FROM THE FIELD TO THE OFFICE
A statistical look at the link between college athletics and business
52%
Share of C-suite women who played a sport at the university level, compared to 39% of women at other management levels
3%
Share of C-suite women who have not played any sport, compared with 9% of women at other management levels
SOURCE: EY Women Athletes Business Network and espnW
78%
Share of NFL players who are bankrupt or nearly so just two years after their career ends
60%
Share of NBA retirees who lose all their earnings in five years
SOURCE: Sports Illustrated 2009 analysis
THE PROBABILITY OF PLAYING BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL
Many boys and girls grow up dreaming of playing sports in college and the pro ranks, the NCAA notes. But of the nearly 8 million students currently participating in high school athletics in the United States, only 460,000 of them will compete at NCAA schools. And of that group, only a fraction will realize their goal of becoming a professional athlete. For the rest, the NCAA notes, the experiences of college athletics and the life lessons they learn along the way will help them as they pursue careers in other fields.
Baseball
482,629 high school players
6.9% will play in college
8.6% of college players are drafted by MLB
Men’s Basketball
541,054 high school players
3.4% will play in college
1.2% of college players are drafted by the NBA
Women’s Basketball
433,344 high school players
3.8 % will play in college
0.9 % of college players are drafted by the WNBA
Football
1,093,234 high school players
6.5% will play in college
1.6 % of college players are drafted by the NFL
SOURCE: NCAA
