Better Odds at Success
According to the NCAA, 11.6 percent of college baseball players make it to the pros, while 0.6 percent of high school players do. Young men who play baseball have much better odds at going professional than athletes who play basketball, football and soccer combined, which will send 1.2, 1.7 and 1.0 percent of college players to the pros respectively, and 0.03, 0.08 and 0.04 percent of high school players respectively.
When we look at the opportunity of running a successful business versus having a career in professional sports at all, the odds don’t even compare. The latest Census Bureau statistics show that 69 percent of new firms with employees survive at least two years. An independent analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 49 percent of new businesses survive for five years or more.
The statistics show Black males should be more confident they will make it in business than in professional sports. This was consistent across all states and major industries, including tech.
Longer Career
Athletes can see their entire careers dashed by sustaining a single injury, getting burned out, or getting cut when better players takes their spots.
Recent studies have shown the average career length for the four major U.S. sports: National Football League — 3.5 years, National Basketball Association — 4.8 years, Major League Baseball — 5.6 years, and National Hockey League — 5.5 years.
On the other hand, government research into the success rate of startups showed that 34 percent of new businesses survive 10 years or more, and more than a quarter (26 percent) are still in business at least 15 years after being started.