Separating the Student from the Athlete

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Every athlete dreams of playing professional at some point during their young adolescent career, but in reality a person has a greater chance of dying in a plane crash than becoming a professional athlete. Most people don’t have the skills to make it in the pros but for the few who do there is a controversial decision that needs to be made whether to go to college or go straight to the pros. Although some sports such as football and basketball require a waiting period after graduation from high school but base does not have such requirements. More athletes are trying to cheat the system so they don’t have to go to college. A new system could be beneficial because it would give financially troubled kids an opportunity to get paid in the pros and underdeveloped athletes a chance to develop in college. Parents and teachers have preached that getting an education is important since students first entered Kindergarten. Although there is proof that athletes have endured success from both pathways, academics and athletics, it’s the financially safe and most logical choice for a student athlete to solidify his or her future after athletics. Becoming a professional athlete is a high-risk high reward situation but receiving a college education lowers that risk. A college education could potentially increase the knowledge further to enhance their athletic abilities intellectually also (Clary Dec. 13, 2009). Most of the time if the athlete is good enough to go pro it’s likely that they have athletic full–ride scholarships from major college programs. With college expenses the way they are today one might argue that this is a better deal especially if the chance of going pro remains after the athlete graduates from college. After retiring from... ... middle of paper ... ...o the student athlete from an educational and athletic performance standpoint. He believes that this would be an adequate compromise of the argument on high school athletes going pro. This article gave me insight on a solution to the "high-school athletes going pro" debate. Heffernan, L. E. (2013, October 10). Parents Ruin Sports for Their Kids by Obsessing About Winning. Retrieved April 28, 2014 Probability of Competing Beyond High School. (2013, September 24). NCAA.org. Retrieved April 10, 2014 This study shows the probability of a high school athlete's chances of going pro in their sport. It shows from a mathematical standpoint why going to college and getting your education puts yourself in a better standing finically. It shows the percentage of average high school athlete’s chances of making a pro team. This study gives me statistics and facts on my topic.

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