What does it take to become a pro athlete? (Split)

[star18]

"When you have a talent that 99.9% of humans don't have"

I do not agree with this comment.   I know that only 1 out of 100,000 people in this country make it to be a professional sports player.   What I do not think is that all of those 100,000 people who don't make it have the same chance as getting there as the 1 person who does.   I would say that 99.9% of the athletes who make it to the professional level are known by either scouts or a team they are on by the time they are 18. What I'm saying is that if you do become a pro athelte you are already a star somewhere on a team by the time you are 18.   If you take every 18 yr old in this country and give them the same opportunity to compete in sports and make it the huge part of their life that it was for the pro athletes who made it at age 18, then many more people would have a chance to make it to the pro level.

I think that I am an example.   When I was 11, I was great at baseball and thought I could make it to the MLB. I led off for the 11 yr old all star team that year.  Of course many kids have that dream.  However I never got a chance to play.   As I am today I am 5'11 and weigh 200 lbs and am in great shape.  Yet when I was a freshman in high school I was much smaller and skinnier and physically much less mature than most 13 yr olds. I tried out for the baseball team in my freshman year in HS and did not make the team.  Our HS won state champs in NY so we had a really great team.  During the fielding and running excercises I was great and was better than most of the guys my age.   However when it came to hitting I got one chance to hit for 5 minutes against a pitching machine, not a real pitcher and missed every ball.  The coach saw this and I didn't make first cuts.  I know I was a much better hitter and didn't even face a real pitcher but that didn't matter.  All the coach saw was those 5 minutes and he made his decision. I was very dissapointed, and then some of the guys who made the team were not athletic at all, they just made the team because they were better friends with the guys who were great and knew the coaches better.

I could have tried out for the baseball team again my next three years in HS but I was still physically immature for my age and I didn't even try.  I didn't start to even grow or gain that much weight until I was 19 or 20 years old.   Now, I am 32 yrs old and am bigger and stronger than some of the guys who made it to the Majors. But I never got there because I never got the chance to play.  Had I made my freshman baseball team I would have played baseball all year and would have been a much better player by seasons end.   Then I would have had a much better chance of staying on the baseball team my last 3 years of HS and would have been a great player by the time I was a senior. However because coach did not think I was good, after only watching me for about 4 hours to decide I did not play baseball in HS.

Here is another thing.  I still think I can play in the NBA.   These guards in the NBA are too skinny, some only weigh 170, and I am alot bigger.  I've never even played one organized full court game of basketball in my life, yet I know I am a great player, because I have played many pick up and schoolyard games.  However this is real life and I can't put all my energy, time & effort into being an NBA player if I am not already on a team that gives me the chance to play.  If I don't make the HS team, am not getting scholarships, scouts looking at me, coaches going crazy over me, how can I make it to the NBA? But who says I am not good enough? How about throwing me on the court with KG,PP,Ray & Sheed, let me go to the practices with Doc, let me wear a green jersey and travel with the team.  Am I going to be good enough to be an NBA player? Who knows, but I know for sure one thing I am going to be a much better player after getting the experience playing with these guys.

So I wouldn't say that 99.9% of humans don't have that talent.   A vast majority of them don't get that chance.   Especially when young, because you know on those high school teams and so forth it is the "coaches son" who bats first and plays centerfield. If you are not on a team when you are young how can you be a pro? Its not only about playing and getting experience its also about being able to do all the other things in life because sports is giving you a chance.  If your not on a team, you can't depend on sports for anything.

One last example is Tiger Woods.  We all know he is the greatest golfer ever, and probably of all-time.  That is basically a fact.  However, what also is a fact is that 99% of people never got even close to the chance to play golf like Tiger has.  He was a phenom at age 5, was on the course thousands if not millions of times before the age of 30.  How many people in this country really get to play golf that much? and can afford to do so? So while Tiger is the greatest, very few people get the chance to play like he has.  

[star18]

So what I'm saying is that if Tiger Woods is the best golfer on the planet, it is out of a sample of 6 billion people.  Yes he is the best golfer out of 6 billion people in this world.  Yet probably only 10 million people got the same opportunity to be great at golf like he has.    So I don't look at it like Tiger is the best out of 6 billion. I'm sure ESPN does, but I don't.   I would say that he is the best out of 10 million, because 5.9 billion never got the chance to play. 

[star18]

Here is another example.   Me and A-Rod are about the same age.   When we were both 18 years old who was a better player? A-Rod, of course.   He was the 1st pick in the draft when he was 18, everybody heard of him.  Who heard of me when I was 18? Nobody.

Now that A-Rod is 32 and has 600+ HR he has improved alot as a pro athlete.   But he really didn't improve that much from the time he was 18, because he was already a great player at age 18.  By the time he was 21 he was already hitting .350 with 36 HR in the Majors, so he really hasn't improved that much in the past 11 years.

Me, on the other hand, had I been able to get a minor league contract at 18, and then called up to the big leagues by 2009 would I be hitting .350 with 50 HR per year? No.   But would .270 AVG 23 HR & 86 RBI be possible? Yes, and that would make me good enough to be an MLB player.   So in the past 14 years I would have improved drastically as a player, even more than A-Rod, but I didn't get that chance.

Also, alot of being a pro athlete has to do with how quickly you physically mature.  If you mature much slower and don't really hit your physical peak until you are 25, and aren't even physically big and strong enough to play by the time you are 18, you are not making it. Beacause by the time you are 18, you have to start thinking about how you can make money and be successful in life.  If you are not on a team, getting scholarships etc., you cannot rely upon sports to be successful in life, because sports isn't producing anything for you.    When most pro athletes were 18, they were already getting scholarships, some contracts, perks from their respective schools, the ability to travel and play, equipment, coaching advice, etc.., so sports was already giving them something in life.  If you are not on a team, sports isn't giving you anything so you cannot make the time and effort to be a better player, because life doesn't give you the opportunity to.  But whether or not you made your HS or college team was not your decision, it was the coaches.  And if they don't pick you, you can't put the time and effort in, mostly because of financial reasons, to be a pro athlete.   

[star18]

Even though this may be getting a little off topic I will give it a go.  I went to my first pro sports game in 10 years earlier this year.  It was the BOS at NJ game.  I was 1 of like 10 people cheering for my boy Starbury.  I didn't get to see KG or TA, everyone else was there.  I was not intimidated by the players whatsoever.  I wanted to jump on the court and get in the game.   I know for one thing, I'm bigger than Eddie House.   What that means, I don't know for sure, but I felt that I could play with those guys.   

What I do know is that none of the players on the court were giving 100% effort.  I would say more like 90%. How can they give 100%? They have to play everyday, for many it must have been like their 1,000th game playing.  They can't overrun around, dive for loose balls, make risky plays etc., because they do it for a living.   Me, on the other hand, if I was on the court with those guys I could give 100% because I have nothing to lose.  Sports isn't my life so I could basically play my heart out without worrying about what would happen.    These guys can't do that.   They have to be careful playing because a career ending injury will greatly impact thier life, so they can't really give 100% every night.

If I was on an NBA team for just one year, I could play all out.  I wouldn't get stuck in the same routines as many NBA players because it would be my first and only year playing the game. 

So did I go this game in NJ and think these guys were so much bigger than me, and better players, and did I sit their in awe at these guys like OMG they are so amazing? No, I did not.  I felt like I could jump on the court and play with these guys maybe get 15 minutes score 10 with 3 reb & 3 asst.   Did that happen? No.  Because it is not that 99.9% of humans don't have the talent to play.  Many people do not get the chance. 

[star18]

C'mon man, I'm better than Tyronn Lue.

[Redz]

Even though this may be getting a little off topic I will give it a go.  I went to my first pro sports game in 10 years earlier this year.  It was the BOS at NJ game.  I was 1 of like 10 people cheering for my boy Starbury.  I didn't get to see KG or TA, everyone else was there.  I was not intimidated by the players whatsoever.  I wanted to jump on the court and get in the game.   I know for one thing, I'm bigger than Eddie House.   What that means, I don't know for sure, but I felt that I could play with those guys.   

What I do know is that none of the players on the court were giving 100% effort.  I would say more like 90%. How can they give 100%? They have to play everyday, for many it must have been like their 1,000th game playing.  They can't overrun around, dive for loose balls, make risky plays etc., because they do it for a living.   Me, on the other hand, if I was on the court with those guys I could give 100% because I have nothing to lose.  Sports isn't my life so I could basically play my heart out without worrying about what would happen.    These guys can't do that.   They have to be careful playing because a career ending injury will greatly impact thier life, so they can't really give 100% every night.

If I was on an NBA team for just one year, I could play all out.  I wouldn't get stuck in the same routines as many NBA players because it would be my first and only year playing the game. 

So did I go this game in NJ and think these guys were so much bigger than me, and better players, and did I sit their in awe at these guys like OMG they are so amazing? No, I did not.  I felt like I could jump on the court and play with these guys maybe get 15 minutes score 10 with 3 reb & 3 asst.   Did that happen? No.  Because it is not that 99.9% of humans don't have the talent to play.  Many people do not get the chance. 

You had me somewhat on board til the very end. These guys are way much more talented than that 99.9 percent.  Lets assume all that you said is true and Paul Pierce, of even Tony Allen, is just Joe Blow sitting in the stands and he gets the chance to play in one game and gives it his very best for all the reasons you stated.  He's going to be a hell of a lot better than you under those same circumstances because a better player - period.

[star18]

I don't understand what you are talking about.  How do you know for sure that a certain player is better than me?  Of course KG is better than me he is 6"11, I'm only 5'11.   Of course Paul is better than me.  That doesn't mean I'm not good enough to make the NBA.

Why are pro athletes so talented? Because they play the sport every day. They have been playing organized ball since they were 15 or even 10 years old.  They get paid to play.  It is their job.  They don't have to worry about working at a non-sport job to support thier lifestyle and their family because they can play sports and get paid.  They can practice and play all day long. All they have to do is play the sport, they don't have to work a 9 to 5 job and sit at an office all day long.

How do you know for certain what player is better than me.  I am 5'11 200lbs & very athletic.  I am basically Emmitt Smith size and very athletic. Have you ever seen me on the court with these guys? No.  So you don't know for sure.  You can only assume and speculate that a certain NBA player is better at basketball than me.

And what if a coach selected me to play on his team in HS.  And what if I started getting paid to play basketball.   Do you think I would improve as a player?

Of course pro atheltes are much more talented than most people.   I do not think it is 99.9%, more like 80%, because like I said if you are not getting paid to play basketball every day, how can you play basketball every day alongside the competition, teammates, & coaches that these guys work with on a regular basis? If your not a pro athlete, how much time can you really put into the sport and what will the talent level of the people around you be? You have to work a 9 to 5 non-sport job, how good can a person like that really be?

[star18]

Its not 99.9%.  Because you are assuming that 100% of people get the same opportunity to play a pro sport and work on their game like the pros do? Many people do not get the chance.  Finances, and other committments in life are the reasons.

Who is going to be the better player? The person who plays pick up games with their buddy accross the street, or the guy who gets paid $20 million a year to be alongside Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Kevin Garnett & Doc Rivers? Obviously the guy who plays with MJ & KG and coached by Phil & Doc are going to be better.

Have I ever played with KG? Has Doc coached me?  Have I signed a $40 million dollar contract? Have I been given 30 minutes a night for a full 82 game season? So how do you know how good of a player I am, and how can you say I have been given the same chance to compete and be a player like these guys have?

[ACF]

Its not 99.9%.  Because you are assuming that 100% of people get the same opportunity to play a pro sport and work on their game like the pros do? Many people do not get the chance.  Finances, and other committments in life are the reasons.

Who is going to be the better player? The person who plays pick up games with their buddy accross the street, or the guy who gets paid $20 million a year to be alongside Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Kevin Garnett & Doc Rivers? Obviously the guy who plays with MJ & KG and coached by Phil & Doc are going to be better.

Have I ever played with KG? Has Doc coached me?  Have I signed a $40 million dollar contract? Have I been given 30 minutes a night for a full 82 game season? So how do you know how good of a player I am, and how can you say I have been given the same chance to compete and be a player like these guys have?

I once had a pretty decent jumper.
That didn't make me NBA material 

[star18]

Rajon Rondo is Top 5 PG in the league.  He is an awesome player, I love the way he plays and he is extremely talented.   However, I do not think that he is that much more talented than I am.   That isn't a knock at Rondo at all.  I've seen these guys play in person, and I do not think they are that much more talented than me. At first you may laugh, but these are the facts.

Rondo gets paid to play so he doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to do that doesn't involve basketball.   Rondo gets to pass the ball to KG and get picks from BBD, Doc coaches him and Danny gives him the jersey to go on the court.   When he plays basketball the court is official, the basket is 10 feet, the floor is nice, and during an NBA game when he makes a basket, 10,000 home fans are there to cheer, while another 2,000,000 fans watch at home on TV. He's 6'1 & weighs 170.

Nobody ever gave me $1 to play basketball, so there are lots of things I have to do that doesn't involve basketball because I need to support myself and try to build a life around me.  I don't get to pass the ball to KG, BBD isn't setting me picks, Doc doesn't coach me and Danny hasn't given me a jersey. When I want to play basketball, even in NY close to NYC I have to pay just to get on an indoor court.  Trying to find 4 teammates and 5 guys to play full court against is another matter. So many times I will play outdoor, where the basket isn't official, the floor has cracks, and when I make a basket there is nothing but cricket noises in the background.   Sure I may drain a 3 pointer, but it isn't that important because there isn't the pressure of 10,000 fans and 2,000,000 TV viewers so even if the shot goes in it really isn't going to mean all that much because nobody is going to see it.  I am 5'11 and weigh 200.

This is not a knock at Rondo or any NBA player.  I love Rondo and I see similiarties in his game, just like mine. The fact is that Rondo has 99.9% better opportunites around him to be a better player than me, as stated above.   Does that mean he or any other NBA player of simliar height & weight is more talented than me? No I do not think so.  Until I get on the court and have the basketball in my hands with 10,000 fans & 2,000,000 TV viewers along with the million dollar contract anything to say that anybody is better than me is pure speculation.

[star18]

"I once had a pretty decent jumper.
That didn't make me NBA material"

So what does make you NBA material?  It is what you do and who knows you before you are 18 yrs of age.   All those descisions are made by what happens in the leagues you play in before you are 18 or 21 yrs old, because by then you have to be heard of to be given a chance to play in the NBA.

I know what playing in younger leagues, pick up games, high school etc. is like.  It is not how talented you are, sure that plays a factor.  What plays more of a factor is, who the coach is, how well the coach knows or likes you, what your teammates think of you, what people tell you what to do on the court, who the coaches son is, politics, etc.   Its not all about talent. 

When I've played unorganized ball I know what it is like.  Players will tell me not to shoot, because they think I can't shoot, then they will boss me around on the court, tell me to go here or go there.  And if coaches and teams are involved the coaches will want it their way, not mine.

You think being a pro athlete is 100% about talent.  It is not.  Politics play a huge role.  And what you do before the age of 21 is extremely important.  Lets say you made your HS team, and you are an extremely talented player, but you don't hog the ball that much so people don't really see the skills you have.  You don't play NCAA ball and never play pro ball.  Why? Because you didn't hog the ball and try to steal the spotlight on every play.  So how did anyone know how good you were.

If I have the same height and weight and age as the pros and am in shape, exercise and am atheltic, until I step on the court, how can anyone say that a certain NBA player is more talented than me?

[ACF]

"I once had a pretty decent jumper.
That didn't make me NBA material"

So what does make you NBA material?  It is what you do and who knows you before you are 18 yrs of age.   All those descisions are made by what happens in the leagues you play in before you are 18 or 21 yrs old, because by then you have to be heard of to be given a chance to play in the NBA.

I know what playing in younger leagues, pick up games, high school etc. is like.  It is not how talented you are, sure that plays a factor.  What plays more of a factor is, who the coach is, how well the coach knows or likes you, what your teammates think of you, what people tell you what to do on the court, who the coaches son is, politics, etc.   Its not all about talent. 

When I've played unorganized ball I know what it is like.  Players will tell me not to shoot, because they think I can't shoot, then they will boss me around on the court, tell me to go here or go there.  And if coaches and teams are involved the coaches will want it their way, not mine.

You think being a pro athlete is 100% about talent.  It is not.  Politics play a huge role.  And what you do before the age of 21 is extremely important.  Lets say you made your HS team, and you are an extremely talented player, but you don't hog the ball that much so people don't really see the skills you have.  You don't play NCAA ball and never play pro ball.  Why? Because you didn't hog the ball and try to steal the spotlight on every play.  So how did anyone know how good you were.

If I have the same height and weight and age as the pros and am in shape, exercise and am atheltic, until I step on the court, how can anyone say that a certain NBA player is more talented than me?

How old are you, star?

[star18]

32, 5"11 200 lbs.   I'm in great shape, I've been working out now since I was 15.  I ran track in high school, not really that fast for long distance, but I have speed.   Sometimes I have lifted weights for as many as 21 days in a row.  I'm actually more of a bodybuilder now than anything.  I am a great athlete and great player.   I can play baseball, but I am a little scared of getting hit with the ball.  I can play football, but I am a little scared of getting hit full contact.  Not really scared, just don't think it is worth it to play and get hurt.   So basketball is my only chance to play because it is not full contact and you can't get hurt with the ball.  I didn't reach my physical maturity until I was like 25 and I am bigger this year than 3 years ago.  I still look like I'm 21, that is what most people think I am.  I still have to show ID wherever I go.  I don't think that anyone is that much more talented than me as an athlete with similiar height and weight.   I'm not a better biker than Lance Armstrong but I don't want to do that sport, I do not enjoy it.   I really only enjoy playing baseball, football & basketball.   I don't like playing other sports.

[star18]

I look exactly like Mark Wahlberg, if that does any good.   The amount of times people have told me I look like him is so many that when people say it I just say you are the millionth person who told me that.   Actually that is all people say to me, they say I look like Mark Wahlberg and have nothing else to say to me.  I live close to NYC and have never played organized ball or made any effort to do anything except go to the clubs and try to hook up.

Funny story is that only one famous person has ever acknowledged me in my life.  I've rarely even seen anyone famous.   I've never asked anybody for an autograph.  I saw Ice T on South Beach in 1996.  Redman near where I live in 2008.  And I could have sworn it was Vinnie from Naughty by Nature at a club in NJ earlier this year. When I went to the Celtics game I yelled good game to the guys as they left the court, but nobody looked at me.  Doc almost looked at me.

Again its funny but the only famous person who has ever acknowledged me in my life I saw in 1993.   We were in Disney World, and it was just me and my sister near where the characters take pictures in the Magic Kingdom.   I know if you asked this person he probably remembers me, because I was wearing a huge Dopey shirt and stood in awe at this guy walking with 10 bodyguards with a kid on his shoulders to a secret entrance before he dissappared.  Nobody else really was paying attention except for me and my sister.  And because of that he waved to me and I waved back.   Who was that person?
Michael Jordan.

[ACF]

32, 5"11 200 lbs.   I'm in great shape, I've been working out now since I was 15.  I ran track in high school, not really that fast for long distance, but I have speed.   Sometimes I have lifted weights for as many as 21 days in a row.  I'm actually more of a bodybuilder now than anything.  I am a great athlete and great player.   I can play baseball, but I am a little scared of getting hit with the ball.  I can play football, but I am a little scared of getting hit full contact.  Not really scared, just don't think it is worth it to play and get hurt.   So basketball is my only chance to play because it is not full contact and you can't get hurt with the ball.  I didn't reach my physical maturity until I was like 25 and I am bigger this year than 3 years ago.  I still look like I'm 21, that is what most people think I am.  I still have to show ID wherever I go.  I don't think that anyone is that much more talented than me as an athlete with similiar height and weight.   I'm not a better biker than Lance Armstrong but I don't want to do that sport, I do not enjoy it.   I really only enjoy playing baseball, football & basketball.   I don't like playing other sports.

Ah, okay. Well, I'll give you this:
There is nothing wrong with your
level of confidence 
But I have to disagree on the whole
politics thing. If you are a great b-ball
player, chances are that someone will
find out and make sure that you get a
huge contract somewhere. I guess it's a
bit late for you, though. You could say
that the real problem is that there are
thousands and thousands of great players
and only a few get the chance to play.