We watch the pros because they can do what most of us only dream about. We watch because they are special and rare! Athletics above the fifth grade level is a meritocracy; This is not T-Ball where everybody plays well enough to get a trophy. Those who whose talents benefit their teams and coaches will play while others sit. They just don't let anybody play. If they did I would be in the Association with my six foot, sixty-something body, and a lousy jumper. If they did let me and the millions more of us who can't hoop anymore play in the NBA then no one would ever pay for a ticket or even tune in to the TV. I take that back, my mother and mothers everywhere would watch. Many of the mothers I meet think their sons and daughters are D1 or Pro prospects. This may be the only time that it would be ok for you to not listen to your mother.
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High school Players |
All colleges D1 to NAIA |
Percent high |
Average Yearly Rookie Openings |
Total Pro Players |
Percent College to Pros |
Percent High School to Pros |
|
Men's |
sports |
||||||
Baseball |
488,815 |
34,554 |
7.1% |
97 |
840 MLB |
.22% |
.17% |
Basketball |
546,428 |
18,684 |
3.4% |
37 |
NBA 450 |
.02% |
.079% |
Cross Country |
257,691 |
14,412 |
5.6% |
None |
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Football |
1,083,308 |
73,660 |
6.8% |
176 |
1696 |
2.3% |
.15% |
Golf |
146,677 |
8,676 |
5.9% |
6 |
125 |
1.4% |
.001% |
Ice Hockey |
35,155 |
4,102 |
11.7% |
56 |
690 |
16% |
1.9% |
Lacrosse |
109,522 |
13,446 |
12.3% |
None |
|||
Soccer |
440,322 |
24,803 |
5.6% |
44 |
396 MLS |
1.5% |
.08% |
Swimming |
133,470 |
9,455 |
7.1% |
None |
|||
Tennis |
157,201 |
8,092 |
5.1% |
100 |
1.1% |
.06% |
|
Track & Field |
591,133 |
28,334 |
4.8% |
None |
|||
Volleyball |
55,417 |
1,899 |
3.4% |
None |
|||
Water Polo |
21,857 |
1,014 |
4.6% |
USA none |
|||
Wrestling |
250,653 |
7,075 |
2.8% |
None |
|||
Average all men's sports |
4.5 million |
248,206 |
5.5% |
4297 |
1.7% |
.08% |
|
Women's |
Sports |
||||||
Basketball |
429,380 |
16,593 |
3.9% |
14 |
180 |
1% |
.04% |
Cross Country |
222,516 |
15,958 |
7.2% |
None |
|||
Field Hockey |
59,793 |
6,032 |
10.1% |
7 |
None |
||
Golf |
74,762 |
5,293 |
7.1% |
6 |
127 |
2.3% |
.16% |
Ice Hockey |
9,514 |
2,289 |
24.1% |
None |
|||
Lacrosse |
88,050 |
11,375 |
12.9% |
None |
|||
Soccer |
381,529 |
27,358 |
7.2% |
6 |
126 |
.46% |
.03% |
Softball |
366,685 |
19,680 |
5.4% |
2 |
156 |
.79% |
.04% |
Swimming |
166,747 |
12,356 |
7.4% |
none |
|||
Tennis |
183,800 |
8,933 |
4.9% |
8 |
130 |
1.4% |
.07% |
Track & Field |
485,969 |
29,048 |
6.0% |
none |
|||
Volleyball |
436,309 |
17,119 |
3.9% |
None |
|||
Water Polo |
20,230 |
1,136 |
5.6% |
None |
|||
Average all women's sports |
2.9 Million |
173170 |
5.9% |
719 |
.4% |
.0003% |
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/estimated-probability-competing-college-athletics
4http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/probability-competing-beyond-high-school
Mike Fields, Sports Illustrated, "Odds against playing college and pro ball
National Federation of State High School Associations
www.shmoop.com › Careers › Football Player
www.NFL.com
www.MISL.com
www.scholarshipstats.com
Google> careers
NBA.com
WNBA.com
PGA.com
Even those professional athletes who make the big stage can improve, and must improve or they will be gone quickly. To paraphrase the great football coach, Jerry Glanville 'If you are not studying, learning, and thinking then NFL stands for NOT FOR LONG. Your education will be important while playing and even more so after retirement. As a student-athlete your number one priority should be to make excellent grades! NO PASS- NO PLAY! Is the minimum standard. If you are planning to be a pro or college athlete you need to speak with you high school guidance councilor who will need you to take the accelerated high school courses that will enable you get into college. You must be prepared to get your ACT score higher than 18. You can play with a minimum of 18; however, that will not be high enough to get you into most colleges in our area. The best measure of being well prepared for college is staying on B or second honor rolls while taking the accelerated classes .College scouts get their films from stadiums and field houses. I have never heard of a college assistant coach showing up at the local playground to watch the dropouts in a street game. (I know Kobe, LeBron, and several others never went to college! So if the pro scouts have been following you around since fourth grade maybe you can make the jump also. However, most athletes must excel academically to get into college.
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You are not in the NFL or NBA yet! Sports is not your job yet. Your current status might be junior high, freshman, JV or varsity. You should have fun and keep improving. Even if you are the "Da Star" on your field or team you still need to improve. Keep improving because if you keep advancing in your career eventually you will not be the best on your team, you will be a rookie. It is not about being better than most people; it is about being the very best you can be! Growth is a long-term concept; however, one can improve with every practice, every game, and every season. |
Being one of the best ever is all about working and improving. It is a concept many young people do not comprehend; its called the Work Ethic. It takes hard work to get better! It is no mistake that Magic, Michael, and Larry were some of the hardest working NBA players ever! Each was there a couple hours after the coach stopped practice. (Go ahead if you are younger than thirty-five feel free to google the term 'work ethic' or use youtube to figure out who those HOF players were.) This is true about athletics, playing music, driving a car, playing computer solitaire, and most of the other skills in life! Being a great athlete does not just happen. Many of my student-athletes will never know how good they could become because they are unwilling to work hard. The games are fun; however, the hard work is practice and workouts. Many high school athletes have excelled in sports until now without a total effort because they were born with some athletic skills. The competition gets tougher at every level with every cut. Eventually you will find yourselves playing with and against those that have more skills, learned more, or have worked harder than you have. |
Practices are for the coaches and the team concept. They are not long enough for you to stay in fabulous shape or sharpen your skills package. You should be working on your conditioning and skills after you head home and on the weekends. Your skills package will determine how valuable you are to your team and sport. Parts of this package are set by heredity while other skills can be practiced maintained, and improved. Height, weight, wingspan, hand size, and other physical attributes are out of your control. Work on the others you can do something about including speed, agility, quickness, balance, timing, and strength. Your package also includes all the specific things that need to be mastered for you to compete well in your sport or position. |
Chapter six:"My Body is a Temple" Jack and Laurie Matri The major tool of an athlete is his or her body. If you treat it badly it will never allow you to be a great athlete. You need to treat you body as well as a great mechanic treats his tools, as a farmer treats his tractors, or as a NASCAR crew treats their car. Eating well is important. I am not a nutritionist, if you need help deciding what to eat or what to avoid - find an expert on healthy foods. All growing teenagers should avoid extreme diets or weight gaining techniques that your doctor does not recommend. You should pay special attention to what and when the coaches tell you to eat. This will not be a problem when you make the pros as some team trainer will approve all your meals. You should especially watch what you eat immediately before a performance. I once had a great distance runner who got three laps around the track and stopped to throw up. I ask about his health because I was concerned he might be ill. The problem turned out to be 2 hot dogs, nachos, a dill pickle, and two cans of Pepsi, twenty minutes before the race. |
Chapter Seven
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Chapter Eight
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Chapter Nine
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Chapter Ten"Locked Up" Akon
Most teams now run background and police checks on their hopeful draft picks before they waste their pick on someone who has a questionable background. If you can't stay out of trouble in school, at home, and with the police your athletic dreams will end quickly! (The scouts ya'll are so worried about almost never visit the alternative schools, reform schools, home schools and prisons looking for talent!) Trouble at school, home, or with the police could have a deadly effect on your sports career. If your friends get you in trouble - find new ones. You will find many new friends when you sign that big contract. |
Chapter Eleven
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Chapter Twelve
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Chapter Thirteen
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