Pro athletes' uncommon careers -- MLB: Separation anxiety -- NFL: A collision cocktail spiked with size, strengh, speed, and skill -- NBA & WNBA: Trees in blossom -- NHL: Intricacy on ice -- MLS: New kid on the global pitch -- Atypical pros and their competitive reality -- Life after game days: a wrenching experience?
Summary:
Thousands of kids across the United States dream of becoming professional athletes, yet less than one in a thousand high school seniors will go on to play in a major pro league. Of those select few, many will find that, after a childhood of full-time commitment to sports, their professional careers will likely be brief and injury-ridden. Within each of the top professional leagues in the United States, the competition is fierce not only to get into the league but to stay there--the average career in the NBA is less than five years, and in the NFL only three and a half years. The Anatomy of Competition in Sports examines the role of competition in each of the major sports leagues in the United States: Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Women's national Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Soccer (MLS). In order to provide a comprehensive review of competition within each sport, Christopher B. Doob scrutinizes the challenges faced at the youth level, opposition encountered by individuals competing to join a pro league, the obstacles pros must overcome throughout their careers, and the history of each league. Furthermore, Doob looks at such influences as family, school, colleges, the draft process, coaches, and the playing conditions within professional leagues. Additional chapters examine so-called atypical pros--such as disabled athletes, gay and lesbian players, and two-sport pros--and life after the pros, including the effects of debilitating injuries and the prospects of post-retirement jobs. Highlighting the struggles many athletes face, this book features vignettes about current and past professionals, inlcuding Mariano Rivera, Earl Campbell, Candace Parker, and Sydney Crosby."--Back of book.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.