Across a number of popular youth sports, the number of male athletes who go on to play professionally remains very low.
Statistics now show there are 1,121,744 boys playing high school football in the US. Of these, 1 in 40 high school players went on to play
In men’s basketball, 535,569 boys play high school basketball in the US. 1 in 17 high school players will play in college, 1 in 8,926 high school players will be drafted to the NBA, and 1 in 525 college players will be drafted in the NBA.
474,219 boys play high school baseball in the US. 1 in 9 high school players will play in college, 1 in 390 high school players will be drafted to the MLB, and 1 in 44 college players will be drafted in the MLB.
And in men’s soccer, 412,351 boys play high school soccer in the US. 1 in 11 high school players will play in college, 1 in 5,355 high school players will be drafted to the MLS, and 1 in 447 college players will be drafted in the MLS.
35,732 boys play high school hockey in the US. 1 in 9 high school players will play in college, 1 in 170 high school players will be drafted to the NHL, and 1 in 20 college players will be drafted in the NHL.
Source: Elite Daily, February 26, 2014