We often hear about how tough it is to go far in sports, especially when you consider that only 5% of all high school athletes will play in college, and only a mere fraction of all college student athletes ever make it to professional sports (less than 2%). Even with these long odds, many parents still do not fully understand just how gifted of an athlete one must be to separate from the pack and play sports beyond high school. The reality is that the difference between kids who make it and those who do not is not just one of inches, but usually much greater than that — in other words, it’s a huge difference. Please know that this column is not designed to sound pessimistic, but to instead present the real, objective truth about different talent levels in sports, and how the gap is quite wide between the select few who go on, versus those who do not.
Describing truly elite athleticism
Most youth sport parents get excited (and should!) the first time they see their kid score a touchdown, make a soccer goal, or hit a home run in baseball. Seeing our kids do things we didn’t think possible is very exciting, and if we see our kids continue to make great plays out there it can prompt thoughts around just how far can the child go in sports? High school? College? The pros?? Every professional athlete once started as a youth athlete, so why not my child? Entertaining these questions is fine, and even exciting, but those thoughts should be weighed against the realities of going far in sports.
An easy way to conceptualize the remarkable abilities of the select few who do make it in sports is to begin by thinking about just how many kids play youth sports annually. For example, there are youth soccer leagues literally at every turn in our country today, meaning that millions of kids play soccer every year. When we see a kid in our community make a great play, it is important to keep his or her great play in context by realizing that there are many kids in towns across America making the same — or even better plays! Again, this is not meant to devalue anybody’s talent and success, but to instead illustrate that a great play in your town is likely being witnessed in every other town, too.
When you do observe a truly great young athlete, one who is clearly different than the rest of the kids playing, you will know it. There are not many of these kids, and in some towns you may not even see a single kid that falls in this category — and that’s the point. When you see this kid, you will immediately notice her speed, quickness, agility, balance, and coordination. You might not even have the words to describe what you are seeing, but you will know it is special. These are the kids who might make it to sports beyond high school, but even then there is a huge difference between playing for a small D3 college (no athletic scholarship), versus being a full-ride D1 college student athlete. And finally, just think what happens from here — 98% of all those really great college athletes will fail to go on to play at the professional sport level.
Final thoughts
I once heard someone say that statistically speaking, your child has a better chance at being a rocket scientist or brain surgeon before becoming a professional athlete! If that one comment doesn’t drive home the point about the remote odds associated with elite sport success, then I don’t know what does. It takes exceptional athleticism, support, and opportunity for even the best athletes to make it, and it is important for parents to understand this reality as they make their own unique family decisions for their own children.
drstankovich.com
