From High School to Pro-How Many Will Go?
v 59% of high school football and basketball players believe they will get a college scholarship.
v 98 out of 100 high school athletes never play collegiate sports of any kind at any level.
v Less than one out of every 100 high school athletes receive a scholarship of any kind to a Division I
school.
v Nationally, out of every 100 9th graders, 68 will graduate from high school, 40 will enter college
directly, 27 are still enrolled in college in their second year, and 18 will graduate from college. These
numbers include all students who entered in college. - US Dept. of Education
Only 1 in 16,000 high school athletes attains a professional career in sports.
The fame and the fortune of being a professional athlete can be very attractive to an athlete in high school
or college who is trying to figure out what to do with his/her life. What's better than taking something that
you're really good at and making lots of money with it? What a young athlete needs to be aware of is the
facts. The number of high school athletes that actually go on to play college and pro sports is extremely
competitive, and that's putting it mildly.
Take a look at some research from the NCAA listed in the table below. The table shows six different sports
broken down by the percentage of high school athletes who go on to play for a college team, how many of
those college players go on to play professionally, and ultimately how that translates into the percentage of
high school players who get the chance to go pro.
Student
Athletes
% High
School to
College
% College to
Pro
% High
School to
Pro
Men’s
Basketball
2.9%
Women’s
Basketball
3.15%
Football
Baseball
5.8%
5.6%
Men’s Ice
Hockey
12.9%
Men’s
Soccer
5.7%
1.3%
1.0%
2.0%
10.5%
4.1%
1.9%
.03%
.02%
.09%
.5%
.4%
.08%
Source: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Estimated Probability of Competing in Athletics Beyond the
High School Interscholastic Level.
Let's take a closer look at some of these numbers. The most competition is for those who play basketball.
Approximately three percent of male and female high school basketball players go on to play college
basketball, and only about one percent of those players turn pro. Consider the number in terms of how
many high school basketball players actually turn pro. According to the estimations, only 0.02 to 0.03
percent of high school players end up playing in the NBA or WNBA. Think about that number. That means
out of every 10,000 high school players, only two or three will ever get the chance to play professional
basketball! No one wants to squash your dreams. If you think you've got what it takes, then, by all means,
you should pursue it. It is important, however, to be realistic. Have a backup plan. Even if you are good at
something or even great at something, it seems that there's always someone out there who is faster, more
consistent, or more clever. If you are one of those skilled enough or lucky enough to make the cut, keep in
mind that sports injuries DO happen.
Academics are important!
Copyright 2006, Georgia Career Information Center, Georgia State University and its licensors. All rights
reserved.
PROTEAM DREAMQUEST CURRICULUM
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