So You Want to Go Pro?

By Arkansas Next on Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Many high school athletes dream of making it to the big leagues, but few will actually make it. Because of the highly competitive world of professional sports and uncertainty of sports careers, student athletes should always have a backup plan. The stats don’t lie.

► 83.6% of professional athletes are male

PROBABILITY OF GOING PRO

► 1.6% of college football players

► >1% of college women's basketball players

► 1.2% of college men's basketball players

► 9.9% of college baseball players

► 7.4% of college ice hockey players

ODDS OF PLAYING IN COLLEGE

For Men:

ODDSBASEBALLBASKETBALLFOOTBALLSOCCERTENNIS
MAKING ANY COLLEGE ROSTER 8:1 17:1 11:1 12:1 25:1
MAKING ANY NCAA D1 ROSTER 43:1 110:1 33:1 108:1 155:1

 

For Women:

ODDSSOFTBALLBASKETBALLVOLLEYBALLSOCCERTENNIS
MAKING ANY COLLEGE ROSTER 10:1 14:1 16:1 10:1 28:1
MAKING ANY NCAA D1 ROSTER 51:1 81:1 83:1 41:1 182:1
AND EVEN IF YOU MAKE IT...

► 3.3 years - average length of an NFL player's career

► Average retirement age of professional athletes

  • NFL - 27
  • NBA - 28
  • MLB - 29.5
  • NHL - 28.2
  • PGA - 40s

► 60% of former NFL players are broke within five years of retirement

THE BACKUP PLAN

► Great degrees to pursue for success after sports

  • Computer Science
  • Math
  • Business Administration
  • Education
  • Finance
  • Communications

► Alternate career paths for athletes & sports lovers

  • Exercise Physiologist
  • Athletic Trainer
  • Sports Coach/Scout
  • Sports Data Analyst/Statistician

(Sources: exactsports.com, scholarshipstats.com, thesportsdaily.com, sportscasting.com, vault.si.com)

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