Odds of Becoming a Sports Star

Do you have what it takes to make it professionally in your field? Most young boys and girls have fantasised about becoming a professional athlete. However, if you’re a young male or female in a large country like America, just like in the Hunger Games, the odds don’t seem to be in your favour when it comes to making it professionally in the world of sports.

The system is the same across most sports; athletes with these aspirations are required to attend and succeed in college. The ones that make it do so after a solid college career, yet, an astounding college performance doesn’t guarantee you a place in the big leagues.

Not to sound like a Debbie Downer, but the odds of being selected to play for your country’s national team are even slimmer. So, what are your chances of becoming a superstar in the following sports: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and ice hockey? Our infographic has all the odds.

The competition in the sports world is cut-throat, and the vacancies are few. In men’s football, a limited number of 255 players are drafted in, and the odds of being selected from high school are 1 in 4,287. If you’re lucky enough to make it into college football, it might be difficult to advance further as only 1 in 280 young men is drafted into the NFL (National Football League).

It’s an incredibly difficult feat to make it big, which involves hours of dedication, blood, sweat, and tears. But, on the off-chance that you do get in, you’ll be paid your weight in gold as the average NFL player gets $1.9 million.

If you thought it was tough to get into football, getting into men’s basketball is ten times harder as only 47 players are drafted in, and just 1 in 11,512 males is drafted from high school. Once you’ve made it into a college team, the odds of being chosen are 1 in 390. Only the elite are given the prestigious opportunity to go pro. The question on everybody’s lips must be; do basketball players make more money than footballers? The answer lies within our infographic!

For all those young girls with aspirations of becoming the next Diana Taurasi or Maya Moore, brace yourselves, as only a total of 32 female players are drafted into the NBA. The chances of being chosen from high school are 1 in 13,542, and only 1 in 510 young ladies who have made it into a college team will get selected to progress in their careers. It’s tough being a female sports star.

Not only is it harder to be drafted in women’s basketball than in men’s basketball, but you earn significantly less. The average salary for a female basketball player is $75,000. Whatever happened to equal rights for men and women?

Let’s take a look at the numbers in baseball, America’s national pastime. The percentages are pretty bleak, in fact, a recent survey revealed that 11.6% of college baseball players play in the Major Leagues, though 0.6% of high school players ultimately get that far. Making the cut is tough!

These percentages translate into a total of 638 players who are drafted. The chances of being selected from high school are 1 in 679, and only 1 in 52 youths who have made it into a college team are chosen to play professionally. The average salary for a baseball player is $3.2 million. Not shabby at all!

Talent is a must in this sort of profession, but luck is also a big factor. An injury or simply an off-game in front of a professional scout could be detrimental to your career, and you’ll just be overlooked. Which sport do you think is the most competitive and has the highest income? For more odds compilations on going pro and more average salaries of these superior athletes, go on to the infographic below.

About the author

Eric Roberts

Sports Journalist

Eric has been a sports journalist for over 20 years and has travelled the world covering top sporting events for a number of publications. He also has a passion for betting and uses his in-depth knowledge of the sports world to pinpoint outstanding odds and value betting opportunities.